Ben, before he ventured his last arrow, prudently examined the string of his bow, and as he pulled it to try its strength it cracked. Master Sweepstakes clapped his hands with loud exultations and insulting laughter. 5 But his laughter ceased when Ben calmly drew from his pocket a piece of whipcord. 10 The everlasting whipcord, I declare!" exclaimed Hal, when he saw that it was the very same that had tied up the parcel. "Yes," said Ben, as he fastened it to his bow, "I put it into my pocket because I thought I might happen to want it." He drew his bow the third and last time. Master Sweepstakes, with anxiety, examined the hit. There could be no doubt. Ben was victorious! The bow, 15 the prize bow, was now delivered to him; and Hal, as he looked at the whipcord, exclaimed, "How lucky this whipcord has been to you, Ben!" "It is lucky, perhaps you mean, that he took care of it," said Mr. Gresham. QUESTIONS AND HELPS 1. Tell something of Maria Edgeworth's life. Name two or three of her stories. 2. Give as briefly as possible an outline of this story. 3. Tell what kind of man Mr. Gresham was. 4. What kind of boy was Hal? Ben? Compare them. 5. Why did Mr. Gresham give each of the boys a parcel to unwrap? 6. Why do you think he gave them tops? 7. What do you think of the top string used by Hal? ("Hatband" here means a cord, usually of silk, one end of which could be unfastened and held in the hand on windy days.) 8. If you were to shoot in an archery contest, what should you think of having a uniform? What would be the advantages of it? What the disadvantages? 9. What idea of Hal is expressed in Mr. Gresham's calling him "Mr. Uniform"? 10. What other name should you give to what Hal called Ben's "luck"? Other good stories for young people, by Miss Edgeworth, are "Simple Susan" and "Lazy Lawrence" (both in "The Parent's Assistant "), "Rosamond," "Harry and Lucy," and "Frank.” manor house (măn'õr): the house belonging to an estate, the proprietor of which has tenant farmers under his authority. wainscoting (wain'scot Ing): panelwork on the inner walls of a house. absentee (ǎb sen tēe'): a landholder who lives in a country or district away from his land. loch (lõк): a lake or bay. ness and generosity to guests. the Downs: grassy uplands along the southern coast of England. what signifies: of what use is. packthread: strong thread or twine. whipcord: hard-twisted cord, sometimes used for whiplashes. twopence (tup pens): a small Eng lish coin worth about four cents. unanimously ( năn ́I mous lỹ): with the same opinion. impartiality (Im pär shi ǎl'I ty): fair ness. woolen draper: a dealer in woolens. epaulet (ěp ́au lět): a shoulder ornament or badge. infinite (în ́fi nĭte): unbounded. cast up: add up. greatcoat : overcoat. guinea (guin'êa): an English gold coin worth about five dollars. shilling an English coin worth a little more than twenty-four cents. complacency (còm plā ́çen çỹ): selfsatisfaction. prostrate (pros'trate): lying flat. habiliments (hả bil'i ments): dress. countenance (coun'tè nănçe): here means encouragement. pretense false show. exultation (ĕx ŭl tā ́shon): lively joy at success or victory. THE DIVERTING HISTORY OF JOHN GILPIN WILLIAM COWPER [Cowper was an English poet, who wrote his best poems during the years just following the American Revolution. He was the son of a clergyman and was born in 1731, at Great Berkhamstead, in the county of 5 Hertfordshire, about thirty miles northwest of London. His mother died when he was only six years old, and his father sent him away to school. There he had a sorry time of it, for a gang of young ruffians, older than he, abused him and made his life miserable. He did not 10 complain, and it was nearly two years before the true state of affairs was discovered. Then the ringleader was expelled, and Cowper was afterwards sent to another school, the Westminster, where he fared much better. He was a good scholar, a good football and cricket player, 15 and was liked by both the master and the boys. After seven years at Westminster, Cowper took up the study of law; a few years later he rented an office in the law courts and hung out his sign, but as a lawyer he was not a success. During this time and all through 20 his life he had fits of illness and melancholy. His life as a whole was a sad one, but there were times when he was bright, happy, and witty, and one of these times was when he wrote the ballad of John Gilpin. of Cowper had a good friend in young Mr. Unwin, who took him to the Unwin home at Huntingdon and made him one of the family. Mrs. Unwin, young Unwin's mother, was like a mother to Cowper throughout the rest of her life, taking care of him when he was ill and 5 despondent, and sharing her small income with him when he was without money. They lived for many years at Olney, not far from the place of Cowper's birth. Cowper had written a number of hymns and a volume poems which had not attracted much attention, when 10 in the summer of 1781 Lady Austen, a bright and interesting young woman, came to Olney and soon became acquainted with Cowper and Mrs. Unwin. One day Lady Austen told Cowper a story which amused him greatly. He woke up several times in the night and 15 found himself laughing at it. And this story was about the now famous John Gilpin and his wild ride from London to Ware and back. During the night Cowper put it into the form of a ballad and the next morning recited it to Lady Austen and Mrs. Unwin. Some time 20 afterwards it fell into the hands of a well-known actor of that day, who recited it in public; and at once all London, between laughs, wanted to know who wrote it. The picture of the unhappy rider, clinging wildly to the neck of his horse and dashing down the road, was dis- 25 played in all the print shops, and Gilpin became one of the famous characters of the day. 5 Lady Austen told Cowper that he ought to write a poem in blank verse- that is, verse without rime. "I will," said he one day, "if you will tell me what to write about." "Oh," she replied, write about anything. Write about this sofa on which we are sitting." It seemed a hard task to make much of a poem out of a sofa, and in fact Cowper called it "The Task"; but out of it came his most perfect work. He begins by 10 telling how man invented the first seat, which was a three-legged stool, and how after a time a fourth leg was added, and then a back, and it became a chair, and then it was stretched out and arms were given to it, and it became a sofa. Then he goes on to tell how much 15 better it is not to be obliged to sit or lie upon a sofa, but instead to walk through country lanes or climb the hills — and almost before you know what he is doing he has written a magnificent poem on the beauties of country life. 20 "The Task" was published and at once made Cowper celebrated as a poet. "John Gilpin" was printed in the same book, to let people know who its author was. Cowper was a deeply religious man, and if you will look into almost any of our hymn books you will find a 25 number of his hymns. Among the best-known of them are "O for a closer walk with God" and "God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform." |