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WALTER'S VISIT TO THE FISHERMAN'S BOY.


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WALTER O'NIEL;OR,

THE PLEASURE OF DOING GOOD.

Houton:DARTON AND HARVEY,GRACECHURCH STREET.

1838.


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Joseph Rickerby, Printer, Sherbourn Lane.


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WALTER O'NIEL.

WHEN Walter O'Niel was only fiveyears old, his dear papa was takenfrom him by death; and in thespace of one short year, the littleboy was again in the church-yard,weeping* beside the grave of his be-loved mamma.But although he was thus left

alone on earth, Walter knew thathe had one Friend who could notdie, and who would be a father to


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4 WALTER O NIEL.him ; for he had been taught to loveand fear God : and now he prayedearnestly for his care and pity, thathe might be kept from sin, andone day meet his dear parents inheaven.

When Walter had ended his sim-ple prayer he felt much comforted ;laying his head on the new-madegrave, and closing his tearful eyes,he soon forgot his sorrow in a hap-py sleep. And here let us leavehim for a short time, and see whatis going on at his home.

During Walter's absence, the ladyand gentleman with whom he washenceforth to live, had arrived ; and,


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WALTER O'NIEL 5having taken some refreshment, pro-ceeded to the church-yard, under theguidance of a domestic, to seek thelittle orphan boy, whom they alreadyloved. Walter was still asleep, andthe kind lady shed tears, as shestooped over him, and kissed hispale cheek. He suddenly awoke,and, stretching out his arms, ex-

claimed, "Mamma! mamma!"" It is not your mamma, my dar-ling," said she, raising him up." She is in heaven."For a moment he looked sorrow-

ful, saying, "Oh yes! and papatoo; but will you be my mamma?I think I should love you." He

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6 WALTER O'NIEL.put his arm around her neck andkissed her.

" Yes, Walter, dear," said thelady, " I will try and supply yourmamma's place: and this gentle-man, too, will you not love him?"

" Oh, yes," said Walter, holdingout his little hand, and saying," Mamma often told me not togrieve too much ; for although shewas going to leave me, I shouldstill have some one to love me andtake care of me,"

After a few days Walter was toldhe must leave his own home, and goto England with his uncle and aunt,as he called his kind friends. The


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WALTER O NIEL. 7poor little boy was much grieved tohear this, as he loved the prettycottage where he had lived so hap-pily, and the pleasant garden, nowso gay with flowers ; but he did notcomplain, for he thought it mightdisplease his uncle and aunt. Buton the day before his departure, ashe visited, for the last time, all hisfavourite haunts, and coaxed andfed his birds and rabbits, he couldnot conceal his grief; and sad wasthe face of the little boy, as he en-tered the church-yard, to cover againwith fresh flowers the two graves,from which he could not bear to part.

Again and again did he read the


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8 WALTER O'NIEL.simple epitaphs, fearful of forgettingthem ; and then, seating himself be-tween the mounds, he recalled theparting words of his mamma, andresolved, with God's help, not toforget or depart from the good prin-ciples which she had taught himAt an early hour on the follow-ing morning the carriage conveyedlittle Walter from his native

village.The new scenes through which hepassed soon dispelled his grief; and,ere the day's journey was finished,he was quite cheerful, asking num-berless questions, and gaining manynew ideas.From Waterford they took pas-


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WALTER O'NIEL. 9sage in a steamer for Bristol ; and,when on board, Walter's curiosityknew no bounds. He had seen thesea before, it is true; but, as he said," he was such a little boy then, hecould scarcely remember it at all."The steam-engine was such a new

and wonderful thing, that he wasnever tired of examining it. Mr.Lovett explained its motion to himas simply as possible, and Waltersoon understood how the steam fromthe boiling water forced up a largeiron rod, called a piston, which fellagain, on the steam beneath it be-ing condensed ; and this action be-ing continued regularly, set the


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10 WALTER O'NIEL.whole machinery at work, turningthe large paddle-wheels, which hehad noticed on each side of the ves-sel. It was hard to say whichpleased him most, to watch thebusy engine, or the water, which,beaten by the revolving paddles,foamed, and frothed, and dashed itsspray over him.

They remained but a short time atBristol, as Mr. Lovett was anxiousto reach his home, which was situ-ated not far from the western shoreof England.

Little Walter was delighted withthe house and garden, which wereboth larger than those he had left :


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WALTER O'NIEL. lland he thought he should soon bequite happy, if his papa and mam-ma did not lie quite so far off, as hecould strew no more flowers overthem now.

Walter regularly attended to hislessons, during the morning, with hisaunt ; and, as he was a quick child,and generally very attentive, it wasquite a pleasure to teach him. Attwelve o'clock he was allowed toplay in the garden, or amuse him-self as he pleased until dinner. Theextremity of the garden was bound-ed by a small but rapid river, whichsoon mingled its waters with the$ea ; and on its banks, shaded by a


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12 WALTER O'NIEL.cluster of trees, our little boy wouldsit reading a favourite book, or play-ing with Wallace, a large dog,which he had been allowed to bringfrom Ireland. The love betweenWalter and his dog was mutual, andthe child was always considered safewith his faithful friend to guard him.One sultry day, as Walter was

enjoying his snug retreat, he hearda rustling in the coppice, on theopposite side of the stream. Aftera little while he saw a boy pushhis way through the thick branches.He had a rod and line in hishand, and, seating himself on thebank, began leisurely to arrange


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WALTER O'NIEL. 13his tackle. Walter had never seenany one there before, and lookedat the intruder with some curi-osity. He seemed to be three orfour years older than himself, andwas tall and strong. He wore ashort smock-frock, and his head hadno covering but his rough uncombedhair : altogether Walter thought himan unpleasant-looking boy. Afterthe lapse of a few minutes thebait was fixed, the line thrown uponthe water, and the young fishermanbegan humming in a low tone tohimself.

Walter had almost forgotten him,when he was startled by a shrill

B


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14 WALTER O'NIEL.voice calling, " Tom ! Tom ! whereare you ? You are an idle boy !Come home directly !"Tom made no answer, but looked

sulky, and said to himself, hewould not go home to be beaten;but the calling continued, and seem-ing to approach, he got up slowly,and Walter soon lost sight of him,though he could hear an angry al-tercation going on between him andhis mother.

" Poor boy !" thought Walter," I

wonder who he is. I fear he is notgood, or he would have gone di-rectly he was called : but he wasafraid of being beaten. Perhaps his


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16 WALTER O'NIEL.ing to think, he called to him tostop, entreating him not to be socruel as to kill them. Tom startedat hearing his voice, but as soon ashe saw the little boy's tearful face,he laughed aloud, quite disregard-ing his urgent reasons for savingthe little kittens.

" It's all very well for you totalk, master," said Tom :

"you whohave plenty to eat and drink ; but

we can't afford to keep animals,when we are half-starving our-selves."

" Half-starving!" said Walter:" how very shocking! But youshall not starve ; for I will give you


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WALTER O'NIEL. 17half of my dinner, if you will onlysave the kittens."

" No," said Tom, " they mustdie: so here the}r go." At whichhe threw them into the stream, atas great a distance from Walter ashe could, and the tide rapidly car-ried them out of sight.Much grieved, the kind-hearted

Walter dried his eyes, and lookingat Tom, who had sat down, andwas munching a dry crust, he ask-ed him if he lived near that place.

" Yes," sai^ he. " Our cottageis just the other side of the wood.My father goes out fishing, and Ioften go with him."

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18 WALTER O'NIEL.' Do you," said Walter: " that

must be very pleasant. I had akind father once, but he is deadnow. 5 '" Indeed," said Tom, carelessly.

"Yes," returned Walter; "andthen I lived in Ireland, which isover the sea, you know. It is avery different place from this."" So," said Tom, with a sneer," you are a little Paddy, areyou?"

" I don't know what you meanby that," replied W^ter, almost re-pulsed from making further ad-vances by Tom's unpleasant man-ners. A long silence ensued, which


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WALTER O'NIEL. 19was at length broken by Tom ask-ing Walter if he had ever seen aferret. Walter replied in the nega-tive, and wondered what it was.

" If you will come over to me/'said Tom, " I will show you one.There are some stones in the rivera little higher up, and you can stepacross them quite well."

Walter, uncertain whether hisuncle would approve of his going,hesitated*

" Well, won't you come?" saidTom ; " nothing will hurt you.""I'm not afraid of that," said he;

" but I must just run and ask Mr.Lovett."


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20 WALTER O'NIEL." Nonsense !" said Tom. " There's

no need of that : you know you canbe back again in a minute."

Walter thought so too ; and, as itwas some distance to the house, hedid not want the trouble of going ;so he asked Tom to show him thestones he had spoken of. Underhis direction he scrambled throughthe thick bushes, until Tom calledto him to stop. He disengagedhimself, and began cautiously tostep from stone to stone, the rush-ing of the water making him feelgiddy. Before he had reached theother side, conscience began to whis-per that he was doing wrong. " I


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WALTER O'NIEL. 21do not think uncle would like it,"thought he, stopping short.

" Well, and what's the matternow?" said Tom. " Come, you arejust over."

" I can't go any further," saidWalter." Why not?"

" Because I am afraid of doingwrong," said the little boy." Do not mind that," repliedTom. " Why I, who am so muchbigger than you, never fear that."Walter looked shocked.

" Not afraid of sinning!" said he." Do you not know that the greatGod is angry when we are naughty,and he sees all that we do?"


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22 WALTER O'NIEL." I did not ask you to preach to

me," said Tom, angrily. " If you arecoming to see my ferret, make haste;but if not, I can't stay here ; sogood bye, Paddy."

" Stay, stay," cried Walter. " Donot be angry with me : I want tobe kind to you."Tom looked ashamed, and mut-tered an apology." I have a pretty little book,"said Walter, " which I wish to giveyou,

ifyou

will read it."Tom said he could only read a

little, but he would try, if Walterwished.

" Thank you,'' said he. " Andshall I tell mamma


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WALTER O'NIEL. 23said to me when she was dying :' Always be afraid of offending God,and never disobey the voice of con-science, lest it should cease to speakto you." :

" I don't know any thing aboutthose sort of things, so you had bet-ter find some one else to listen toyour sermons," said Tom, dartingout of sight, and leaving little Wal-ter to get back as he could. Grievedat his manner, the poor child satdown to devise some plan for gain-ing the good will of Tom, until hewas roused from his reverie by thesound of the dinner-bell.

In the afternoon he accompanied


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24 WALTER O'NIEL.his uncle to call on a friend in theneighbouring town, and, in the plea-sures of the visit, forgot, for a time,his conversation on the river's brink.

Mr. Lovett's friend was so muchpleased with the artless, ingenuousWalter, that he declared he couldnot part with him yet ; accordinglyhis uncle consented to leave him,promising to send for him in a fewdays.

Walter spent his time very pleasantly ; and as he was bidding goodbye, he was presented with a smallbook of prints. No sooner had hereached home than he began to ex-amine his treasure. The first pic-


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WALTER O'NIEL. 25ture pleased him more than anyother, although he did not knowwhat it represented.

" I dare say my aunt can tellme," thought he; so away he ranafter her into the garden. " Dearaunt," he began, quite out of breath," can you tell me the story aboutthis picture ?"

*' Come with me into the sum-mer-house, my boy," said she, " andthen we can look at it properly."

" Look !" said Walter, " here isa beautiful lady, sitting all alone, insuch a small, dark room ! and throughthe little grated window I can seewater; but it is not the sea, for it is


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26 WALTER O'NIEL.quite smooth ; and there is the op-posite shore, and trees, and moun-tains. Do you know who that ladyis, aunt? She looks very sad."

" Yes, my love, she has goodcause to look sad ; for she was aclose prisoner in that strong castle,which was built on a small island,in the midst of a lake. See, she is

looking on the distant prospect,longing to be free, and to sit oncemore on her rightful throne; forshe is queen of Scotland !"

" The queen of Scotland, aunt!"said Walter, " and in prison ! Why,how is that ?"

" Mary (for that was was her


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WALTER O'NIEL. 27name) lived a long while ago; andat that time of day it was no un-common thing for the people to puttheir sovereigns in confinement, ifthey did not happen to please them.

" Mary was the only child ofJames V. of Scotland, who diedshortly after his daughter's birth.At an early age the young queenwas sent to France, where she waseducated in the Catholic faith, whilethe principal part of her subjectshad embraced the reformed

religion,which was the beginning of manyquarrels. When Mary was eighteenyears old she returned to her nativecountry. At first she was received


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28 WALTER O'NIEL.with great joy ; but owing to heryouth and inexperience, and theturbulence of her ambitious nobles,she was soon overwhelmed withtroubles. Lords Ruthven and Lind-say, two wicked men, getting theirdefenceless queen into their power,conveyed her to this solitary prison.But you will be glad to hear thatshe did not remain there very long.One evening, while the keeper ofthe prison was at supper with hisfamily,

a young man named GeorgeDouglas, got possession of the keysof the castle. Hastening to theapartment of the queen, he con-ducted her quickly out of her dis-


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WALTER O'NIEL. 29mal prison, and assisted her into aboat, which was prepared to receiveher. Her gallant deliverer threwthe keys into the lake, and conveyedthe lady in safety to the oppositeshore."

" Oh !" said Walter, clapping hishands, " how glad I am she es-caped! If I had lived then, I amsure I should have loved that beau-tiful queen, and have done all Icould to serve her. But what hap-pened to her next, dear aunt ?"

" An army of faithful followerssoon gathered around her, but shedid not enjoy her liberty long; forher troops were defeated in the first

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30 WALTER O'NIEL.encounter with their foes, and poorMary's last hopes were blighted.Almost heart-broken, she now ftedto England, to claim the protectionof her cousin, queen Elizabeth ; butinstead of meeting with mercy, asshe had vainly hoped, she was againmade prisoner, and was kept in closeconfinement for many years, untilshe was cruelly put to death, byorder of her jealous rival."

" Put to death!" exclaimed Wal-ter. " Oh, I did not think yourstory would end so dreadfully asthat. I should think queen Elizabethwould never be happy again, afterhaving done such a wicked thing."


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WALTER O'NIEL. 31" True, my dear, I am afraid she

never enjoyed peace of mind after-wards ; for it is indeed a fearfulthing to take away the life of afellow-creature, on any pretext."

" Thank you, dear aunt," saidWalter. " And now will you talkto me about another picture?"

" I cannot stay any longer now,love. Go and run in the garden."Walter obeyed, and just then re-membering poor Tom, ran to hislittle room, to fetch the book hewished to give him, and then setoff, accompanied by Wallace, to thebottom of the garden. Walter soonespied Tom, who was basking in


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32 WALTER O'NIEL.the sun, his eyes shaded by an oldstraw hat.

" Tom," began the little boy, " Ihave brought you the book I spokeabout."

u Very well," said Tom."

If you will come," continuedWalter, " a little higher up thestream, where it is narrower, I canthrow it across to you."" And so," said Tom, yawning," you think I am going to get up,and walk ever so far, just for a lit-tle book."

" Oh, you do not know whatpretty pictures it has," replied Wal-ter ; " and it tells all about Joseph,


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WALTER O'NIEL. 33who was sold by his brothers intoEgypt; and of David, who wasonce a shepherd-boy, but became agreat king.""Mighty fine!" said Tom, pro-

vokingly, all the while^ continuinghis occupation of catching any un-fortunate insect which flew withinhis grasp.

"Surely," began Walter again," you are not catching insects !"

" I suppose I am," said Tom." Oh, how very cruel !" returnedWalter. "Do you not know that

they can feel as well as we ?"" Take care how you call me

cruel," said Tom.


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34 WALTER O'NIEL." I am not afraid," replied Wal-

ter, gently ; " for I know it is wick-ed wantonly to hurt or kill any liv-ing thing."

" Cruel and wicked!" said Tom,starting up. " I'll not stand! this;"and forgetting, in his passion, whathe was doing, he threw a sharpstone at little Walter, which struckwith force against the back of hishand. Walter bore the violent ach-ing of the cut without a word, andmanfully suppressed his tears ; feel-ing nothing but pity for the poorboy, who had never been taughtwhat was right.Meanwhile, Tom, ashamed at what


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WALTER O'NIEL. 35he had done, sat silently watchingthe little boy, as he bathed his handin the stream, to wash away theblood, and then carefully bound hishandkerchief around the wound; andwhen he raised his eyes to his sweetface, and saw there no signs of an-ger or resentment, his hard heartwas softened, and, in a subduedtone, he expressed his sorrow forwhat he. had done.

" Never mind it now," said Wal-ter. " I dare say you did not meanto hurt me. The cut will soon bebetter."

" 1 do not deserve the book now,"said Tom.


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36 WALTER O'NIEL." Oh ! I will give it you with

pleasure; only I am afraid I can-not throw it now," replied Waiter,glancing at his bandaged hand.Tom's heart smote him anew. " Butsaid Walter, quickly, " I'll tell youhow we can manage. Let us go tothe stepping-stones, and then youcan fetch it."

This arrangement was no soonermade than it was acted upon ; andthe delight Tom expressed on ex-amining the contents of the book,fully satisfied his little friend. Tombegan slowly to spell over the words,often assisted by Walter, who couldnearly repeat it from memory. They


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WALTER O'NIEL. 37continued thus engaged until Tomwas summoned home, and Walter,happy at the change which hadtaken place in his friend, returned tothe house to procure a piece ofplaister for his hand.For several succeeding days it

rained so incessantly that Waltercould not amuse himself out of doors.But the time did not pass heavily,for he was very fond of reading andmaking little drawings.One

evening he seated himself ona low stool in the window, to lookover his favourite picture-book again." I wonder what this is all about,"thought he. " This old woman, sit-


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38 WALTER O'NIEL.ting before the door, seems verybusy with her spinning-wheel ; andhere is a much younger woman,rocking her baby to sleep ; but whatis she pointing across the val-ley for, I wonder. Oh, I supposeshe is looking at that man who iscoming down the hill, with a curi-ous animal on his back, and a gunin his hand."

Just at this moment Mrs. Lovettentered the room, and asked Walterwhat he was looking at. He jump-ed up, and drawing her towards aseat, begged that, if she were notbusy, she would tell him what thatpicture meant. " You see, aunt,


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WALTER O'NIEL. 39they are all dressed in such a curi-ous way, and the cottage is quitedifferent from any I have ever seen.There are flowers in bloom aroundthe door, and yet those distantmountains are white with snow.It cannot be in England, I think."" No, my dear," said his aunt ;" this represents a view in Swizer-land, which you know is a verymountainous country. Even in themiddle of summer, when the valleysare smiling with verdure, the sum-mits of many of the mountains arecovered with snow. Sad accidentsfrequently happen in warm weather,by large masses of snow becoming


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40 WALTER O'NIEL.detached, and rolling down themountain-side, increasing and har-dening as they fall, burying cottagesin their progress, and sometimessweeping away whole villages."

" But the poor people," inter-rupted Walter, " can they escape,or are they buried too ?"

" Many lives have been lost inthis awful manner," replied Mrs.Lovett, " although great pains aremostly taken to dig away the snow,and extricate the sufferers."

" And now will you tell me,"said Walter, pointing to the pic-ture, " what this man is carrying ?"

"Yes, my dear; he is a hunter,


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WALTER O'NIEL. 41and is now returning- home at theclose of the day, laden with thefruits of the chase. It is a youngchamois, a kind of goat which in-habits the highest parts of the Alpsand Pyrenees. They live togetherin small flocks of from ten to twelve,and are very active and expert atleaping, often crossing chasms ofmany feet in width. The bold hun-ters frequently hazard their lives inthe pursuit of these animals ; some-times creeping along narrow pre-cipices with scarcely any foothold,or scaling almost perpendicularrocks, in order to approach nearenough to fire upon them ; but this


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42 WALTER O'NIEL.is extremely difficult, their sense ofhearing being very acute. So manyof the hardy inhabitants of this al-pine region subsist by the chase,that the chamois have now becomevery scarce, and it is feared that therace will soon be extinct. But I seeyou are getting tired and ready forbed, so run and ask Mary to attendto you."From some cause or other, it hap-pened that Walter and Tom didnot meet again for several weeks.The weather had become muchcolder, and Walter was glad to useactive exercise.One morning he went with his


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WALTER O'NIEL. 43aunt to make a call in the neigh-bourhood, and was allowed to ex-plore the garden, which he muchpreferred to sitting; still in-doors.He ran first down one gravel path,and then another, till he wasalmost tired, and began to lookabout for a seat. " Oh, what apretty place!" cried he, stopping be-fore a little rustic arbour formed ofthe knotted boughs of trees, the in*terstices being filled with twigs andmoss. " I think," continued Wal-ter, thinking aloud, " if my unclewould let the gardener help me, wecould make just such a place on thebank of our river. I know there


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44 WALTER O'NIEL.are a great many rough branchesin the wood-house, and I can findplenty of moss. Walter examinedthe structure inside and out, that hemight be able to give James a cleardescription of it. " I see," said he," that the seat is nothing more thanthe stump of a tree made smooth atthe top."He was still pondering the mat-

ter, when he was told that his auntwas ready to go home. Directly hearrived there, he began to searchfor his uncle. After a little while,he found him in the coach-house,giving some direction to a servant.Walter began to speak.


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WALTER O'NIEL. 45" Wait a minute, my little man ;

I shall soon be at liberty," saidMr. Lovett. " There's a good, pa-tient boy," said he, patting hischeek ; " and now tell me your ur-gent business."

Walter explained to his unclewhat he had seen, and his wish tomake an arbour like it.

" It is so very simple," said he,earnestly.

" Let us go and consult James,"said his uncle ; " for he must be themanaging man, I expect."

Walter, full of delight, skippedand jumped about while the discus-sion was going forward, and grate-


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46 WALTER O'NIEL.fully thanked his uncle, on hearinghim give James full permission totake as much wood, or whateverelse he might want for the purpose." And now, my little overseer,"said he, " show us where this grandbuilding is to be erected."

Walter led the way to his fa-vourite spot, and a suitable placebeing selected, the important workwas begun. But it was not quitesuch a speedy operation as hehad expected ; for James was firstobliged to make deep holes, anddrive the stakes firmly into the earth,lest the first high wind should carrythe whole concern away.


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WALTER O'NIEL. 47The frame-work of the arbour be-

ing finished, and the boughs bentover at the top, in the form of anarch, nothing remained to be donebut to interweave them with smallerand more pliant branches ; and Wal-ter was proud to be told that hemight now be of some use, by col-lecting such from the wood-house,and conveying them to the river-side in his little wheel-barrow. Inthe space of two or three days thearbour was completed, greatly toWalter's delight, who was sure itwas quite as pretty as the one hehad first seen. Away he now ranto look for his aunt, who admired it


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48 WALTER O'NIEL.much, and sat down on the com-fortable seat within, to consult withthe little boy by what name it wasto be called.

" Let it be Walter's Bower, dearaunt," said he.

" If you like it, my dear," she re-plied ; " but I must confess it doesnot look very bowery at present."

"No, aunt," said Walter ;

"butthe gardener has promised that he

will plant some creepers around it,and in the spring he will give mesome convolvolus and sweet-peaseeds to sow ; so you see it willsoon answer to its name."

" Very well, dear. Then ' Wai-


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WALTER O'NIEL. 49ter's Bovver' it shall be called," saidshe, kissing him.

It was on one of those bright au-tumn mornings, which seem to im-part joy and freshness to every liv-ing thing, that Walter, releasedfrom his studies at an early hour,ran with hoop and dog two or threetimes round the garden, until, pant-ing for breath, he threw himselfdown on the seat of his rustic ar-bour.The sun was

shining brightlyon

the clear stream, every pebble in itsbed being distinctly visible. Thelittle birds twittered gaily in theboughs overhead, or hopped briskly


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50 WALTER O'NIEL.about, searching for seeds and in-sects ; while some were busily en-gaged, washing and pluming theirfeathers on the river's brink. Wal-ter was attentively watching themwhen he was accosted by Tom. Hestarted up, and expressing his sur-prise at not having seen him for solong a time, thought his friend hadquite forgotten him." Oh ! no, indeed," replied Tom ;" but I have been so ill since I sawyou last,

and this is the first timeI have been able to walk so far.""Oh! Tom," said Walter, with

concern, " I wish I had known that ;for I am sure my aunt would havo


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WALTER O'NIEL. 51taken me to see you. Why did younot let me know ?"

" I did not like to take the liber-ty," said Tom, "after I had be-haved so ill to you. But I am somuch obliged to you, Master Wal-ter, for that pretty book. I read itover and over again, when I couldnot get up, and mother said it keptme from being cross."" I am very glad of it," saidWalter; "but would you not liketo read the Bible, which tells aboutso many good men, and teaches ushow to be like them ?"

" Very much," replied Tom." I will ask my aunt, then," said


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52 WALTER O'NIEL.Walter. " I dare say she can giveyou one. But, Tom, have you no-ticed my pretty bower?"

" Yes," said Tom, " I have beenadmiring it; and now that the coldweather is coming, it will be a niceshelter for you, while you are talk-ing to me."

" That is just why I had it madehere," said Walter, walking a fewpaces off and surveying it with plea-sure. But there is the dinner-bell.I must run home now. Good bye,Torn. I will not forget to ask myaunt about the Bible." Away hewent, followed by the thanks of hisgrateful friend.


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WALTER O'NIEL. 53At the conclusion of dinner Wal-

ter related to his kind aunt whathad passed between himself andTom, telling her of his desire ofpossessing a Bible.

" I am going to the town thisafternoon, my dear," said she, " andthen we will see what can be done."On hearing this, Walter repaired

to his room, and opening a littledrawer of treasures, took out hismoney-box, to see how much it con-tained.

Returningto his aunt he

emptied its contents into her lap,asking if there would be enough tobuy Tom a pair of warm worstedstockings ; " for do you know, dear

E 3


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54 WALTER O'NIEL.aunt," he continued, " he had noneat all on, when I saw him to-day."

" Yes, Walter, here is more thanenough for that purpose," said she.

" Then," replied he quickly, " Ican buy a comforter for his neck aswell ; for he must be very cold whenhe goes out fishing with his father."

Mrs. Lovett pressed her little boyto her bosom, delighted to beholdthe active benevolence which ap-peared in all his actions.

" Your dear mamma taught youto love the poor, did she not, Wal-ter?" said she.

" Oh! yes," he replied, his eyesfilling with tears ; " she said we


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WALTER O'NIEL. 55must do all in our power to helpthem ; and she often took me withher when she went to visit them."

" Always remember, my child,what your dear papa and mammahave taught you, and then you willbe a happy little boy, and every onewill love you. But now we willprepare for our ride, or we shall nothave time to make our purchasesbefore it is dark. To morrow morn-ing we can go and see Tom at hishome."

" Thank you, dearest aunt," saidWalter; "but," he added, with adoubtful expression of countenance,u I am afraid you cannot crawl


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56 WALTER O'NIEL.through those thick bushes, to getto the stepping-stones : it was quitea job for me to do it."

Mrs. Lovett laughed, and toldhim she hoped there would be nonecessity for her doing that, as sheknew of a bridge that crossed thestream, a short distance beyond thegarden-palings.

"Oh, that is right," said Walter,

laughing too.While Mrs. Lovett was looking at

some Bibles in the bookseller's shop,she told Walter he might choosea picture, to add to his collection,from a portfolio which was lyingon the counter. He began carefully


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WALTER O'NIEL. 57to turn them over, but could notquite make up his mind.

" This is very pretty," thoughthe, taking up one which representeda little girl standing in a beautifulgarden. She had a bird-cage in herhand, from which she had just letfly a little robin, who had flown toa neighbouring spray, and seemedthanking her for his liberty." But, no, I will not choose that,"said he to himself, " for there willbe nothing to tell about it. Thiscurious foreign-looking place mustbe the one."

" Are you ready, my dear ?" saidhis aunt. " Then I wish you would


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58 WALTER O'NIEL.just step out, and ask Millar to putup the head of the chaise, for it isgetting quite cold."As they rode home, Walter was

glad to creep close to his aunt, andto twist the end of her boa roundhis neck, for a cutting north-windblew directly in their faces. Asthey passed some poor half-clothedbeggars, sitting by the road-side,his little heart was filled with grati-tude to the Giver of all good, for allthe comforts he enjoyed. It wasalmost dark when they reachedhome; a cheerful fire was blazingin the parlour, and the servant hadjust carried in the tea-things. Mr.


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WALTER O'NIEL. 59Lovett was enjoying his comfort-able fire-side when Walter enter-ed : laying down the newspaper,he took the little boy between hisknees, and began to chafe his coldhands.

" Well, and what have you seen,"said he, " any thing particular?"

" No, uncle," said Walter. " Butlook what a pretty picture my aunthas given me!"

" Dear me," said Mr. Lovett," let me see what it's all about"

" Oh, I can tell you!" repliedWalter. " Here are two men, withtheir hair tied up behind and hang-ing down their backs, like long tails;


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GO WALTER O'NIEL.and one wears a wide-brimmed strawhat, with hardly any crown. They arepushing from shore in a boat. Butcan you tell me, uncle, what birdsthose are which are perched on theoars and the edge of the boat ?They seem very tame."" I will tell you all about it, aftertea, my dear ; for here comes youraunt, and she looks as if she wereready for some refreshment."

" And I am sure I am," saidWalter, drawing his chair to thetable.As soon as the urn was removed,

Walter again produced his picture." Those men," began Mr, Lovett,


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WALTER O'NIEL. 61" whose appearance seems to amusemy little boy so much, are Chinese.They are just setting out on a fish-ing expedition. The birds, whichare perched on the boat are cor-morants, and are the principalactors in the scene, as you shallpresently hear; for without themtheir masters would catch but fewfish, I fancy, for you see they areunprovided with nets or lines. Thecormorants are expert swimmersand divers, and are so trained as torender these qualities of the greatestservice to their owners. On a signalbeing given, the birds immediate-ly leave the boat, and dive after

F


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62 WALTER O'NIEL.their prey with wonderful swiftness.When they have secured a fish theycarry it in their beaks to the boat.If the fish be too heavy, they assisteach other; one seizing the headand another the tail, the boatmanstretches out an oar, on which theyperch, and are then delivered oftheir burden."

" How very singular!" exclaimedWalter, who had listened with muchinterest to the recital. But do thecormorants never

helpthemselves

to any of the fish they catch, uncle?"" We cannot give them much

credit for honesty, Walter; for theirmasters, knowing what voracious


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WALTER O'NIEL. 63appetites they possess, take the pre-caution of fastening a leather strapround the lower part of their necks,to prevent them swallowing theirprey. However, when their workis done, they are amply rewardedby some fishes being thrown upin the air for them, which theycan catch very cleverly as theyfall."

" Is there any thing else you wishexplained, Walter?" said his uncle,seeing that he continued examiningthe picture.

" I was thinking about this curi-ous building," said Walter, " whichseems to have so many roofs one


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64 WALTER O'NIEL.above another, with curious orna-ments, like bells, hanging from eachcorner."

" That is a pagoda, or temple,where the Chinese perform theiridol-worship; for, as yet, few ofthem know the true God. But youwill be glad to hear that manyChristian men have left their nativecountries, to teach these poor, de-luded heathens the sinfulness ofbowing down to images of woodand stone, and we cannot too earn-estly desire that their labours maybe blest."

" Thank you, dear uncle," saidWalter. " I do not think I shall


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WALTER O'NIEL. 65forget what you have told me thisevening."When Walter retired to bed thatnight, it was with a sweet feeling ofthankfulness to his heavenly Fa-ther and earthly friends ; and as helaid his head on his pillow, hewished that every one had as com-fortable a bed to rest upon.

"It is not every one that deserves

it as well," said Mary, as she badehim good night.

" Oh, pray do not say so !" said he." I am sure I am not so good as Iought to be; and often, when I feelnaughty, I do not strive against itas I should do."


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66 WALTER O'NIEL." You are a dear little fellow,"

said Mary to herself, as she closedthe door.When Walter entered the break-

fast-parlour on the following morn-ing, his cheeks glowing from a ram-ble in the garden, his uncle calledhim to his side, saying, " Whatwas that little hymn I heard yousinging, my dear, as I stood at myopen window just now?"

" It was one dear mamma taughtme when she was ill," said Walter ;" and I often sing it over to myself,that I may not forget it."

" Will you repeat it to me, dear,"said his uncle. " I should like tohear it."


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WALTER O'NIEL. 67" Oh yes," said Walter, cheer-

Fully, and immediately began." The first bright gleam of sunlight

Is rising o'er the sea;The stars, that gem the silent night, ]Fade in its brilliancy.

The flowers ope their radiant eyes,Sparkling with drops of dew,

Like tears that in our childhood rise,With smiles all beaming through.

Hark ! from the distant wood ascending,Is heard the music sweet

Of many a bird, their voices blending,The coming mom to greet.

Oh ! let the flowers, who, morn by mornThus hail the orb of day,

Teach thee, my boy, at early dawn,Thy thanks to Heaven to pay.


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68 WALTER O'NIEL.The small birds teach this lesson tooWhen from thy sleep thou wakes,Oh ! give to God the glory due,For all the tender care he takes.

His watchful eye has guarded theeThroughout the midnight gloom,

For this my child should thankful be,And crave his care in days to come."" Thank you, Walter," said Mr.

Lovett. " You have repeated itvery nicely. And now to break-fast; for here comes your aunt, Isee."

" And now, Walter," said Mrs.Lovett, when the morning lessonswere concluded, " run for your hat,and I will accompany you to seeTom."


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WALTER O'NIEL. 69Walter was not slow in obeying,

and was waiting at the hall-doorwhen his aunt appeared, equippedfor the walk. They proceeded alongthe lane until they reached a field,across which they had to pass;Walter, who was full of spirits, run-ning races, now behind now before,with his dog. They arrived at theextremity of the field long beforeMrs. Lovett ; and Walter, climbingover the stile, saw the little bridgejust before him. It was a very sim-ple construction, consisting merelyof a few stout planks, with a hand-rail on each side. The little boyadvanced to the middle, and then


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70 WALTER O'NIEL.stood still to admire the beautiesof the spot. Many stately treesstretched their long branches overthe water, their rich autumnal tintsclearly reflected in its glassy sur-face. On turning round, a differentscene presented itself. The chan-nel of the river became much en-cumbered with stones, which im-peded the flow of the water, andcaused it to froth and foam, as if inmock anger. The steep, overhang-ing banks were covered with lowbrushwood, on which the morningdew was still glistening.

" This is a beautiful spot, is itnot, Walter?" said Mrs. Lovett, as


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WALTER O'NIEL. 71she reached the bridge. " Look atthat long line of sunshine on thewater, how dazzling it is ! and onthe deep blue sky there is not acloud to be seen. Of whom shouldall these lovely things remind us,my love ?"" Of Him who made them, dearaunt," said Walter.

"Yes, my boy; and if they failto do that, we do not deserve to en-

joy them."After a short rest they again re-sumed their wjklk, and in a few

minutes were in sig|it of the fisher-man's cottage. Its outward appear-ance gave few indications of finding


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72 WALTER O'NIEL.neatness or comfort within. Theysoon discovered the object of theirvisit, seated a few paces from thedoor, mending his father's nets. Hearose at their approach, and askingthem to take seats within the cot-tage, was running to tell his motherof their arrival.

" Our business is with you, Tom,"said Mrs. Lovett. " My little Wal-ter has interested me on your be-half; and at his request I havebrought you a Bible, which I earn-estly hope will be of service toyou."Tom expressed his thanks forthis unmerited kindness.


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WALTER O'NIEL. 73u Let me advise you," continued

Mrs. Lovett, kindly,


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74 WALTER O'NIEL.matter. Looking round to see thatno one was near, he told his kindfriends, that he was not happy athome ; for his mother was neversatisfied with his endeavours toplease, and his father being mostlyfrom home, he was completely un-der her controul ; " and, continuedhe, " since Master Walter gave methat nice book, which I read somany times during my illness, Ihave tried not to answer her an-grily,

when she is in apassion,which happens almost every day."

Mrs. Lovett encouraged him topursue this line of conduct, as itwas the only way to disarm his


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WALTER O'NIEL. 75mother's displeasure. Walter now,with a simple and modest air, pre-sented his gifts, which Tom receivedwith delight, thanking the donorover and over again. When Mrs.Lovett took her leave, she told Tomto come to her house on the dayafter to-morrow, as she wished tospeak further to him.

Meanwhile she resolved in hermind for permanently benefittingthe poor boy, by removing himfrom home, where he was exposedto such a bad example. This kindlady had a brother who.commandeda large merchant-vessel, which wassoon about to set sail for a long


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76 WALTER O'NIEL.voyage. She immediately wrote tohim, requesting to know if he couldengage her little Walter's protege,as a cabin-boy, or in any other ca-pacity, on board his ship. Mrs.Lovett received a favourable answerbefore Tom's arrival. He broughta basket of shells and sea-weed ofhis own collecting, as an offeringfor Master Walter, if he thoughtthem worth having. Walter wasmuch pleased, and ran off to hisown room to arrange them.

Mrs. Lovett began conversingwith Tom, and soon discovered thathe had quite an inclination for aseafaring life, and that he knew


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WALTER O'NIEL. 77his father would be very glad toget him a situation, but that, as hepossessed no influence, it was notan easy matter.When Tom heard what Mrs.Lovett had in view for him, hiseyes sparkled

with pleasure : theprospect of a long voyage, in alarge vessel, seemed to him theheight of enjoyment. He listenedattentively, when he was told thathis happiness did not wholly de-pend on the outward circumstancesin which he might be placed, buton his own good conduct ; that, onship-board, implicit obedience to hisofficers was expected, and all his

G 3


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78 WALTER O'NIEL.duties must be punctually perform-ed ; but that, if he proved a goodand honest boy, he would find akind master and friend in CaptainForrester.

" Andnovv/'continuedMrs.Lovett,"go home and consult your fatherabout our plan ; and tell him, if he

wishes for any further particulars,to come to me."Tom never repaired to the sea-

side, to watch for his father's re-turn, with so light a heart as onthat evening ; and when he saw thepleasure he felt, and that he had noobjection to offer, his own joy in-creased.


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WALTER O'NIEL. 79Early on the ensuing morning

Tom's father made his appearanceat Mr. Lovett's, to return his grate-ful thanks for the kindness shownto his son, and to enquire how soonthe vessel sailed, and from whatport." She sails in about a week fromPortsmouth," said Mrs, Lovett ; " sothat there is no time to spare. Iintend going to see my brother be-fore he leaves England, and thoughtof taking Tom with me, that wemay have time to get what he willwant for the voyage. Will you askhis mother to get all his thingsready as soon as possible, and to


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80 WALTER O'NIEL.send them to me. I will let youknow on what day we must setout."

The fisherman bowed respectful-ly, and promising that all should beready on their part, took his leave.The few intervening days werepassed in busy preparation. One

afternoon Walter brought down anumber of books, and asked hisaunt if they might be packed upfor Tom to read on the voyage, ashe had quite done with them him-self. Permission was readily grant-ed, for Mrs. Lovett wrould not checkthe kind disposition of the little boy.

Walter was included among the


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WALTER O'NIEL. 81party who were going to Ports-mouth, much to his satisfaction ;and the delight and wonder he ex-pressed at all he saw there, wasonly equalled by Tom's, who hadnever before been ten miles fromhis little cottage. The noble vesselwas an object of the greatest inte-rest to both. Captain Forresteranswered all Walter's questionswith great kindness, taking him toevery part of his floating home.And when the time came for themto part, Walter found that he lovedthe kind gentleman so much, thathis affectionate heart was quitepained. As the captain lifted him


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82 WALTER O'NIEL.into the boat which was to conveythem ashore, he unclapsed his littlearms from his neck, and kissing hischeek, told him not to fret ; for hehoped to see him again, some day,when he returned from India.And now we must bid adieu to

little Walter O'Niel, for his earlylife glided smoothly away under thetender care of his kind friends.When, in after years, he revisited

that quiet, little church-yard in Ire-land, and seated himself betweenthe graves of his revered parents,gazing on the now moss-coveredstories, which told the stranger whoslept beneath, tears, pure as those


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WALTER O'NIEL. 83he shed in childhood, dimmed hiseyes. With humble gratitude hethanked his heavenly Father forhis mercies, and prayed for a con-tinuance of them, until he shouldbe again united to those dear de-parted ones, whose memory wasstill so fresh before him.

THE END.

Joseph Rickerby, Printer, Sherbourn Lane.


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