The Project Gutenberg EBook of The One Moss-Rose, by P. B. Power
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: The One Moss-Rose
Author: P. B. Power
Release Date: April 26, 2007 [EBook #21217]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ONE MOSS-ROSE ***
Produced by Marilynda Fraser-Cunliffe, Emmy and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was made using scans of public domain works in the
International Children's Digital Library.)
THE ONE MOSS-ROSE.
[Illustration: "STOP, STOP,--DON'T CUT IT!"]
[Illustration]
THE ONE MOSS-ROSE.
BY
REV. P. B. POWER, M.A.
[Illustration: Emblem]
LONDON:
T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW;
EDINBURGH; AND NEW YORK.
1872.
[Illustration]
THE ONE MOSS-ROSE.
[Illustration: L]EONARD DOBBIN had a humble cottage upon Squire
Courtenay's estate; but although the cottage was humble, it was always
kept neat and clean, and was a pattern of everything that a poor man's
dwelling should be. The white-washed walls, the smoothly raked gravel
walk, and the sanded floor, were so many evidences that Leonard was a
careful and a thrifty man; and while some of his poorer neighbours
laughed, and asked where was the use of being so precise, they could
not help respecting Dobbin, nevertheless.
The great, and, indeed, almost the _only_ pleasure upon which the
labourer allowed himself to spend any time, was the little flower garden
in front of the house. The garden was Dobbin's pride; and the pride of
the garden was a moss-rose tree, which was the peculiar treasure of the
labourer's little crippled son, who watched it from the window, and
whenever he was well enough, crept out to water it, and pick off any
stray snail which had ventured to climb up its rich brown leaves. No
mother ever watched her little infant with more eager eyes than Jacob
Dobbin did his favourite rose; and no doubt he thought all the more of
it because he had so few pleasures in life. Jacob Dobbin had no fine
toys, he could not take any long walks, nor could he play at cricket,
or any such games, therefore his rose tree was
|