The Goat and Her Kid

The Goat and Her Kid, by
Harriet Myrtle

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Title: The Goat and Her Kid
Author: Harriet Myrtle
Release Date: May 2, 2007 [EBook #21275]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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Transcriber's Note:

The last story "Winter Pleasures" seems to end abruptly. But this is so
in the book. There is no missing text.

The Rose-Bud Stories,
FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.
Illustrated.

THE GOAT AND HER KID.
BY
MRS. HARRIET MYRTLE.

New York:
SHELDON AND COMPANY.
1870.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by SHELDON
AND COMPANY, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the
Southern District of New York.
* * * * *

The Goat and her Kid.
The grass plot at the back of the cottage was a very bright green, and
sparkled with the morning dews. It was kept smooth, and level, and
short, by the garden-roller going over it once a week, and still more by

the constant nibbling of the goat, who was allowed to be there all day,
because she had a pretty little young kid that ran by her side.
But it is not to be supposed that this kid was contented with always
running close to its mother's side. Kids are very fond of dancing and
frisking about, and this one was more fond of it than any other in the
whole village.
One day a poor Italian boy came down the lane playing upon a pipe,
and beating a little tabor. He used to play these for two dolls that
danced upon a board by means of a string which went through their
bodies, and was fastened to his knee, so that when he moved his knee
quickly the dolls seemed to dance about upon the board.
The boy stopped at the gate, put down his board, placed his dolls upon
it, with the string at his knee, began to play his pipe, and beat upon his
tabor, and, as he played, the dolls danced up and down, and round and
round, first on one side, then on the other, now bobbing down their
heads, now frisking about their feet.
But while this was going on at the gate, the kid heard the pipe and tabor,
and after listening to it a minute, with its head on one side, suddenly
jumped up in the air, gave a great many little kicks, very quick and
funny, then ran frisking round its mother, and at last stood upon its hind
legs, and danced all across the grass plot.
Little Mary, who had been looking at the dolls, happened to turn round
at the moment when the kid was dancing. "O, you little dear, dear kid!"
cried Mary, first running towards the kid, then back to look at the dolls,
then again at the kid, then at the dolls, and the Italian boy played away
with his pipe and tabor, and made his dolls jump up in the air, and reel,
and set, and hop; but it was all nothing to the jumps in the air of the kid,
and its frisking kicks and flings, and its fun and its fancies.
At last the Italian boy went away, with a large piece of bread and
cheese in his hand, and his dolls and dancing-board at his back; but
playing his pipe and tabor all down the lane. The goat stood looking
after him, with her head raised tall in the air, and a serious face; but the

kid continued to dance as long as the pipe and tabor could be heard.

The Little Foundling.
In the beginning of June, when the young birds have got nearly all their
principal feathers, but have not yet learned to fly, it is a sad thing if by
any accident one of them tumbles out of the nest. This misfortune
sometimes happens when a nest is too full. Five or six little birds are a
good many for a nest no bigger than a teacup; and there are often as
many as five. We have also to recollect that these young things are
always very wild, and impatient, and unreasonable, and make a great
fluttering together, and