37877 | (Illustrated in color of modern style) |
45278 | (Illustrated in color of ancient style--expandable) |
21428 | (Illustrated in color) |
13675 | (Illustrated with small old Woodcuts) |
Copyrighted 1888
by McLoughlin Bro's
New-York.
Farmer Meanwell was at one time a very rich man. He owned large fields,and had fine flocks of sheep, and plenty of money. But all at once hisgood fortune seemed to desert him. Year after year his crops failed, hissheep died off, and he was obliged to borrow money to pay his rent andthe wages of those who worked on the farm.
At last he had to sell his farm, but even this did not bring him inmoney enough to pay his debts, and he was worse off than ever.
Among those who had lent money to Farmer Meanwell were Sir Thomas Gripe,and a Farmer named Graspall.
Sir Thomas was a very rich man indeed, and Farmer Graspall had moremoney than he could possibly use. But they were both very greedy andcovetous, and particularly hard on those who owed them anything. FarmerGraspall abused Farmer Meanwell and called him all sorts of dreadfulnames; but the rich Sir Thomas Gripe was more cruel still, and wantedthe poor debtor shut up in jail.
So poor Farmer Meanwell had to hasten from the place where he had livedfor so many years, in order to get out of the way of these greedy men.
He went to the next village, taking his wife and his two little childrenwith him. But though he was free from Gripe and Graspall he was not freefrom trouble and care.
He soon fell ill, and when he found himself unable to get food andclothes for his family, he grew worse and worse and soon died.
His wife could not bear the loss of her husband, whom she loved sodearly, and in a few days she was dead.
The two orphan children seemed to be left entirely alone in the world,with no one to look after them, or care for them, but their HeavenlyFather.
They trotted around hand in hand, and the poorer they became the morethey clung to each other. Poor, ragged, and hungry enough they were!
Tommy had two shoes, but Margery went barefoot. They had nothing to eatbut the berries that grew in the woods, and the scraps they could getfrom the poor people in the village, and at night they slept in barns orunder hay-stacks.
Their rich relations were too proud to notice them. But Mr. Smith, theclergyman of the village where the children were born, was not that sortof a man. A rich relation came to visit him—a kind-heartedgentleman—and the clergyman told him all about Tommy and Margery. Thekind gentleman pitied them, and ordered Margery a