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Title: Goody Two-Shoes

Author: Unknown

Release date: May 13, 2007 [eBook #21428]
                Most recently updated: January 2, 2021

Language: English

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Produced by David Edwards, Janet Blenkinship and the Online
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  GOODY
  TWO-SHOES

  Copyrighted 1888
  by McLoughlin Bro's
  New-York.


       *       *       *       *       *


GOODY TWO-SHOES.


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 his
good fortune seemed to desert him. Year after year his crops failed, his
sheep died off, and he was obliged to borrow money to pay his rent and
the wages of those who worked on the farm.

At last he had to sell his farm, but even this did not bring him in
money 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 more
money than he could possibly use. But they were both very greedy and
covetous, and particularly hard on those who owed them anything. Farmer
Graspall abused Farmer Meanwell and called him all sorts of dreadful
names; but the rich Sir Thomas Gripe was more cruel still, and wanted
the poor debtor shut up in jail.

So poor Farmer Meanwell had to hasten from the place where he had lived
for 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 children
with him. But though he was free from Gripe and Graspall he was not free
from trouble and care.

He soon fell ill, and when he found himself unable to get food and
clothes for his family, he grew worse and worse and soon died.

His wife could not bear the loss of her husband, whom she loved so
dearly, 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 Heavenly
Father.

They trotted around hand in hand, and the poorer they became the more
they clung to each other. Poor, ragged, and hungry enough they were!

Tommy had two shoes, but Margery went barefoot. They had nothing to eat
but the berries that grew in the woods, and the scraps they could get
from the poor people in the village, and at night they slept in barns or
under hay-stacks.

Their rich relations were too proud to notice them. But Mr. Smith, the
clergyman of the village where the children were born, was not that sort
of a man. A rich relation came to visit him--a kind-hearted
gentleman--and the clergyman told him all about Tommy and Margery. The
kind gentleman pitied them, and ordered Margery a pair of shoes and gave
Mr. Smith money to buy her some clothes, which she needed sadly. As for
Tommy he said he would take him off to sea with him and make him a
sailor. After a few days, the gentleman said he must go to London and
would take Tommy with him, and sad was the parting between the two
children.

Poor Margery was very lonely indeed, without her brother, and might have
cried herself sick but for the new shoes that were brought home to her.

[Illustration: The Orphans]

They turned her thoughts from her grief; and as soon as she had put
them on she ran in to Mrs. Smith and cried out: "Two shoes, ma'am, two
shoes!" These words she repeated to every one she met, and thus it was
she got the name of Goody Two Shoes.

[Illustration: Two Shoes, Ma'am. Two Shoes.]

Little Margery had seen how good and wise Mr. Smith was, and thought it
was because of his great learning; and she wanted, above all things, to
learn to read. At last she made up her mind to ask Mr. Smith to teach
her when he had a moment to spare. He readily agreed to do this, and
Margery read to him an hour every day, and spent much time with her
books.

Then she laid out a plan for teaching others more ignorant than herself.
She cut out of thin pieces of wood ten sets of large and small letters
of the alphabet, and carried these with her when she went from house to
house. When she came to Billy Wilson's she threw down the letters all in
a heap, and Billy picked them out and sorted them in lines, thus:

  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K,
  a  b  c  d  e  f  g  h  i  j  k,

and so on until all the letters were in their right places.

From there Goody Two Shoes trotted off to another cottage, and here were
several children waiting for her. As soon as the little girl came in
they all crowded around her, and were eager to begin their lessons at
once.

Then she threw the letters down and said to the boy next her, "What did
you have for dinner to-day?" "Bread," answered the little boy. "Well,
put down the first letter," said Goody Two Shoes. Then he put down B,
and the next child R, and the next E, and the next A, and the next D,
and there was the whole word--BREAD.

"What did you have for dinner, Polly Driggs?"

"Apple-pie," said Polly; upon which she laid down the first letter, A,
and the next put down a P, and the next another P, and so on until the
words Apple and Pie were united, and stood thus: APPLE PIE.

Now it happened one evening that Goody Two Shoes was going home rather
late. She had made a longer round than usual, and everybody had kept her
waiting, so that night came on before her day's work was done. Right
glad was she to set out for her own home, and she walked along
contentedly through the fields, and lanes, and roads, enjoying the quiet
evening. The evening was not cool, however, but close and sultry, and
betokened a storm. Presently a drop fell on Goody's face. What should
she do? If she did not make haste she would soon be wet to the skin.

Fortunately there was an old barn down the road, in which she could find
shelter, and Goody Two Shoes gathered her skirts about her and took to
her heels, and ran as if somebody was after her. The owner of the barn
had died lately, and the property was to be sold, and there was a lot of
loose hay on the floor which had not yet been taken away.

Goody Two Shoes cuddled down in the soft hay, glad of a chance to rest
her weary limbs, and quite out of breath with her long run; and just
then down rattled the rain, the thunder roared, the lightning flashed,
and the old barn trembled, and so did Goody Two Shoes.

[Illustration: The spelling Lesson]

She had not been there long before she heard footsteps, and three men
came into the barn for shelter. The hay was piled up between her and
them, so that they could not see her, and, thinking they were alone,
they spoke quite loudly.

[Illustration: Plotting to rob Squire Trueman]

They were plotting to rob Squire Trueman, who lived in the great house
in Margery's village, and were to break in and steal all they could that
very night. This was quite enough for Goody Two Shoes. She waited for
nothing, but dashed out of the barn, and ran through rain and mud till
she came to the Squire's house.

He was at dinner with some friends, and any one else but Goody would
have found it difficult to gain admission to him. But she was well known
to the servants, and was so kind and obliging, that even the big fat
butler could not refuse to do her bidding, and went and told the squire
that Goody Two Shoes wished very much to see him.

So the squire asked his friends to excuse him for a moment, and came out
and said, "Well, Goody Two Shoes, my good girl, what is it?" "Oh, sir,"
she replied, "if you do not take care you will be robbed and murdered
this very night!"

Then she told all she had heard the men say while she was in the barn.

The squire saw there was not a moment to lose, so he went back and told
his friends the news he had heard. They all said they would stay and
help him take the thieves. So the lights were put out, to make it appear
as if all the people in the house were in bed, and servants and all kept
a close watch both inside and outside.

Sure enough, at about one o'clock in the morning the three men came
creeping, creeping up to the house with a dark lantern, and the tools to
break in with. Before they were aware, six men sprang out on them, and
held them fast. The thieves struggled in vain to get away. They were
locked in an out-house until daylight, when a cart came and took them
off to jail.

They were afterward sent out of the country, where they had to work in
chains on the roads; and it is said that one of them behaved so well
that he was pardoned, and went to live at Australia, where he became a
rich man.

The other two went from bad to worse, and it is likely that they came to
some dreadful end. For sin never goes unpunished.

But to return to Goody Two Shoes. One day as she was walking through the
village she saw some wicked boys with a raven, at which they were going
to throw stones. To stop this cruel sport she gave the boys a penny for
the raven, and brought the bird home with her. She gave him the name of
"Ralph," and he proved to be a very clever creature indeed. She taught
him to spell, and to read, and he was so fond of playing with the large
letters, that the children called them "Ralph's Alphabet."

Some days after Goody had met with the raven, she was passing through a
field, when she saw some naughty boys who had taken a pigeon, and tied a
string to its legs in order to let it fly and draw it back again when
they pleased.

Goody could not bear to see anything tortured like that, so she bought
the pigeon from the boys and taught him how to spell and read. But he
could not talk. And as Ralph, the raven, took the large letters, Peter,
the pigeon, took care of the small ones.

[Illustration: Goody warns the Squire]

Mrs. Williams, who lived in Margery's village, kept school, and taught
little ones their A B C's. She was now old and feeble, and wanted to
give up this important trust.

[Illustration: Brother and Sister]

This being known to Sir William Dove, he asked Mrs. Williams to examine
Goody Two Shoes and see if she was not clever enough for the office.
This was done, and Mrs. Williams reported that little Margery was the
best scholar, and had the best heart of any one she had ever examined.
All the country had a great opinion of Mrs. Williams, and this report
made them think highly of Miss MARGERY, as we must now call her.

So Margery Meanwell was now a schoolmistress, and a capital one she
made. The children all loved her, for she was never weary of making
plans for their happiness.

The room in which she taught was large and lofty, and there was plenty
of fresh air in it; and as she knew that children liked to move about,
she placed her sets of letters all round the school, so that every one
was obliged to get up to find a letter, or spell a word, when it came
their turn.

This exercise not only kept the children in good health, but fixed the
letters firmly in their minds.

The neighbors were very good to her, and one of them made her a present
of a little skylark, whose early morning song told the lazy boys and
girls that it was time they were out of bed.

Some time after this a poor lamb lost its dam, and the farmer being
about to kill it, she bought it of him, and brought it home to play with
the children.

Soon after this a present was made to Miss Margery of a dog, and as he
was always in good humor, and always jumping about, the children gave
him the name of Jumper. It was his duty to guard the door, and no one
could go out or come in without leave from his mistress.

Margery was so wise and good that some foolish people accused her of
being a witch, and she was taken to court and tried before the judge.
She soon proved that she was a most sensible woman, and Sir Charles
Jones was so pleased with her, that he offered her a large sum of money
to take care of his family, and educate his daughter. At first she
refused, but afterwards went and behaved so well, and was so kind and
tender, that Sir Charles would not permit her to leave the house, and
soon after made her an offer of marriage.

The neighbors came in crowds to the wedding, and all were glad that one
who had been such a good girl, and had grown up such a good woman, was
to become a grand lady.

Just as the clergyman had opened his book, a gentleman, richly dressed,
ran into the church and cried, "Stop! stop!"

Great alarm was felt, especially by the bride and groom, with whom he
said he wished to speak privately.

Sir Charles stood motionless with surprise, and the bride fainted away
in the stranger's arms. For this richly-dressed gentleman turned out to
be little Tommy Meanwell, who had just come from sea, where he had made
a large fortune.

Sir Charles and Lady Jones lived very happily together, and the great
lady did not forget the children, but was just as good to them as she
had always been. She was also kind and good to the poor, and the sick,
and a friend to all who were in distress. Her life was a great blessing,
and her death the greatest calamity that ever took place in the
neighborhood where she lived, and was known as

                             GOODY TWO SHOES.

[Illustration]







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