Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LITTLE BO PEEP. THE sun was setting at the end of an August day. Everybody was glad to see the last of him, for the whole world felt scorched and hot, — the ground, the houses, — even the pondslooked warm as they stretched in the steaming distance. On the edge of the horizon the sun winked with a fed eye, as much as to say, " Don't flatter yourselves, I shall be back again soon;" then he slowly sank out of sight. It was comforting to have him go, if only for a little while. " Perhaps," thought the people, " a thunder-storm or something may come along before morning, and cool him off." Little Mell Davis was as glad as anybody when the sun disappeared. It had been a hard day. Her step-mother had spent it in making soap. Soap-making is ill-smelling, uncomfortable work at all times, and especially in August. Mrs. Davis had been cross and fractious, had scolded a great deal, and found many little jobs for Mell to do in addition to her usual tasks of dish-washing, table-setting, and looking after the children. Mell was tired of the heat; tired of the smell of soap, of being lectxired ; and when sapper was over was very glad to sit at peace on the door-steps and read her favorite book, atattered copy of the Fairy Tales. Soon she forgot the trials of the day. " Once upon a time there lived a beautiful Princess," she read, but just then came a sharp call. "Mell, Mell, you tiresome girl, see what Tommy is about; " and Mrs. Davis, dashing past, snatched Tommy away from the pump-handle, which he was plying vigorously for the benefit of his small sisters, who stood in a row under the spout, all dripping wet. Tommy was wetter still, having impartially pumped on himself first of all. Frocks, aprons, jacket, all were soaked, shoes and stockings were drenched, the long pig tails of the ... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.