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Contents
The Goat and her Kid
The Little Foundling
Winter Pleasures
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.
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