One of my young black-eyed friends, who has just learned to read, has asked me to give some simple stories, in the fashion of Peter Parley. I have promised to comply with this, and therefore give two pieces from “Parley’s Picture Book,” a little volume full of pictures and stories, which may be found in the bookstores.
Here are three boys at play. Each boy has a hoop, which he strikes with a stick, and it rolls along. It is very pleasant to roll a hoop. If you strike it hard, it flies along very fast, and you must run with all your might to catch it.
You must take care not to drive your hoop among horses. I once knew a little boy playing with his hoop in a street. A horse was coming along, but the boy was looking at his hoop, and he did not see the horse. His hoop rolled close to the horse’s fore feet, and the boy ran after it.
The horse was going fast, and he struck the boy with his foot. The boy fell dawn, and the horse stepped on his leg. The poor boy’s leg was broken, and it was many weeks before he got well.