The Fairchild Family

by Mrs. Sherwood

  Part I

  Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild lived very far from any town; their house stoodin the midst of a garden, which in the summer-time was full of fruitand sweet flowers. Mr. Fairchild kept only two servants, Betty andJohn: Betty's business was to clean the house, cook the dinner, andmilk the cow; and John waited at table, worked in the garden, fed thepig, and took care of the meadow in which the cow grazed.

  Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild had three children: Lucy, who was about nineyears old when these stories began; Emily, who was next in age; andHenry, who was between six and seven. These little children did not goto school: Mrs. Fairchild taught Lucy and Emily, and Mr. Fairchildtaught little Henry. Lucy and Emily learned to read, and to do variouskinds of needlework. Lucy had begun to write, and took great pains withher writing; their mother also taught them to sing psalms and hymns,and they could sing several very sweetly. Little Henry, too, had agreat notion of singing.

  Besides working and reading, the little girls could do many usefulthings; they made their beds, rubbed the chairs and tables in theirrooms, fed the fowls; and when John was busy, they laid the cloth fordinner, and were ready to fetch anything which their parents mightwant.

  Mr. Fairchild taught Henry everything that was proper for little boysin his station to learn; and when he had finished his lessons in amorning, his papa used to take him very often to work in the garden;for Mr. Fairchild had great pleasure in helping John to keep the gardenclean. Henry had a little basket, and he used to carry the weeds andrubbish in his basket out of the garden, and do many such other littlethings as he was set to do.

  I must not forget to say that Mr. Fairchild had a school for poor boysin the next village, and Mrs. Fairchild one for girls. I do not meanthat they taught the children entirely themselves, but they paid amaster and mistress to teach them; and they used to take a walk two orthree times a week to see the children, and to give rewards to thosewho had behaved well. When Lucy and Emily and Henry were obedient,their parents were so kind as to let them go with them to see theschools; and then they always contrived to have some little thing readyto carry with them as presents to the good children.