MRS. TURNER'S CAUTIONARY STORIES

The Dumpy Books for Children

Selected by E. V. Lucas

I. The Flamp, The Ameliorator, and The Schoolboy's Apprentice. Written by E. V. LUCAS.

II. Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories

Other Volumes in the Series are in preparation

1s. 6d. each

Mrs. Turner's Cautionary Stories

LONDON: GRANT RICHARDS

1897

[Pg ix]

CONTENTS

PAGE Introduction xiii Bad Boys and Good— The Window-Breaker 3 A Gunpowder Plot 5 Peter Imitates the Clown 7 Ben's Heavy Punishment 9 The Chimney-Sweeper 11 The Fighting Wicket-keeper 13 The Good Scholar 15 The Good Scholar Fights 16 The Death of the Good Scholar's Foe 17 Robert's Thoughtless Brothers 19 Joe's Light Punishment 20 Falsehood "Corrected" 22 The Superior Boys 24 [Pg x]George's Curious Taste 25 Thomas Brown's Disappointment 27 Considerate Philip 28 The Models 29 Politeness 30 Richard's Reformation 31 James's Sacrifice 32 The Excellent Lord Mayor 34 Clever Little Thomas 36 William's Escape 37 Good Girls and Bad— Rebecca's Afterthought 41 A Hint to Mary Anne 42 How to Write a Letter 44 News for Papa 46 Maria's Charity 48 The Neglected Turk 50 Pride and Priggishness 52 How to Look when Speaking 54 Isabella's Parachute 56 Maria Snubbed 57 Matilda's Extravagance 58 Papa's Watchfulness 60 Isabella's Defeat 61 The Two Patients 62 Fanny's Bad Habit 63 Sarah's Danger 64 The Hoyden 65 The Giddy Girl 67 A Warning to Frances 69 Playing with Fire 71 How to Heal a Burn 72

Mary Anne's Kindness 74 Ambitious Sophy 75 Dressed or Undressed 76 Mrs. Birch's Influence 78 Rebellious Frances 80 Kindness and Cruelty— The Harmless Cow 83 The Harmless Worm 84 The Bad Donkey-Boy's Good Fortune 86 Grateful Carlo 88 Grateful Lucy 90 Grateful Trusty 91 Something in Store for Richard 92 The Result of Cruelty 93 Things to Eat— What is Best for Children 97 Billy Gill's Good Fortune 99 Civil Speech 101 The Cook's Rebuke 103 The Lost Pudding 105 Sammy Smith's Sad Fate 106 Stupid William 107 Poisonous Fruit 109 Harry's Cake 111 Peter's Cake 113 William's Cake 115 How to Make a Christmas Pudding 117

[Pg xiii]

Introduction

The sixty-nine Cautionary Stories that follow have been chosen from five books by Mrs. Elizabeth Turner, written for the pleasure and instruction of our little grandparents and great-grandparents. The books are The Daisy, The Cowslip, The Crocus, The Pink and Short Poems. Between the years 1810 and 1850 they were on the shelves of most nurseries, although now they are rarely to be met with. There was also The Rose, but from that nothing has been taken for these pages, nor are the original pictures again offered. [Pg xiv]Except for these pictures, a frequent change of title, and a few trifling alterations for grammar's sake, the pieces selected are now printed exactly as at first.

Mrs. Turner's belief, as stated by Master Robert in the verses called "Books better than Toys" in The Pink, was that the children of her day, when they had money to spend and wanted a real treat, could not choose anything more suitable than her Cautionary Stories. The piece runs:

[Pg xv]In our own time Robert's opinion is not very widely shared: most of us would not care to give up a cannon or a doll in order that we might be cautioned; but Mrs. Turner is not the less an entertaining author because her volumes have fewer attractions for us than some of the things in a Christmas bazaar. She told her tales with such spirit: her verses are so straightforward, the rhymes come so pat at the end of the lines, and you may beat time with your foot and never be put out.

In another piece, "Kitty's Favourites," Mrs. Turner wrote:

Kitty's taste, like Robert's, is no longer general. The common view is that stories about bad children are more fun; and therefore I think you will be amused by these pages. Whether or not punishment always did follow the offences as surely and swiftly as Mrs. Turner declares, I am not prepared to say. If you are in any doubt you had better ask your parents.

E. V. Lucas. November 1897.

[Pg 3]

THE WINDOW-BREAKER

Note.—The foregoing story is stated to be "founded on fact."

[Pg 5]

A GUNPOWDER PLOT

Note.—As a matter of fact, a train of gunpowder does not make a terrible noise; it makes hardly any noise at all—a mere pfff! and though John, Sam Bushy, and Dick White are shown to have been hurt as they might have been, a train of gunpowder could not bend Tom's nose, it could only burn it. Probably Mrs. Turner did not often play with explosives herself, and therefore did not know. Master Wilful seems to have escaped altogether.

[Pg 7]

PETER IMITATES THE CLOWN

[Pg 9]

BEN'S HEAVY PUNISHMENT

[Pg 11]

THE CHIMNEY-SWEEPER

Note.—This was written in the days when little boys, like Tom in Water Babies, were sent actually up the chimneys to clean them out.

[Pg 13]