



Produced by Rosanna Yuen and PG Distributed Proofreaders




ROLLO AT PLAY;

OR,

SAFE AMUSEMENTS.

[Illustration: "Now he is standing perfectly still. O, Jonas, come and
see him."]

ROLLO AT PLAY.



THE ROLLO SERIES

IS COMPOSED OF FOURTEEN VOLUMES. VIZ.

  Rollo Learning to Talk.
  Rollo Learning to Read.
  Rollo at Work.
  Rollo at Play.
  Rollo at School.
  Rollo's Vacation.
  Rollo's Experiments.

  Rollo's Museum.
  Rollo's Travels.
  Rollo's Correspondence.
  Rollo's Philosophy--Water.
  Rollo's Philosophy--Air.
  Rollo's Philosophy--Fire.
  Rollo's Philosophy--Sky.




A NEW EDITION, REVISED BY THE AUTHOR.


NOTICE TO PARENTS.


Although this little book, and its fellow, "ROLLO AT WORK," are intended
principally as a means of entertainment for their little readers, it is
hoped by the writer that they may aid in accomplishing some of the
following useful purposes:--

1. In cultivating _the thinking powers_; as frequent occasions occur, in
which the incidents of the narrative, and the conversations arising from
them, are intended to awaken and engage the reasoning and reflective
faculties of the little readers.

2. In promoting the progress of children _in reading_ and in knowledge
of language; for the diction of the stories is intended to be often in
advance of the natural language of the reader, and yet so used as to be
explained by the connection.

3. In cultivating the _amiable and gentle qualities of the heart_. The
scenes are laid in quiet and virtuous life, and the character and
conduct described are generally--with the exception of some of the
ordinary exhibitions of childish folly--character and conduct to be
imitated; for it is generally better, in dealing with children, to
allure them to what is right by agreeable pictures of it, than to
attempt to drive them to it by repulsive delineations of what is wrong.




CONTENTS.


ROLLO AT PLAY.

STORY 1. ROLLO AT PLAY IN THE WOODS.--The Setting out. Bridge-Building.
A Visitor. Difficulty. Hearts wrong. Hearts right again.

STORY 2. THE STEEPLE-TRAP.--The Way to catch a Squirrel. The Way to lose
a Squirrel. How to keep a Squirrel. Fires in the Woods.

STORY 3. THE HALO ROUND THE MOON; OR LUCY'S VISIT.--A Round Rainbow. Who
knows best, a Little Boy or his Father! Repentance.

STORY 4. THE FRESHET.--Maria and the Caravan Small Craft. The Principles
of Order. Clearing up.

STORY 5. BLUEBERRYING.--Old Trumpeter. Deviation. Little Mosette. Going
up. The Secret out.

STORY 6. TROUBLE ON THE MOUNTAIN.--Boasting. Getting in Trouble. A Test
of Penitence.




ROLLO AT PLAY IN THE WOODS.



THE SETTING OUT.

One pleasant morning in the autumn, when Rollo was about five years old,
he was sitting on the platform, behind his father's house, playing. He
had a hammer and nails, and some small pieces of board. He was trying to
make a box. He hammered and hammered, and presently he dropped his work
down and said, fretfully,

"O dear me!"

"What is the matter, Rollo?" said Jonas,--for it happened that Jonas was
going by just then, with a wheelbarrow.

"I wish these little boards would not split so. I cannot make my box."

"You drive the nails wrong; you put the wedge sides _with_ the grain."

"The wedge sides!" said Rollo; "what are the wedge sides,--and the
grain? I do not know what you mean."

But Jonas went on, trundling his wheelbarrow; though he looked round and
told Rollo that he could not stop to explain it to him then.

Rollo was discouraged about his box. He thought he would look and see
what Jonas was going to do. Jonas trundled the wheelbarrow along, until
he came opposite the barn-door, and there he put it down. He went into
the barn, and presently came out with an axe. Then he took the sides of
the wheelbarrow off, and placed them up against the barn. Then he laid
the axe down across the wheelbarrow, and went into the barn again.
Pretty soon he brought out an iron crowbar, and laid that down also in
the wheelbarrow, with the axe.

Then R