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THE LUCY BOOKS.

  BY THE
  Author of the Rollo Books.

  _New York_,
  CLARK AUSTIN & CO.
  205 BROADWAY.




COUSIN LUCY’S CONVERSATIONS.

  BY THE
  AUTHOR OF THE ROLLO BOOKS.

  A NEW EDITION,
  REVISED BY THE AUTHOR.

  NEW YORK:
  CLARK, AUSTIN & SMITH,
  3 PARK ROW AND 3 ANN-STREET,
  1854.




  Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1841,
  BY T. H. CARTER,
  In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.




NOTICE.


The simple delineations of the ordinary incidents and feelings which
characterize childhood, that are contained in the Rollo Books, having
been found to interest, and, as the author hopes, in some degree to
benefit the young readers for whom they were designed,--the plan is
herein extended to children of the other sex. The two first volumes
of the series are LUCY’S CONVERSATIONS and LUCY’S
STORIES. Lucy was Rollo’s cousin; and the author hopes that the
history of her life and adventures may be entertaining and useful to
the sisters of the boys who have honored the Rollo Books with their
approval.




CONTENTS.


                       Page.

  CONVERSATION I.
  THE TREASURY,            9

  CONVERSATION II.
  DEFINITIONS,            21

  CONVERSATION III.
  THE GLEN,               34

  CONVERSATION IV.
  A PRISONER,             43

  CONVERSATION V.
  TARGET PAINTING,        51

  CONVERSATION VI.
  MIDNIGHT,               60

  CONVERSATION VII.
  JOANNA,                 75

  CONVERSATION VIII.
  BUILDING,               88

  CONVERSATION IX.
  EQUIVOCATION,          103

  CONVERSATION X.
  JOHNNY,                118

  CONVERSATION XI.
  GETTING LOST,          132

  CONVERSATION XII.
  LUCY’S SCHOLAR,        146

  CONVERSATION XIII.
  SKETCHING,             159

  CONVERSATION XIV.
  DANGER,                170




LUCY’S CONVERSATIONS.

CONVERSATION I.

THE TREASURY.


One day in summer, when Lucy was a very little girl, she was sitting in
her rocking-chair, playing keep school. She had placed several crickets
and small chairs in a row for the children’s seats, and had been
talking, in dialogue, for some time, pretending to hold conversations
with her pupils. She heard one read and spell, and gave another
directions about her writing; and she had quite a long talk with a
third about the reason why she did not come to school earlier. At last
Lucy, seeing the kitten come into the room, and thinking that she
should like to go and play with her, told the children that she thought
it was time for school to be done.

Royal, Lucy’s brother, had been sitting upon the steps at the front
door, while Lucy was playing school; and just as she was thinking that
it was time to dismiss the children, he happened to get up and come
into the room. Royal was about eleven years old. When he found that
Lucy was playing school, he stopped at the door a moment to listen.

“Now, children,” said Lucy, “it is time for the school to be dismissed;
for I want to play with the kitten.”

Here Royal laughed aloud.

Lucy looked around, a little disturbed at Royal’s interruption.
Besides, she did not like to be laughed at. She, however, said nothing
in reply, but still continued to give her attention to her school.
Royal walked in, and stood somewhat nearer.

“We will sing a hymn,” said Lucy, gravely.

Here Royal laughed again.

“Royal, you must not laugh,” said Lucy. “They always sing a hymn at the
end of a school.” Then, making believe that she was speaking to her
scholars, she said, “You may all take out your hymn-books, children.”

Lucy had a little hymn-book in her hand, and she began turning over the
leaves, pretending to find a place.

“You may sing,” she said, at last, “the thirty-third hymn, long part,
second metre.”

At this sad mismating of the words in Lucy’s announcement of the hymn,
Royal found that he