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The message of hope, and other stories, by A.L.O.E.
The message of hope and other stories by ALOE Author:Charlotte Maria Tucker Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Ihe Itoo fatchm is such a wretched thing—oh, such a wretched—not to be able to get out on such a day as this, when the sun is shining and the birds are singin... more »g, and every creature seems so gay and happy but myself!" exclaimed Harvey Gordon, impatiently flinging aside a book which he had been trying to amuse himself with. " Oh, I do wish that I had not this horrid bad leg, which has laid me up for months, so that I cannot so much as get out of the house for ten minutes." " You will be able to get out now as often as you like, Master Harvey," said the good-natured parlour-maid, who had entered the room while the lame boy was speaking. " Here is your nice pair of new crutches; the carpenter has just brought them home;—hasn't he made them neatly ?" A very nice pair of crutches it was, firm and strong, with padded rests to go under the arms, each rest covered with green leather, and studded with bright brass nails. But Harvey looked at the tokens of his lameness with anything but satisfaction, and took up one of them with both his hands, scowling as he did so, as if he were half disposed to break it across his knee. " Crutches for me !" he muttered ; "crutches for me, who could run faster than any other boy in my class, and jump over six hurdles, one after theother ! Horrid things; I have half a mind to put them at the back of the fire !" But though neither the green leather nor the bright brass nails reconciled the lame boy to his crutches, even while he grumbled at them he soon prepared to use them. After being long shut up in the house, it was a comfort to be able to move out without putting his painful leg to the ground. Harvey was glad to find himself again in the fresh outer air, with the breath of spring fanning his cheek, and the music of May in his ears. The boy...« less