Little Wideawake

"Little Wideawake" by Sale Mrs. Barker. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Rosie is the name of the little girl whose picture you see on the first page, with a snowball in her hands. Of course her name is Rosa really, but somehow we always call her Rosie. Has she not a bright, pretty, laughing little face, with her blue eyes, and fair hair? She is a fine strong little maiden into the bargain; a trifle wilful, perhaps, and a good deal of a romp. Last Christmas I was staying at Cranley Grange—Rosie's home in the country,—when one morning at breakfast her mamma said to me—"Charlie is coming home to-day; I can't go to meet him, my cough is so bad. I wonder if you would mind driving down to the station, and taking Rosie and Frank?" Charlie, who was the eldest son, and a great favourite of mine, was coming home for his Christmas holidays. He was about fourteen years old, while Rosie was only ten, and Frank two years younger. I said I should be delighted to go, thinking what a pleasant drive it would be with those merry laughing children. Little did I anticipate the trial to my nerves, and the succession of frights, that were in store for me. We were soon seated in the open wagonette, and off we started. Though I should not say seated, for the children scarcely sat down at all: they kept jumping up, changing places, pushing each other, and playing all sorts of pranks. I was in an agony of fear lest they should tumble out; and during the whole drive, I sat with my arms extended, clutching hold, sometimes of one, sometimes of the other, to save them. This was fright number one. 3 At last we arrived at the station;—the children still in uproarious spirits, though with cherry noses, as well as rosy cheeks, from the cold. I must tell you that there was snow upon the ground; and as, unluckily, we had ten minutes to wait for the train, they began to amuse themselves by snowballing each other. Frank set the example, and they found it such fun that I scolded, and begged them to be quiet, in vain.

"This anthology by Leonard de Vries is a personal selection of texts and pictures from a few fo the many thousands of Victorian children's books in the private library of F.G. and Anne Renier."--Introduction, p. 7.

Little WideawakeByLucy Elizabeth Drummond Sale-Barker

Includes "1 albertype (identified as Forbes in the plate) portrait of U.S. Grant and identified as such in the table of contents. ..."--Hanson Collection catalog, p. 83.