Stuyvesant - A Franconia Story

By Jacob Abbott

This early work of juvenile fiction by Jacob Abbott was originally published in 1881. Along with many of Abbott's popular works, such as 'The Rollo Series', this publication is designed to entertain and morally inform the young reader.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Feb 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781473371149

Jacob Abbott

Jacob Abbott (1803-1879) was an American author, pastor, and professor. Born Jacob Abbot Ⅲ, he later added a “t” to the end of his name in order to break away from being “the third”. Abbott began his career as a professor of mathematics and philosophy at Amherst college in Massachusetts. He became a licensed preacher in 1826, and later went on to become the founder and pastor of the Eliot Congregational Church. Jacob Abbott wrote many works, including biographies, religious books, and juvenile fiction. By the end of his career, he co-wrote thirty-one titles, and authored one-hundred and eighty books on his own.

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Stuyvesant

-

A Franconia Story

by

Jacob Abbott

Copyright © 2013 Read Books Ltd.

This book is copyright and may not be

reproduced or copied in any way without

the express permission of the publisher in writing

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Contents

Stuyvesant - A Franconia Story

Jacob Abbott

PREFACE.

Chapter I. The Cavern.

Chapter II. Boyishness.

Chapter III. The Plowing.

Chapter IV. Negotiations.

Chapter V. Plans for the Squirrel.

Chapter VI. Difficulty.

Chapter VII. The Work Shop.

Chapter VIII. A Discovery.

Chapter IX. The Accident.

Chapter X. Good Advice.

Chapter XI. The Journey.

Jacob Abbott

Jacob Abbott was born on 14th November 1803 at Hallowell, Maine, United States. He was an American writer of children’s books, much loved for his historical and straightforward approach. Abbott spent his early education at the local Hallowell Academy, later studying at Bowdoin College and graduating in 1820. He then moved to Andover Theological Seminary, and on completing his course became a tutor there from 1824-1825. Abbott was clearly academically gifted and soon after (in 1829) was appointed professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Amherst College, having also been licensed to preach by the Hampshire Association in 1826. He also founded the Mount Vernon School for Young Ladies in Boston in 1829 and was principal of it until 1833.

After these academic and theological successes, Abbott became a full-time pastor of Eliot Congregational Church (which he founded) at Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1834-1835. With his brothers, he was also a founder, and in 1843–1851 a principal of Abbott’s Institute, and in 1845–1848 of the Mount Vernon School for Boys, in New York City. Abbott is best known for his writing however. He was a prolific author, writing juvenile fiction, brief histories, biographies, religious books for the general reader, and a few works in popular science. He wrote 180 books and was a co-author or editor of thirty-one more. His Rollo Books, such as Rollo at Work, Rollo at Play, Rollo in Europe, etc., are the best known of his writings, having as their chief characters a representative boy and his associates. Works of historical fiction, they recount Rollo and his every day adventures, growing up in nineteenth century rural America. Rollo enjoys playing in the woods, whether he’s building a wigwam, setting a trap for a squirrel, or rescuing a baby bird. Yet events don’t always turn out the way he wants — the squirrel escapes, the blueberry expedition is delayed by rain and, when it finally does happen, he encounters trouble on the mountain. Yet his friends and parents help Rollo through his difficulties, sometimes by aiding him directly but mostly by prompting him to think about his behaviour and come to a resolution himself.

Abbott had actually preceded these works with his Lucy Series, a similar endeavour, but directed at girls. He later penned Uncle George, using this character to teach young readers about ethics, geography, history and science. Abbott also wrote twenty-two volumes of biographical histories and a ten volume set titled the Franconia Stories. His biographical histories were especially well received, encompassing figures as diverse as Genghis Kahn, Margaret of Anjou, Richard I, II and III, Nero, Alexander the Great and Queen Elizabeth. They were specifically aimed at young people; from about fifteen to twenty-five years old, and within a few years of their publication (1848) they became standard reference works for juvenile history. Abraham Lincoln was even a fan! He wrote to the Abbots: ‘I want to thank you and your brother for Abbott’s series of Histories. I have not education enough to appreciate the profound works of voluminous historians, and if I had, I have no time to read them. But your series of Histories gives me, in brief compass, just that knowledge of past men and events which I need. I have read them with the greatest interest. To them I am indebted for about all the historical knowledge I have.’

Although the name of his wife is unrecorded, we do know that she died in 1843, after which Abbott moved to New York with his brother. Abbott had four sons, all of whom led happy and successful lives; Benjamin Vaughan Abbott and Austin Abbott were both eminent lawyers, whilst Lyman Abbott and Edward Abbott followed in their father’s footsteps and became well known authors. Abbott died on 31st October 1879, in Farmington, Maine, America. He had spent time here in 1839, and it was also the town where his brother, Samuel Phillips Abbott chose to found the Abbott School.

Stuyvesant

A FRANCONIA STORY

By

JACOB ABBOTT

ILLUSTRATED

THE BOYS AT THE MILL.

PREFACE.

The development of the moral sentiments in the human heart, in early life,—and every thing in fact which relates to the formation of character,—is determined in a far greater degree by sympathy, and by the influence of example, than by formal precepts and didactic instruction. If a boy hears his father speaking kindly to a robin in the spring,—welcoming its coming and offering it food,—there arises at once in his own mind, a feeling of kindness toward the bird, and toward all the animal creation, which is produced by a sort of sympathetic action, a power somewhat similar to what in physical philosophy is called induction. On the other hand, if the father, instead of feeding the bird, goes eagerly for a gun, in order that he may shoot it, the boy will sympathize in that desire, and growing up under such an influence, there will be gradually formed within him, through the mysterious tendency of the youthful heart to vibrate in unison with hearts that are near, a disposition to kill and destroy all helpless beings that come within his power. There is no need of any formal instruction in either case. Of a thousand children brought up under the former of the above-described influences, nearly every one, when he sees a bird, will wish to go and get crumbs to feed it, while in the latter case, nearly every one will just as certainly look for a stone. Thus the growing up in the right atmosphere, rather than the receiving of the right instruction, is the condition which it is most important to secure, in plans for forming the characters of children.

It is in accordance with this philosophy that these stories, though written mainly with a view to their moral influence on the hearts and dispositions of the readers, contain very little formal exhortation and instruction. They present quiet and peaceful pictures of happy domestic life, portraying generally such conduct, and expressing such sentiments and feelings, as it is desirable to exhibit and express in the presence of children.

The books, however, will be found, perhaps, after all, to be useful mainly in entertaining and amusing the youthful readers who may peruse them, as the writing of them has been the amusement and recreation of the author in the intervals of more serious pursuits.

SCENE OF THE STORY.

Franconia, a place among the mountains at the North. The time is summer.

PRINCIPAL PERSONS.

Mrs. Henry, a lady residing at Franconia.

Alphonzo, commonly called Phonny, about nine years old.

Malleville, Phonny’s cousin from New York, seven years old.

Wallace, Malleville’s brother, a college student, visiting Franconia at this season.

Stuyvesant, Wallace’s brother, about nine years old.

Antoine Bianchinette, commonly called Beechnut, a French boy, now about fourteen years old, living at Mrs. Henry’s.

Chapter I.

The Cavern.

One pleasant summer morning Alphonzo was amusing himself by swinging on a gate in front of his mother’s house. His cousin Malleville, who was then about eight years old, was sitting upon a stone outside of the gate, by the roadside, in a sort of corner that was formed between the wall and a great tree which was growing there. Malleville was employed in telling her kitten a story.

The kitten was sitting near Malleville, upon a higher stone. Malleville was leaning upon this stone, looking the kitten in the face. The kitten was looking down, but she seemed to be listening very attentively.

Now, Kitty, said Malleville, "if you will sit still and hark, I will tell you a story,—a story about a mouse. I read it in a book. Once there was a mouse, and he was white, and he lived in a cage. No I forgot,—there were three mice. I’ll begin again.

Once there was a boy, and he had three white mice, and he kept them in a cage.

Here Malleville’s story was interrupted by Phonny, who suddenly called out:

Here comes Beechnut, Malleville.

I don’t care, said Malleville, I’m telling a story to Kitty, and you must not interrupt me.

Here the kitten jumped down from the stone and ran away.

Now Phonny! said Malleville, see what you have done;—you have made my Kitty go away.

I didn’t make her go away, said Phonny.

Yes you did, said Malleville, you interrupted my story, and that made her go away.

Phonny laughed aloud at this assertion, though Malleville continued to look very serious. Phonny then repeated that he did not make the kitten go away, and besides, he said, he thought that it was very childish to pretend to tell a story to a kitten.

Malleville said that she did not think it was childish at all; for her kitten liked to hear stories. Phonny, at this, laughed again, and then Malleville, appearing to be still more displeased, said that she was not any more childish than Phonny himself was.

By this time Beechnut, as Phonny called him, had come up. He was driving a cart. The cart was loaded with wood. The wood consisted of small and dry sticks, which Beechnut had gathered together in the forest.

Beechnut, said Phonny, are you going into the woods again for another load?

Yes, said Beechnut.

And may I go with you? said Phonny.

Yes, said Beechnut.

And I? said Malleville.

Yes, said Beechnut.

Beechnut drove on into the yard, and at length stopped near a great woodpile. Beechnut began to throw off the wood. Phonny climbed up into the cart too, to help Beechnut unload. Malleville sat down upon a log lying near to see.

While they were at work thus, throwing off the wood, Phonny, instead of taking the smallest sticks that came in his way, tried always to get hold of the largest. He had three motives for doing this, all mingled together. The first was a pleasure in exercising