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    THE STORY of a DONKEY - A Children's Story
    THE STORY of a DONKEY - A Children's Story
    THE STORY of a DONKEY - A Children's Story
    Ebook86 pages52 minutes

    THE STORY of a DONKEY - A Children's Story

    By Countess de Segur, Translated and Retold by CHARLES WELSH and Illustrated by E. H. SAUNDERS

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    About this ebook

    This is the story of Neddy, the donkey, narrated from his point of view. His adventures are interesting and amusing, and as there has been nothing quite like them originally written in English. The book contains 1 color image and 25 pen and ink illustrations.

    During the story he wants his master to know better what sort of animals donkeys really are, and so he writes the story of his life. He points out that donkeys have been, and still are, often badly treated by human beings. Even so, he claims donkeys more often than not have good temperaments; but confesses that in his youth he sometimes behaved very badly, and was punished for it. This made him unhappy but in the end he repented, and how, in the end, his repentance changed him and gained for him the forgiveness of his friends and masters.

    He finishes, “So, when you have read my history, you won’t say any more “as stupid as a donkey,” or “as obstinate as a donkey,” but “as sensible as a donkey,” “as clever as a donkey,” or “as gentle as a donkey.” He then leaves a message for all children, “Hee-haw! dear little children, hee-haw! I hope you will never be as I was when I was young.”
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAbela Publishing
    Release dateAug 5, 2017
    ISBN9788822808288
    THE STORY of a DONKEY - A Children's Story

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      Book preview

      THE STORY of a DONKEY - A Children's Story - Countess de Segur

      cabbages."

      Dedication

      TO MY PRESENT LITTLE MASTER, HARRY.

      My Dear Little Master,

      You have been kind to me, but you have spoken contemptuously of donkeys in general. I want you to know better what sort of animals donkeys really are, and so I have written for you this story of my life. You will see, my dear little Master, that we donkeys have been, and still are, often badly treated by human beings. We are often very nice indeed; but I must also confess that in my youth I sometimes behaved very badly, and you will see how I was punished for it, and how unhappy I was, and how at last I repented, and how at last my repentance changed me and gained for me the forgiveness of my friends and masters. So, when you have read my history, you won’t say any more as stupid as a donkey, or as obstinate as a donkey, but as sensible as a donkey, as clever as a donkey, or as gentle as a donkey.

      Hee-haw! my dear little Master, hee-haw! I hope you will never be as I was when I was young.

      I remain,

      Your obedient servant,

      NEDDY.

      PREFACE

      I do not recollect my childhood; I was probably as unhappy as the rest of the little donkeys are; and no doubt as pretty and as graceful. Certainly I was full of wit and intelligence, for, old as I am now, I have more of both than most donkeys possess.

      I have often outwitted some of my poor masters, who, being only men, could not be expected to have the intelligence of a donkey,—and I will begin my Memoirs with the story of a trick I once played in the days of my youth.

      INTRODUCTION

      The author of this book was the daughter of that Count Rostopchine who was governor of Moscow when it was burned in 1812, and Napoleon was obliged in consequence to make his disastrous retreat from that city. Born in 1799, Sophie de Rostopchine married, in 1821, the Count de Ségur, a son of one of the oldest and proudest families of France. She was a very accomplished and lovable person, and, as her writings attest, she was thoroughly in sympathy with the ways and feelings of children.

      She did not begin to publish her stories until she was fifty-seven years of age, but between that date and the time of her death in 1874, she wrote and brought out a great many books for children.

      The Memoirs of a Donkey, published in 1860, is one of the most popular, wholesome, and entertaining of her books. It is longer in the original than the version here given, as it contains a great number of scenes that could interest only the boys and girls of France; and there are many incidents in which the donkey scarcely figures. We have, therefore, given in this book the story of Neddy, the donkey. His adventures are interesting and amusing enough by themselves, and as there has been nothing quite like them originally written in English, we have included this retelling of the story in our Home and School Classics.

      List of Illustrations

      AND TEN SMALLER ONES IN THE TEXT.

      The Story of a Donkey

      Men, poor things, can’t be expected to be as wise as donkeys, and therefore you probably do not know that there was a market in our country-town every Tuesday. At this market vegetables were sold, and butter, and eggs, and cheese, and fruit, and many other nice things.

      Tuesday was a miserable day for the poor donkeys, and especially for me. I belonged to a farmer’s wife, and she was very severe and ill-tempered. Just think! every week she used to load up my back with all the eggs her hens laid,2

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