The Star-Gazer plus three more stories

Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you all well. As for me a couple of changes. I no longer have the dogs. Two other family members have taken them. I hope they will be well taken care of. The husband has now gone back to work. So I once again have most of my nights to myself.
The weather here is now turning colder. I'm not sure if I'm ready for winter. But there is nothing I can do to change what is heading our way.

Anyway, here are four short stories from the Riverside Literature Series:

THE STAR-GAZER.

A certain wise man wont to go out every
evening and gaze at the stars. Once his walk
took him outside of the town, and as he was
looking with all his eyes into the sky, and did
not see where he was going, he feel into a ditch.
He was in a sad plight, and set up a cry. A
man who was passing by heard him, and stopped
to see what was the matter.
"Ah, sir," said he, "when you are trying to
make out what is in the sky, you do not see
what is on earth."


THE BOY AND THE NETTLE.

A Boy playing in the fields was stung by a
 Nettle. He ran home to his Mother, and told
her that he had but touched the weed, and it
had stung him.
"It was just touching it that stung you,"
said she. "The next time you meddle with a
Nettle, grasp it boldly, and it will not hurt you."


THE DOG IN THE MANGER.

A Dog once made his bed in a manger. He
could not eat the grain there, and he would not
let the Ox eat it, who could.


THE BOY WHO STOLE APPLES.

An Old Man found a rude Boy up in one of
his trees, stealing apples, and bade him come
down. The young rogue told him plainly that
he would not.
"Won't you?" said the Old Man. "Then
I will fetch you down." So he pulled up some
tufts of grass and threw them at him; but this
only made the youngster laugh.
"Well, well," said the Old Man. If neither
words nor grass will do, I will try what virtue
there is in stones." With that he pelted the
Boy heartily with stones, which soon made him
clamber down from the tree and beg the Old
Man's pardon.

These are my brief summary of these stories.

Story number 1.
If this story was wrote today the person would not be looking at the stars, but at their phone.  Same result.

Story number 2.
If you have ever come upon nettle you will know that just lightly touching one will sting. I'm not sure about grasping some boldly will not hurt you. Never tried have you?

Story number 3.
Sounds like someone that will do what they want but not let someone else have what they need.

Story number 4.

The man gave the boy two chances to get out of the tree safely. It took something hard to really get his attention.


Here are a couple of newspaper clippings:

 I think this is someone grandma knew from Birnamwood.

This is a clipping from The Chicago Sunday Tribune July 18, 1954.

Here is a picture I might have shown you before:

Not sure who these girls are. There a number of pictures of them.

Well, that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy