PROJECT ASHABI
African Stories. Limitless Worlds.
PROJECT ASHABI
African Stories. Limitless Worlds.
Project Gutenberg Archive
Complete unabridged public-domain literary work from the Project Gutenberg archive.
Project Ashabi is being built as the home of original African comics, webtoons, graphic novels, and fiction.
This third-party Novel / Book title is temporary preview content. Step by step, third-party titles will be phased out and replaced exclusively by Ashabi Originals created by African writers and artists.
Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Suzanne L. Shell, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
With Frontispiece in Color by Ralph Pallen Coleman
Six of us once, my darlings, played together Beneath green boughs, which faded long ago, Made merry in the golden summer weather, Pelted each other with new-fallen snow.
Did the sun always shine? I can't remember A single cloud that dimmed the happy blue,-- A single lightning-bolt or peal of thunder, To daunt our bright, unfearing lives: can you?
We quarrelled often, but made peace as quickly, Shed many tears, but laughed the while they fell, Had our small woes, our childish bumps and bruises, But Mother always "kissed and made them well."
Is it long since?--it seems a moment only: Yet here we are in bonnets and tail-coats, Grave men of business, members of committees, Our play-time ended: even Baby votes!
And star-eyed children, in whose innocent faces Kindles the gladness which was once our own, Crowd round our knees, with sweet and coaxing voices, Asking for stories of that old-time home.
"Were _you_ once little too?" they say, astonished; "Did you too play? How funny! tell us how." Almost we start, forgetful for a moment; Almost we answer, "We are little _now!_"
Arthur Conan Doyle
