See Page II. 
 
THE 
 
 WISH1MG-CAP. 
 
 BY 
 
 MRS- SHERWOOD, 
 
 Author of " Little Henry and his Bearer," §c* 
 
 TENTH EDITION. 
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED FOR HOULSTON AND SON, 
 
 65, Paternoster- How; 
 
 AND AT WELLINGTON, SALOP. 
 
 1831. 
 
 [Entered at Stationers' Hall.] 
 
THE 
 
 There lived once a lady in London, 
 who had a great deal of money, but 
 who had never given her heart to God. 
 This lady had the care of five chil- 
 dren: four of them were brothers and 
 sisters; and their names were James 
 and Edward, Charlotte and Louisa. 
 The fifth child was an orphan, and 
 had no brothers or sisters. The name 
 of this little boy was Charles. Little 
 Charles's papa and mamma had been 
 dead only a very few months: they 
 were very pious people, and had 
 
8 
 
 THE WISHING-CAP. 
 
 brought up their little boy in the fear 
 of God. Charles thought of his papa 
 and mamma every day; he knew they 
 were gone to heaven, and he knew, 
 also, who that blessed person was, for 
 whose sake they had been received 
 into that happy place. 
 
 Every day little Charles read a few 
 
THE WiSHING-CAP. 
 
 9 
 
 chapters in a Bible which his papa 
 had given him, and he tried to re- 
 member the good things which had 
 been taught him: so God blessed 
 little Charles, and helped him to be 
 good. 
 
 It happened, one Sunday afternoon, 
 in the Christmas holidavs, that the 
 lady came into the children's play- 
 room, and sat down among them. <k I 
 am come," she said, " to drink tea 
 with you this evening; after which we 
 will put on a wishing-cap; and then 
 we shall see what fine things the wish- 
 ing-cap will produce." 
 
 The children were all pleased to 
 see the lady sit down among them ; 
 
10 
 
 THE WfSHING-CAP. 
 
 and while they were drinking their 
 tea, they talked a great deal about 
 the wishing-cap. 
 
 " What can awishing-cap be?" said 
 Louisa, who was the youngest: "and 
 how can it bring fine things?" 
 
 " I never heard of a wishing-cap in 
 all mv life" said James. " I want tea 
 to be over, that we may see it." 
 
 "OS" said Charlotte, "I know 
 what is meant by a wishing-cap. I 
 remember reading of a man, in a fairy 
 tale, who had a wishing-cap ; and 
 when he put this cap on, and wished 
 for any thing, he had it immediately: 
 but I thought there were no such 
 
THE WISHING-CAP. 11 
 
 things really as wishing-caps, except 
 in fairy tales/ 1 
 
 " Well, well," said the lady, " we 
 shall see what kind of wishing-cap I 
 can make: but I must tell you, my 
 wishing-cap is not so good a one as 
 the man's in the fairy tale; it will 
 only produce such things as may be 
 easily had, it will not bring wonders 
 to pass/' 
 
 In this manner they went on talk- 
 ing till tea was over, and the tea- 
 things carried away. Then the lady 
 drew her chair to the fire, and bid- 
 ding the children sit round her, she 
 put her hand into her pocket, and 
 pulled out a sheet of white paper. She 
 
12 THE W1SHING-CAP. 
 
 then folded up the paper in the shape 
 of a cap, and holding it up in her 
 hand, " This is the wishing-cap," she 
 said ; " you shall put it on, and try 
 what it is good for. Come, who will 
 be the first to wear the cap?" Then 
 the lady placed the cap on Charlotte's 
 head. u Now," she said, "think! 
 what do you wish for?" 
 
THE W1SHING-CAP. 
 
 13 
 
 " But will what I wish for really 
 corned 1 said Charlotte. 
 
 "Perhapsitmay,"answered thelady : 
 " we shall know to-morrow morning/' 
 
 " Then/' said Charlotte, " I wish 
 for a muslin frock, trimmed with satin 
 ribbon. " 
 
 " Very well," said the lady. " Who 
 comes next?" 
 
 " I ! I ! " cried James, snatching the 
 cap from his sister's head, and put- 
 ting it on his own ; " I wish for a 
 rocking-horse." 
 
 " Now for me," said Edward ; " give 
 
14 THE WJSHING-CAP. 
 
 me the cap. I wish for a coach- 
 man's whip. Now, Louisa, it is your 
 turn." 
 
 " I wish for a wax doll, with flaxen 
 hair, and blue eyes," said Louisa. 
 
 " Now you have all had your turns," 
 said the lady, "but Charles: conic, 
 Louisa, give the cap to Charles." 
 
 " There, take it," cried Louisa, 
 throwing the cap at him, " and make 
 haste." 
 
 The cap fell at Charles's feet: he 
 took it up, and laid it on the table. 
 
 " Put it on your head, you foolish 
 
THE WISHING-CAP. 15 
 
 boy/' said James, " and wish a 
 wish/' 
 
 Charles smiled, but he did not offer 
 to take up the cap. 
 
 " What are you about? " said James, 
 giving him a push ; " put on the cap, 
 and tell us your wish." 
 
 "Charles," said the lady, "don't 
 you understand what you are to 
 do? Put on the cap, and don't be 
 stupid." 
 
 " I thank you, Ma'am," answered 
 Charles; "but I beg that you will 
 not be angry, if I don't put on the 
 wishing-cap." 
 
1 5 
 
 TIIK WISIIING-CAF. 
 
 " But you shall have it on," said 
 James, taking it off the table, and 
 putting it on his head. 
 
 Charles took it quietly off his head, 
 and laid it on the table. 
 
 The lady looked surprised ; and 
 drawing Charles to her, she said, 
 
THE WISHING-CAP. 
 
 17 
 
 " What is the meaning of your be- 
 haviour? Why will you not play 
 with us?" 
 
 " Perhaps you may not be pleased, 
 if I tell you, Ma'am; and I do not 
 wish to make you angry," answered 
 little Charles. 
 
 " But I will know," said the lady, 
 looking vexed. 
 
 " My poor papa, when he was 
 alive," said Charles, " used to tell me 
 that I ought not to wish for any 
 thing but God's blessing: and he 
 taught me this verse — Seek ye first 
 the kingdom of God, and his yighte- 
 onsjiess; and all these things shall be 
 
1 
 
 18 THE WISH1NG-CAP. 
 
 added unto you: (Matt. vi. 33.) 
 and this is the reason why I do not 
 like to put on the wishing-cap." 
 
 While little Charles was speaking, 
 the rest of the children stood staring 
 and laughing; and when he had done, 
 the lady pushed him away, saying, 
 " You are a strange, foolish boy, and 
 not fit to play with other children. 
 Go to bed immediately." 
 
 Charles went up to his room. His 
 cheeks were wet with tears, and his heart 
 was verv sad. He remembered, that 
 he once had a papa to lean his head 
 against when he was unhappy, and a 
 dear mamma to wipe away his tears; 
 but they were both dead: yet still 
 
THE WISHING CAP. 19 
 
 he had a Saviour to whom he might 
 freely go. So he tried to lift up his 
 heart to this dear Saviour, and laying 
 his little head on his pillow, he fell 
 asleep. In his sleep he had a very 
 sweet dream about heaven: and when 
 he awoke in the morning, he remem- 
 bered these words in the Prophet 
 Isaiah — As one whom his mother com- 
 
20 
 
 THE WISHING-CAP. 
 
 forleth, so will I comfort you. (Isaiah 
 lxvi. 13.) 
 
 While Charles was dressing himself, 
 he heard a very great noise down 
 stairs. He made haste, and running 
 into the play-room, he found the rest 
 of the children screaming and jump- 
 ing for joy. Charlotte dressed in a 
 new muslin frock; Louisa with the 
 wax doll she had wished for; James 
 riding on a large new rocking-horse; 
 and Edward with a coachman's whip. 
 
 " Look here, Master Charles," said 
 James, " see what the wishing-cap has 
 brought us! Are you not sorry now 
 that you were such a fool as to refuse 
 to put on the wishing-cap ? " Then the 
 
THE WISHING-CAP. 21 
 
 rude boy began to shout and halloo, 
 riding up and down as hard as the 
 horse would go; while Edward kept 
 cutting and lashing the heels of the 
 wooden horse with his coachman's 
 whip, whistling, and smacking his 
 lips, like a coachman; Louisa sung 
 to her doll ; and Charlotte danced 
 about in her new frock, singing and 
 laughing: and, all together, there 
 was such a noise, that it might have 
 been heard to the end of the street; 
 the boys every now and then crying 
 out, " Well, Master Charles, what do 
 you think of us now?" 
 
 Every thing went on very well, and 
 all were in the greatest good-humour, 
 till Edward, without intending it, in- 
 
THE WISHING-CAP 
 
 stead of lashing the wooden legs of 
 the horse, gave his brother a most 
 terrible cut with his long whip, over 
 one knee, and across one hand. 
 James, being made very angry with 
 the pain, jumped from his horse; and 
 flying at his brother, began to beat 
 him with all his strength. Edward 
 ran to his sisters for help ; and James 
 followed, continuing to beat him, and 
 saying, " You shaVt horse-whip me 
 for nothing, Sir, I can tell you that." 
 
 At length, James pushed Edward 
 against Louisa; by which means, her 
 doll was thrown down, and broken to 
 pieces: and Edward, as he fell, caught 
 his foot in Charlotte's new frock, and 
 tore it sadly. 
 
THE WISHING-CAP. 
 
 23 
 
 Charlotte and Louisa now began to 
 scream and cry in their turns ; and 
 there was such a dreadful noise, that 
 the lady came in haste to see what 
 was the matter. 
 
 The children were all quiet, as soon 
 as they saw the lady, and very much 
 frightened too. " So," she said, " you 
 have been fighting, you naughty chil- 
 dren, instead of enjoying the pretty 
 tilings I got for you ! You, Char- 
 lotte, have torn your frock; and you, 
 Louisa, have broken your doll. And 
 as to you, you naughty boys, you have 
 been beating each other: go up to 
 your bed-rooms ; and there you shall 
 stay all day, and have nothing but 
 bread and water. As for the rocking- 
 
24 THE WISHING-CAP. 
 
 horse and the whip, I shall send them 
 back to the shop." 
 
 So the four children were taken up 
 to their rooms ; and the whip and the 
 rocking-horse were sent back to the 
 shop : but little Charles was asked to 
 breakfast with the lady in the parlour, 
 And she said to him, " I begin to think 
 your papa was a wise man, when he 
 
 taught vou to seek for nothing but 
 
 © j © 
 
 God's blessing: for I see that having] 
 the things we wish for, does not always I 
 make us the happier." 
 
 Little Charles was much pleased, 
 when he heard the lady speak so kind- 
 ly ; and he asked her to forgive the 
 other children, but she would not. 
 
THE WISHING-CAP. 25 
 
 And now I will tell you how little 
 Charles received at last what he had 
 secretly desired above all things, and 
 how happy it made him. 
 
 About two months after this time, 
 all the children were taken ill with a 
 fever which was then going about 
 London. Thev all recovered, how- 
 
2G THE WISHING-CAP. 
 
 ever, but littie Charles; for though 
 the lady took great care of him, be- 
 cause she now began to love him, and 
 though a very skilful doctor came 
 often to see him, yet he got worse 
 and worse. For many days he could 
 not speak, and did not know any 
 body. 
 
 At last, the time of his death drew 
 very near. He had been asleep ; and 
 opened his eyes, while the lady was 
 standing by his bed. He looked quite 
 cheerful; and holding out his hand 
 to her, " I am going to die, Ma'am," 
 he said, " I feel death approaching; 
 but I am very happy. That dear 
 Saviour whose love my father taught 
 me to seek, is very near me, though 
 
THE WISRING-CAP. 27 
 
 my eyes do not now see him. He 
 comforts me with his promises, and 
 tells me that for his sake death shall 
 be made easy to me. 
 
 " It was because I desired his love 
 alone, that I ceased to wish for 
 other things. I knew that they could 
 not make me happy. All the world, 
 
28 THE WISHING-CAP. 
 
 my papa taught me, could not make 
 me happy without my Saviour's love, 
 And now I am going to this dear Sa- 
 viour; and I know that he will forgive 
 my sins, because he gave me grace to 
 seek him." 
 
 Then little Charles prayed that God 
 would bless the lady, and the other 
 children under her care: and soon af- 
 terwards he died. 
 
 I am happy to tell you, that the 
 lady never forgot little Charles's words 
 upon his dying bed. From that time, 
 she gave her heart to seek heavenly 
 blessings instead of earthly posses- 
 sions: and she used often to say to 
 the other children, when they were 
 
THE WISHING-CAP 
 
 29 
 
 wishing for toys, or other foolish 
 things, "Remember little Charles; 
 and, like him, put away the wishing- 
 
 cap/' 
 
 And so I say to you, my dear little 
 children, who may hereafter read this 
 story,— 
 
 DON'T PUT ON THE WISHING- 
 
 CAP. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 Houhtons, Printers. 
 
EASY 
 
 aUESTIOJVS . 
 
 FOR A 
 
 LITTLE CHILD. 
 
 By MRS. SHERWOOD, 
 
 Author of " Little Henry and his Bearer,* 1 $c. 4'c. 
 
 fourteen^ coition* 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED FOR HOULSTON & SON, 
 65, Paternoster-Rovr, 
 AND AT WELLINGTON, SALOP. 
 
 Price Two-Pence. 
 [Entered at Stationers' HalLJj