Where did the saying "Goody Two Shoes" come from? If you've ever asked this question you're not alone. Like many sayings, we know how to use it but have no sense of where it originated.
Goody Two Shoes was a nursery book about two poor orphans and how they came to prosper due to their kind spirits and good deeds.
The story was originally published in 1765 and was at one time the most widely circulated children's story of the day. The version of the story we are posting here is from an 1888 edition of the book.
After a quick read you'll finally know the story of Goody Two Shoes.
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Goody Two Shoes - Part 1
FARMER MEANWELL was at one time a very rich man. He owned large fields, and had fine flocks of sheep, and plenty of money. But all at once his good fortune seemed to desert him. Year after year his crops failed, his sheep died off, and he was obliged to borrow money to pay his rent and the wages of those who worked on the farm.
At last he had to sell his farm, but even this did not bring him in money enough to pay his debts, and he was worse off than ever.
Among those who had lent money to Farmer Mean well were Sir Thomas Gripe, and a farmer named Graspall. Sir Thomas was a very rich man indeed, and Farmer Graspall had more money than he could possibly use. But they were both very greedy and covetous, and particularly hard on those who owed them anything. Farmer Graspall abused Farmer Meanwell and called him all sorts of dreadful names; but the rich Sir Thomas Gripe was more cruel still, and wanted the poor debtor shut up in jail.
So poor Farmer Meanwell had to hasten from the place where he had lived for so many years, in order to get out of the way of these greedy men.
He went to the next village, taking his wife and his two little children with him. But though he was free from Gripe and Graspall she was not free from trouble and care.
He soon fell ill, and when he found himself unable to get food and clothes for his family, he grew worse and worse and soon died.
At last he had to sell his farm, but even this did not bring him in money enough to pay his debts, and he was worse off than ever.
Among those who had lent money to Farmer Mean well were Sir Thomas Gripe, and a farmer named Graspall. Sir Thomas was a very rich man indeed, and Farmer Graspall had more money than he could possibly use. But they were both very greedy and covetous, and particularly hard on those who owed them anything. Farmer Graspall abused Farmer Meanwell and called him all sorts of dreadful names; but the rich Sir Thomas Gripe was more cruel still, and wanted the poor debtor shut up in jail.
So poor Farmer Meanwell had to hasten from the place where he had lived for so many years, in order to get out of the way of these greedy men.
He went to the next village, taking his wife and his two little children with him. But though he was free from Gripe and Graspall she was not free from trouble and care.
He soon fell ill, and when he found himself unable to get food and clothes for his family, he grew worse and worse and soon died.
Goody Two Shoes - Part 3
Little Margery had seen now good and wise Mr. Smith was, and thought it was because of his great learning; and she wanted, above all things, to learn to read. At last she made up her mind to ask Mr. Smith to teach her when he had a moment to spare. He readily agreed to do this, and Margery read to him an hour every day, and spent much time with her books.
Then she laid out a plan for teaching others more ignorant than herself. She cut out of thin pieces of wood ten sets of large and small letters of the alphabet, and carried these with her when she went from house to house. When she came to Billy Wilson’s she threw down the letters all in a heap, and Billy picked them out and sorted them in lines, thus:
and so on until all the letters were in their right places.
From there Goody Two Shoes trotted off to another cottage, and here were several children waiting for her. As soon as the little girl came in they all crowded around her, and were eager to begin their lessons at once.
Then she threw the letters down and said to the boy next her, “What did you have for dinner to-day?” “Bread,” answered the little boy. “Well, put down the first letter,” said Goody Two Shoes. Then he put down B, and the next child R, and the next E, and the next A, and the next D, and there was the whole word BREAD.
“What did you have for dinner, Polly Driggs ?”
Then she laid out a plan for teaching others more ignorant than herself. She cut out of thin pieces of wood ten sets of large and small letters of the alphabet, and carried these with her when she went from house to house. When she came to Billy Wilson’s she threw down the letters all in a heap, and Billy picked them out and sorted them in lines, thus:
A B C D E F G H I J K,
a b e d e f g h i j k,
a b e d e f g h i j k,
and so on until all the letters were in their right places.
From there Goody Two Shoes trotted off to another cottage, and here were several children waiting for her. As soon as the little girl came in they all crowded around her, and were eager to begin their lessons at once.
Then she threw the letters down and said to the boy next her, “What did you have for dinner to-day?” “Bread,” answered the little boy. “Well, put down the first letter,” said Goody Two Shoes. Then he put down B, and the next child R, and the next E, and the next A, and the next D, and there was the whole word BREAD.
“What did you have for dinner, Polly Driggs ?”
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