“Peggy Morlinda,” she said, taking dolly from her cradle, “is you all by yourself, too? Isn't it lonesome? Come, I'll put you to sleep.”
Peggy was soon asleep, or supposed to be, though her eyes were still staring.
“Now I will go take one little peek at mamma.” said Alice, starting upstairs, but stopping next step. “No. I won't neiver,” she said bravely. “I won't 'sturb mamma one bit.”
After this the little girl found amusement for awhile at the library window. Next, she went back to the picture books, and read a long story, all made up out of her own head, to Peggy Morlinda, who woke up to listen. But what a long morning it was! She did not enjoy it much, but she made up her mind about one thing—she wouldn't “'sturb mamma.”
At last papa came home and Alice ran to him to be tossed up and down, and they had a fine frolic.
“Have you gotten along nicely with your work?” asked papa of mamma at dinner.
“Very nicely, thank you,” said mamma. “Alice helped me a great deal!”
“Alice!” exclaimed papa, looking as surprised as possible. “Can Alice sew?”
Mamma laughed. “Oh, no, indeed, not yet,” she said, “but she gave me a fine chance to do it. She amused herself all morning and did not ask me to do anything for her, so we got on beautifully with the work in the sewing room.”
“Good girl,” said papa, and Alice looked as happy as she felt. Oh, how glad she was that she had not left those scraps of paper for mamma to pick up! It is always safe to listen to the little inward voice that says, “Do right.”
“Do tell me a story,” “What can I play?” “What shall I do next?” the little folks cry to the grown-ups, and all these things take time to attend to. If the children who are too small to do any work to “help mamma,” would oftener amuse themselves, as Alice did, they would help much more than perhaps they think.—Written for Dew Drops by Mary Harris.
OUR SKATING RINK
The wind blew shrill, the sky was gray:
“Oh, dear,” sighed Molly, “how it rains!
Let's think of some new game to play,
I'm getting very tired of trains.”
“I know,” said Jack: “it will be fun!”
And seized some pa per, pen and ink;
“Look, look,” cried Susie, “what he's done:
He's written, ‘To the Skating Rink!’”
The children thought it strange of him
To pin it up upon the wall;
“We haven't any skates,” said Jim;
“It isn't any good at all.”
But Jack looked wise. “Oh, yes,” said he,
“I've thought of just the very thing;
These railway trucks do splendidly—
We'll tie them on our feet with string.”
They did, and all began to skate.
But Jack, I fear, was rather rash;
He would start off at such a rate
That down he tumbled with a crash!
He wasn't hurt. “I'm quite all right,”
He cried, and scrambled up again;
And on they skated with delight,
Forgetting all about the rain!
—Selected.
WHY BETTY CHANGED HER VIND
By Marie Deacon Hanson
Each day, on her way to school, Betty called for Robbie Porter. There were two reasons why she did this. One was that she had promised Mrs. Porter she would, the other was that the little boy's mother always gave Betty a cooky, or a piece of candy, or sometimes a penny. Betty never wanted anyone to know about this second reason, which made her feel ashamed of herself, whenever she thought of it.
“Just as if you couldn't do a kind thing for your neighbor without expecting to get something for doing it,” she would say scornfully to herself.
One afternoon, Mrs. Porter met Betty in the grocery, and said to her: “Deary, shall you mind calling for Robbie about ten minutes earlier in the morning? I want to go to the city on the eight-thirty train.” And before Betty could answer, she added. “Of course, Robbie could go by himself now that he has learned the way, but he does so enjoy going with you.”
“And I don't mind one bit calling for him,” Betty hastened to assure Mrs. Porter. “I'll come early in the morning.”
On the way home from the store. Betty saw her cousin, Julia Norton, coming eagerly to meet her.
“Betty,” Julia cried, “mother sent me to ask you to stay all night. Cousin Lottie has come, and mother says we can pop corn and have a good time. And you must be sure to bring your books so you can go right to school in the morning from our house.”
“That will be lovely,” Betty exclaimed delightedly. There were few treats she enjoyed more than going to her aunt's home.
Julia ran off to speak to another girl, and Betty following, suddenly remembered Robbie. Mow could she call for him if she were at her aunt's?
The latter lived on the other side of the village, and it would be far out of Betty's way to call for Robbie.
“I just won't bother about him,” she decided.
But even as she did so, she remembered that she had not only promised to call for Robbie in the morning, but to call for him earlier than usual and his mother would depend upon her.