Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

17. "Yes, sir," said I; "hogs love corn, you know; they were made to eat it.”

18. "How much mischief have they done?" 19. "O, not much," said I.

66

20. Well, he went off to look, and estimated the damage to me to be equal to a bushel and a half of corn.

21. "O, no," said I; "it can't be."

22. "Yes," said the shoemaker, "and I will pay you every cent of damage."

23. "No," I replied, "you shall pay nothing. My geese have been a great deal of trouble to you." The shoemaker blushed, and went home.

24. The next winter, when he came to settle, the shoemaker determined to pay me for my corn.

25. "No," said I, "I shall take nothing."

26. After some talk, we parted; but in a day or two I met him on the road, and fell into conversation in the most friendly manner. But when I started on, he seemed loath to move, and I paused. For a moment both of us were silent.

27. At last he said, "I have something laboring on my mind."

28. "Well, what is it?

I killed three of your

29. "Those geese. geese; and I can not rest till you know how I feel. I am sorry;" and the tears came into his eyes.

30. "O, well," said I, "never mind; I suppose my geese were provoking."

31. I never took any thing of him for it; but whenever my cattle broke into his field after that, he seemed glad, because he could show how patient he could be.

61

32. " Now," said the old man, conquer yourself, and you can conquer any thing. You can conquer with kindness where you can conquer in no other way."

[blocks in formation]

JOIN ANDY, THE SELFISII BOY.

1. John Andy is good-looking, dresses neatly, and has easy, graceful manners. But he is little loved or respected, for he is neither noble, nor generous, nor kind.

2. When I first saw him, he was in company with other boys, who wanted to play at "bat and ball."

3. "I don't like to play ball," he said.

4. "Please play, John," said the other boys. 5. "No, I don't like to play ball.”

6. "Please play this once," they said, entreatingly. "There are only four of us, and

we can't play without you.

[ocr errors]

7. "No; I'll not play ball," answered John, firmly fixed in his intention to have his own way, regardless of the pleasure of others.

8. "Well, what will you play, John?”

9. "I don't know. Let me think what I like to play best," said the selfish boy, with an air of great consequence. "I'll play 'king,' or I'll play lion.""

10. "O, 'lion.' Let's play 'lion,' and we'll all take turns in being lion,'" shouted the other boys.

66

11. "I must be 'lion' first," said John, “because I thought of the play."

12. This was agreed to. A cave was built for the lion, and John, on all-fours, took possession of it, roaring and growling in a most lionlike way, as he thought.

13. The other boys, jackals for the time

being, brought their offerings, and laid them at a little distance from their king, who growled and snapped most royally on their humble approach, filling the poor jackals with such apparent terror, that they fled away and hid themselves.

14. After a time it was proposed that John should let some one else be lion, and take his turn in jackal service.

15. "No, he wouldn't; he would rather be lion, and wouldn't play unless he could be."

16. The other boys, wishing to try their power and skill in lionhood, and having some idea of fair play, demurred at this, and ceased ministering to his majesty.

17. He growled and roared in his cave, unattended and unnoticed for a short time, and then rising from his all-fours, emerged from it with a most unlionlike growl-“ I never saw such selfish, disobliging boys," said he.

[blocks in formation]

JOHN ANDY, THE SELFISHI BOY.-CONTINUED.

1. After this, the boys were forming themselves into a military company, and invited him to join them offering him the office of sergeant.

2. He demanded to be captain, declaring that he would have nothing to do with the company unless he could be at its head. His demand was refused. He was too well known to be popular.

3. Too many of the boys had played jackal to his lion, to enlist under him as head officer. But John persisted in his demand, and the company was organized and went into drill without him.

4. When he saw it on its first grand march, drums beating and banners flying, he went to the captain and offered to accept a vacant office.

5. "Our offices are all filled," returned the

« AnteriorContinuar »