THE LOST ORANGE FOUND.
Whenlittle girls or boys try to do right, every body loves to help them. Mrs. Gray knew that for six years her little niece had been indulged in every wish, and that she had never been taught to restrain her ill humor. She could not, therefore, expect her to be cured at once of all her bad habits; but she wasmuch pleased to see that Nelly grew every day more amiable, more ready to give up her own wishes, and to try to make others happy. Sometimes, in playing with Frankie, she would forget, and say an unkind word; but the moment she saw the eye of her aunt fixed mournfully upon her, she would say, "I'm sorry, Frankie."
When she said this, the dear child always put up his little redlips to kiss her, and say, "I sorry, too, Nelly." Sometimes he would add, "God is sorry, too."
It was very rainy one morning, and the children were obliged to keep in doors. Frankie had for some time been amusing himself by hiding a ball, which he made Ponto find and bring to him in his teeth, while Nelly shouted and danced at every new discovery, saying "I never saw such a funny dog before."
At last they grew tired of this, and even Ponto began to think they had played this game quite long enough; so Frankie sat down on the floor, and putting one arm around the dog's neck, said, "Mamma, I want to hear a toly."
"You said some time you would tell us some more about Moses," exclaimed Nelly.
"So I will," said mamma. "I told you that his mother counted the oranges, and found there werebut twelve. 'I'm sorry,' she said to Moses, 'because I wanted one for Sarah Christie; but I suppose your father forgot to get it, and I'll send her one another time.'
"'You can give her some figs,' said Moses.
"'So I can,' replied his mother; and then she went on cutting the peel and tearing it down a little way, so that, when they were put into the large glass dish, they looked like great yellow flowers.
"'O, how pretty they are!' said Moses.
"His mother then set all the dishes on the sideboard, and covered them over with a clean table cloth. After tea, she said, 'I will set them out on the table, and then when the children have done playing, they can come here and eat them.'
"When Moses' father came home from the city, the lady said, 'I'm sorry you forgot toget thirteen oranges. There were only twelve in the basket.'
"'There were thirteen when I brought them home,' said papa; 'I am sure of it, because I counted them myself, and they were nice ones too; I had to give three cents apiece for them, though they are quite plenty now.'
"'I don't know where the other can have gone,' said mamma, looking very sober, as a painful suspicion flashed through her.
"'I hope Moses wouldn't take one without leave,' said the gentleman.
"'I asked him,' replied mamma, 'and he said he hadn't touched them.'
"'Where is he?' asked papa, 'I will ask him. I don't care at all about the orange, because I can easily get another; but somebody must have taken it, and I am afraid it was our little boy.' The gentleman thenwent to the door and called, 'Moses! Moses!'
"Presently Moses came, and his father took him in his lap, and said, 'Tell me, my dear, have you taken an orange from the basket?'
"'No, papa,' said the boy, his face growing very red. 'I told mamma I hadn't touched them.'
"The gentleman couldn't think that his darling child would tell a lie; so he put him down to thefloor, and inquired, 'Have you asked cook?'
"'No,' said mamma; 'I am quite sure she wouldn't meddle with my things.'
"'Just then, cook came in with the cloth for supper, and mamma said to Moses, 'I shall have time, I think, to dress you before tea. Run up quick to my room, and I will get a clean ruffle, and baste it in your new sack."
"While she was doing this, hepulled off his sack and pantaloons that he had worn every day, and threw them on the floor. Then his mother washed his face, and neck, and arms, and hands, very clean, and brushed his hair smoothly off his forehead, so that he looked very nicely indeed. And all the time Moses was talking about his party, and telling what a pleasant time he should have.
"'It's your birthday,' said hismother, kissing him, 'and you must remember to be a very good boy. Be kind to your dear little cousins and playmates, and let them play with any of your toys. Here, let me hang up your clothes, and we will go down to tea.'
"She took the pantaloons from the floor, and said, 'Why, Moses, what have you stuffed into your pocket? Here is your handkerchief wet through.' Shepulled out first an India rubber ball, and then—O, what do you think?—why, the lost orange, all sucked and gone except the peel.
"'O Moses!' was all the poor mother could say. She sank into a chair, and covered her face with her hands; but the tears trickled down through her fingers.
"The little boy began to cry; he wished his mother had not found him out, because it madeher feel so badly. Presently the tea bell rang; but the lady never stirred from her seat. She was mourning over her son, and thinking what she ought to do to punish him for his great sin.
"'Supper is ready,' called out papa from the stairs.
"'Don't wait for me,' answered the lady; 'I can't go down.'
"'What is the matter?' asked the gentleman, springing up the stairs and coming into the room.
"Mamma began to weep again. She could not speak, but she held up the skin of the orange, and glanced toward Moses, who was sitting in a chair by himself crying bitterly.
"'So he did take it, after all,' said papa, in a stern voice.
"'I'm sorry, papa,' sobbed the boy.
"'What a wicked boy you must be, to steal and lie, and on your birthday too,' said hisfather, 'when we were trying to make you so happy!'
"'I never will do so again,' said Moses.
"'You must be punished, so that you will remember it,' said his father.
"'Stay here,' said his mother; 'I will send cook up with some supper for you.'"
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY.
"Shesat down at the table, and poured the tea, but she could not eat. Her heart was too sorrowful. She arose, and returned to the chamber, where Moses was eating a slice of bread and butter. When he had finished it, she said, 'Wipe your hands on the towel, and take off your clothes.'
"'Are you going to whip me, mamma? I never will be so naughty again,' exclaimed the boy, beginning to cry louder than ever.
"'No,' said his mother, 'I am going to put you to bed.'
"'I can't see my party, then,' screamed Moses, catching hold of his mother's dress.
"'Nor eat any of the good things, my child. You have been a wicked boy, and brokenGod's holy commands; and I must punish you. You don't know how you've made mother's heart ache,' said the lady, trying to keep back her tears. 'I did not think you could be so naughty. When I know how displeased the dear Saviour must be, I tremble for you.'
"'I didn't mean to eat the orange, mamma; it smelled so good, I only thought I would suck it a little.'
"'If you had told me that at first, I would gladly have forgiven you,' said mamma; 'but you told wicked lies to hide your sin. You forgot that God was looking at you all the time, and knew all that was in your heart. You must pray to him to forgive you, and to make you a good boy.'
"Moses cried so that he could hardly stand. His mother took off his clothes, put on his nightgown, and helped him into bed. Then she knelt by his bed side, and prayed that the means used to punish him might help him to remember what a great sin lying is. She asked God to forgive him, and help him from that hour to be an honest, truthful boy.
"Moses slept in a small room, next to her own, and as the lady thought some of the little party might run up there, she lockedthe door, and went herself down the back way.
"Pretty soon the bell rang, and Moses stopped crying to listen. He heard happy voices of children running through the hall. Then they asked, 'Where's Moses?' But he could not hear what his mother answered.
"In a few minutes a carriage drove up, and there was another ring of the bell. This time it was his cousins, and he heardthem laughing and talking together.
"Before half an hour all the company had assembled. Some of the little girls went up to the front room, and he could hear his mother's voice as she went with them. She was talking very kindly, but he thought she did not feel happy, it was so sad.
"O, what a long evening that was! He could not go to sleep, for every few minutes there wasa merry burst of laughter from the room below; and he knew that his papa was teaching them some pretty games. Every time he heard this he began to cry again. And then he wondered whether his mother would tell them why he was not there, and what they would say.
"At last he heard them all walk out into the dining room, and papa's voice saying, 'I will take Katy because she is theyoungest.' Now he knew they were going to sit at table and eat the nice fruit.
"'O, dear!' he sobbed, 'how sorry I am!' And then, for the first time, he began to think how wicked it was to deceive his dear parents, who had been so kind to him all his life. 'I made mamma cry,' he said softly. 'I'm sorry for that, too.'
"As soon as Satan heard Moses say that, he ran away andhid; and the good Spirit came, and whispered to Moses, and presently he got out of his bed, and knelt down by his low chair, and prayed softly. But Jesus heard what he said, and looked into his heart, and saw he was really sorry he had been a wicked boy, and then God forgave him.
"Pretty soon the children all came rushing up the stairs to put on their clothes, for the carriageshad come to take them home. Moses was not crying now. He lay quiet and still; and he heard them say, 'Good by! good by! Please give my love to Moses;' and then the door was shut, and the house all still again.
"When mamma came up stairs she carried the light into her little boy's room to see if he was awake. His eyes were wide open, and as soon as he saw her, hesaid, 'You might give my orange to Sarah Christie, mamma, because I wasn't down there to eat it.'
"Then mamma put up her handkerchief quick to wipe the tears from her eyes; and she went up to the bed and kissed her boy, for she knew that he had repented of his sin.
"'I am sorry, very sorry,' he said, pulling her face down to his; 'I prayed hard to God toforgive me, and make me good. Will you forgive me, mamma?'
"'Yes, my darling. I will gladly forgive you, and I hope this may be a lesson to you as long as you live.'"
Nelly looked very sober while her aunt was telling this story. She began to see how naughty she had been, and to hope that God would forgive her too.
As soon as his mother had finished, Frankie said, "O, I'mso glad Moses became a good boy! Did he ever steal or tell lies again?"
"No, my dear, I am happy to tell you that from the hour when he so heartily repented of his great sin, and so earnestly asked God to forgive him, he became an honest and truthful boy. But I have talked a long time, and can only add one incident, which occurred nearly six months later than the birthday party.
"Moses had a cousin whose name was Eugene. He lived in a city many hundred miles distant. He was also an only child; but unlike Moses, he had been foolishly indulged in every desire of his heart, until he had become exceedingly selfish, wilful, and passionate. Eugene accompanied his parents on a visit to his aunt, and though younger than his cousin, began at once to tyrannize over him.
"One day a loud cry was heard from the play room, and presently Eugene came running to his mother, complaining that Moses had broken his little wagon, and then had struck him with his Indian bow.
"'How is this, Moses?' asked his mother; 'did you strike your cousin?'
"The little fellow fixed his large, earnest eyes full upon hers, as he exclaimed, 'O, no,indeed, mother! Eugene knows I did not touch him. We were playing together, when the wagon wheel hit the trunk and broke it. Then he got angry, and pinched me on my arm.
"'I don't mind that,' he added, as his aunt pointed to a large red spot near his elbow; 'but I'm dreadfully sorry he didn't tell the truth.'"
Transcriber's Notes:Obvious punctuation errors repaired.Page 108, word "to" added to text (next to her own)
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page 108, word "to" added to text (next to her own)