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 Moral stories for little folks. 
 
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 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924031292174 
 
MORAL STORIES 
 
 -FOR — 
 
 LITTLK FOLKS. 
 
 FOR SUNDAY SCHOOLS, PRIMARY ASSO- 
 CIATIONS AND HOME TEACHING. 
 
 PRINTED AT- 
 
 THE JUVENILE INSTRUCTOR OFFICE, 
 
 Sam? Lake City, Utah. 
 
 1891. 
 

TO TEACHERS. 
 
 THE object of this little work is to furnish 
 teachers and those having the care of small 
 children with suitable stories to relate or read 
 to their pupils. 
 
 As is well known, children are always delighted 
 in listening to a simple story. Nothing has a bet- 
 ter tendency to secure their attention than the 
 relating of some narrative that they can compre- 
 hend. This being the case, they can be taught 
 valuable lessons by means of stories which illus- 
 trate principles far more effectively than in any 
 other way. 
 
 The teacher of young children in a Sunday 
 School or Primary Association should make it a 
 point to have some nice moral story prepared for 
 each meeting of the class. This will help greatly 
 to keep up the interest among the little folks, and 
 at the same time they can be benefitted. 
 
 The following carefully selected stories are 
 hereby submitted for the teacher's use. If the 
 
IV TO TEACHERS. 
 
 lesson intended to be conveyed is not as clearly 
 shown in some of the stories as is necessary for 
 the children to comprehend them, the teacher can 
 make a plainer application as he or she may desire. 
 It is not intended that the teacher's originality or 
 ingenuity should be dispensed with in using these 
 stories. It is recommended that the teacher relate 
 these narratives in the course of his or her remarks 
 to the class, by way of illustrations of principles 
 that are being taught. 
 
 If this is not done the stories might be read from 
 the book; and to see that the children fully under- 
 stand them and the lessons they are intended to 
 teach, call on members of the class to relate the 
 stories in their own language, and question the 
 class about the lesson to be learned. 
 
 The Publishers. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Be True to Your Word 9 
 
 A Faithful Shepherd Boy n 
 
 Crossing the Bridge 13 
 
 The Crows and the Wind-Mill 15 
 
 The Donkey's Lesson 18 
 
 A Pleasant Word 20 
 
 A Good Wish Gratified - 22 
 
 The Monkey and the Cats 24 
 
 Washington" and I 25 
 
 A Little Hero 26 
 
 Breaking the Sabbath 28 
 
 The Deceitful Plums 30 
 
 The Use of a Gentle Answer 31 
 
 Tell the Truth 
 
 A Lesson From Nature 
 
 33 
 
 A Little Boy's Faith 35 
 
 Acting a Lie 37 
 
 A Bargain is a Bargain 38 
 
 In Search of a Boy 41 
 
 The Young Galley-Slave 42 
 
 A Kiss for a Blow 45 
 
 Charlie Porter 46 
 
 47 
 
 Doing Well 49 
 
 The Boy and the Duke g i 
 
 JJgnor to Parents 54 
 
VI CONTENTS,. 
 
 The Humming Bird and the Butterfly 56 
 
 A Street Incident 57 
 
 The Pig and the Hen 59 
 
 The Power of Kindness 61 
 
 Ingratitude - 63 
 
 Ashamed to Tell Mother 65 
 
 George's Error 66 
 
 A Lesson in Honesty 68 
 
 The Apple in the Bottle 69 
 
 Having Some Fun yo 
 
 Who was the Gentleman 72 
 
 Only a Grain of Sand 76 
 
 Good for Evil - 77 
 
 The Sunday Stone 78 
 
 A Losing Game 75 
 
 One Brick upon Another 80 
 
 "Only Mother" 81 
 
 How Tom Got into Trouble 83 
 
 Speak Kindly 85 
 
 The Invalid and the Violinist 86 
 
 Be Pleasant 88 
 
 Tom's Lesson po 
 
 The Lion and Mouse 92 
 
 A Trusty Boy 93 
 
 Returning Evil for Evil g^ 
 
 The Peacock and the Oyster g6 
 
 Keeping Faith - - gg 
 
 Myrtle Ainsworth - 100 
 
Bread and Milk 
 
 CONTENTS. Vll 
 
 Doing Things Well 102 
 
 In Search of a Boy 103 
 
 A Good Investment 104 
 
 Help Your Mother 106 
 
 The Fox and the Fleas 108 
 
 Better Whistle than Whine no 
 
 The Boy Who- Kept out Wellington 112 
 
 An Afternoon Lesson 113 
 
 How Quarrels Begin 117 
 
 Dash - 119 
 
 The Butterfly and the Grasshopper 121 
 
 True' and Faithful 122 
 
 Danger of Bad Company 124 
 
 Lee and His Mother 125 
 
 A Spotted Tongue 126 
 
 The Lord will Provide 128 
 
 The Old Slate 130 
 
 The Faith of Children 134 
 
 Choosing Companions 135 
 
 Which Got the Place 138 
 
 How She Attracted Notice 140 
 
 The Boy Hero 143 
 
 Ten Minutes to Live 1 44 
 
 The Golden Rule 147 
 
 Speak Gently to Each Other 151 
 
 153 
 
 Gambling 155 
 
 Love is the Best Force 157 
 
 The King's Mistake 159 
 
MORAL STORIES. 
 
 BE TRUE TO YOUR WORD. 
 
 ONE of the most valuable traits in one's char- 
 acter is that of fulfilling promises. A person 
 wiio is true to his word can be relied upon, and is 
 always able to gain respect and confidence. 
 
 Young folks should seek to acquire the habit ot 
 being prompt in fulfilling promises, and people 
 will learn to rely upon their words. Many little 
 troubles and annoyances that we have to put 
 up with from time to time might easily be avoided 
 if folks would all learn to keep their promises. 
 
 A little incident will show how easy it is fqr one 
 to greatly vex and annoy another by disappoint- 
 ing him. 
 
 Two little girls who had always been very friendly 
 towards each other were one day intending to take 
 an excursion trip on the railroad. It was with the 
 school with which they belonged that they were 
 going to take this pleasure trip. 
 
lO MORAL STORIES. 
 
 The evening before starting, one of the little 
 girls borrowed from the other a hat which she had 
 trimmed just for this particular occasion. Desiring 
 to have her hat trimmed and fixed just like it, she 
 got permission to take the hat home for a pattern, 
 that her older sister might trim hers in the same 
 style. It was a kind act on the part of the girl 
 who owned the hat to lend it to the other one, and 
 the one who borrowed it prpmised faithfully to re- 
 turn it early the next morning. But she was not 
 true to her promise. 
 
 In the morning, after getting ready, she hastened 
 off to catch the train, forgetting all about the bor- 
 rowed hat. 
 
 In the meantime the owner of it was waiting 
 anxiously for it, not thinking of beiag disap- 
 pointed. At last she started off to get the hat 
 herself, but it was now nearly time for the train to 
 be going. 
 
 The two girls lived some distance apart, and it 
 took several minutes to go on this errand. After 
 getting to her friend's home she was delayed a 
 few moments, and just as she was going out of the 
 gate the whistle sounded as a signal for the train 
 to start. 
 
 The poor little lady was left behind ! Realizing 
 the enjoyment she would miss by being left, she 
 knew not what to do but to break out in tears. 
 
MORAL STORIES. I I 
 
 And all this trouble was brought upon her by 
 the carelessness of her companion, who proved to 
 be untrue to her word. 
 
 A FAITHFUL SHEPHERD BOY. 
 
 GEBHARDT was a German shepherd boy; a 
 noble fellow he was, too, although he was 
 very, very poor. 
 
 One day as he was watching his flock, which was 
 feeding in a valley on the borders of a forest, a 
 hunter came out ot the woods and asked : 
 
 " How far is it to the nearest village?" 
 
 " Six miles, sir," replied the boy;" but the road 
 is only a sheep track, and very easily missed." 
 
 The hunter glanced at the crooked track and 
 said : 
 
 " My lad, I am hungry, tired and thirsty. I have 
 lost my companions and missed my way. Leave 
 your sheep and show me the road. I will pay you 
 well." 
 
 " I cannot leave my sheep, sir," rejoined Ger- 
 hardt. "They would stray into the forest and be 
 eaten by wolves, or stolen by robbers." 
 
 "Well, what of that?" queried the hunter. 
 "They are not your sheep. The loss of one 
 
12 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 or more wouldn't be much to' your master, and 
 I'll give you more money than you have earned in 
 a whole year." 
 
 "I cannot go, sir," rejoined Gerhardt, very 
 firmly. " My master pays me for my time, and 
 he trusts me with his sheep. If I were to sell my 
 time, which does not belong to me, and the sheep 
 should get lost, it would be the same as if I stole 
 them." 
 
 " Well," said the hunter, " you will trust your 
 sheep with me while you go to the village and get 
 some food and drink, and a guide ? I will take 
 care of them for you." 
 
 The boy shook his head. " The sheep," said 
 he, "do not know your voice, and — " Gerhardt 
 stopped speaking. 
 
 "And what? Can't you trust me? Do I 
 look like a dishonest man ?" asked the hunter, 
 angrily. 
 
 "Sir," said the boy, "you tried to make me 
 false to my trust, and wanted me to break my word 
 to my master. How do I know you would keep 
 your word to me ?" 
 
 The hunter laughed, for he felt that the boy had 
 fairly cornered him. He said : " I see my lad, 
 that you are a good, faithful boy. I will not for- 
 get you. Show me the road and I will try to make 
 it out myself" 
 
MORAL STORIES. I 3 
 
 Gerhardt now offered the humble contents of 
 his scrip to the hungry man, who, coarse as it was, 
 ate it gladly. Presently his attendants came up, 
 and then Gerhardt, to his surprise, found that the 
 hunter was the grand duke, who owned all the 
 country around. The duke was so pleased with 
 the boy's honesty that he sent for him shortly after 
 and had him educated. In after years Gerhardt 
 became a very rich and powerful man, but he re- 
 mained honest and true to his dying day. 
 
 Honesty, truth and fidelity are precious jewels 
 in the character of a child. When they spring from 
 piety they are pure diamonds, and make the pos- 
 sessor very beautiful, very happy, very honorable 
 and very useful. May you, my readers, wear them 
 as Gerhardt did. 
 
 CROSSING THE BRIDGE. 
 
 SOME people worry over trouble that they ex- 
 pect to have long before it comes. Some- 
 times, and quite often, the trouble they expect 
 never comes, so all their worry gives them need- 
 less pain. This is called borrowing trouble, and 
 is nicely illustrated in the following story: 
 
 There was once a man and a woman who planned 
 
14 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 to go and spend the day at a friend's house which 
 was some distance from their own. So one pleas- 
 ant morning they started out . to make the visit, 
 but they had not gone very far before the woman 
 remembered a bridge she had to cross, which was 
 very old and was said to be unsafe, and she im- 
 mediately began to worry about it. 
 
 " What shall we do about that bridge ?" she 
 said to her husband. " I shall never dare to go 
 over it, and we can't get across the river in any 
 other way." 
 
 " Oh," said the man, '' I forgot that bridge ; it 
 is a bad place ; suppose it should break through 
 and we should fall into the water and be drowned !" 
 
 " Or even," said his wife, "suppose you should 
 step on a rotten plank and break your leg, what 
 would become of me and the baby?" 
 
 "I don't know," said the man, "what would be- 
 come of any of us, for I couldn't work, and we 
 should all starve to death." 
 
 So they went on, worrying until they got to the 
 bridge, and, lo and behold ! they saw that since 
 they had been there last a new bridge had been 
 built, and they crossed over it in perfect safety, 
 and found they might have spared themselves all 
 their anxiety. 
 
MORAL STORIES. I 5 
 
 THE CROWS AND THE WIND-MILL. 
 
 A FABLE. 
 
 IT SEEMS there was once a wind-mill — history 
 does not tell us exactly where, and 1 suppose 
 it is not much matter where it was — which went 
 round and round, day after day. It did no harm 
 to anybody. It never knocked anybody down, 
 unless he got under it, within reach of its great 
 arms. What if it did use the air ! It did not hurt 
 the air any, for the air was just as good for breath- 
 ing after it turned the mill, as it was before. 
 
 But there was a flock of crows in the neighbor- 
 hood, that took quite a dislike to the innocent 
 mill. They said there must be some mischief 
 about it. They did not at all like its actions. The 
 swinging of those long arms, for a whole day at a 
 time, really looked suspicious. And, besides that, 
 it was rumored in the crow village that a good- 
 natured crow once went to look at the wind-mill, 
 and that the great thing hit him a knock with one 
 of its arms and killed him on the spot. 
 
 Some half a dozen of the flock of crows that felt 
 so much alarmed were talking together at one 
 time, when the conversation turned, as was gener- 
 
1 6 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 ally the case, upon the giant mill. After talking a 
 while, it was thought best to call a council of all 
 the crows in the country, to see if some means 
 could not be hit upon by which the dangerous thing 
 could be got rid of. 
 
 The meeting was called, and the council met in 
 a corn-field. Such a cawing and chattering was 
 never before heard in that neighborhood. They 
 appointed a chairman — perhaps we ought to say 
 a chair-crow — and other officers, and proceeded to 
 business. 
 
 As is usual in public meetings of this nature, 
 there were many different opinions as to the ques- 
 tion, "What is best to be done with the wind-mill ?" 
 Most of the crows thought the wind-mill a danger- 
 ous thing — a very dangerous thing indeed ; but 
 then, as to the best mode of getting rid of it, that 
 was not so easy a matter to decide. 
 
 There were some crows at the meeting who were 
 for going at once right over to the wind-mill — all 
 the crows in a body — and destroying the thing on 
 the spot. In justice to the crow family in general, 
 however, it ought to be stated that those who 
 talked about this warlike measure were rather 
 young. Their feathers were not yet quite fully 
 grown, and they had not seen so much of the world 
 as their fathers had. 
 
 After there had been much loud talking, all over 
 
MORAL STORIES. I 7 
 
 and around the great elm-tree where the council 
 was .held, one old crow said he had a few questions 
 to ask. He had a plan to recommend, too — per- 
 haps — and perhaps not It would depend upon 
 the answers to his questions, whether he gave any 
 advice or not. 
 
 He would beg leave to inquire, he said, through 
 the chairman, if the wind-mill had ever been known 
 to go away from the place where it was then stand- 
 ing, and to chase crows around the field for the 
 purpose of killing them. 
 
 It was decided that such conduct on the part of 
 the giant had never been heard of Even the oldest 
 inhabitant, whg had heard from his grandfather, 
 the story about the unhappy fate of the crow that 
 perished by a blow from the giant's arms, did not 
 remember to have heard that the windmill had 
 ever made such warlike visits. 
 
 "How then," thie speaker wished to know, "was 
 the crow killed in old times ?" 
 
 The answer was, " By venturing too near the 
 mill." 
 
 " And is that the only way that any of us are 
 likely to get killed by the wind-mill ?" 
 
 " Yes," the scare-crow said, " that is the way, I 
 believe." 
 
 And the crows generally nodded their heads, as 
 much as to say, " Certainly, of course." 
 
1 8 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "Well, then," said the old crow who asked the 
 questions, " let us keep away from the mill. That 
 is all I have to say." 
 
 At this the whole council set up a noisy laugh 
 of approbation. The meeting broke up. The 
 general opinion was, that the advice of the last 
 speaker was, on the whole, the safest and best that 
 could be given. 
 
 There are some things very harmless in them- 
 selves, and very useful, too, in their proper places, 
 that will be very apt to injure us if we go too near 
 them. In such cases remember the advice of the 
 wise crow and keep away from, the mill. 
 
 THE DONKEY'S LESSON. 
 
 A BOY named Peter 
 
 Found once in the road. 
 
 All harnaless and helpless, 
 A poor little toad ; 
 
 And ran to his playmate, 
 
 And all out of breath 
 Cried, " John, come and help. 
 
 And we'll stone him to death ! 
 
 And picking up stones, 
 The two went on the run. 
 
 Saying one to the other, 
 "Oh, won't we have fun ? " 
 
MORAL STORIES. 1 9 
 
 Thus primed and all ready, 
 
 They'd got nearly back, 
 When a donkey came. 
 
 Dragging a cart on the track. 
 
 Now the cart was as much 
 
 As the donkey could draw, 
 And he came with his head 
 
 Hanging down ; so he saw, 
 
 All harmless and helpless. 
 
 The poor little toad 
 A-taking his morning nap 
 
 Right in the road. 
 
 He shivered at first, 
 
 Then he drew back his leg, 
 And set up his ears, 
 
 Never moving a peg. 
 
 Then he gave the poor toad 
 
 With his warm nose a dump, 
 And he woke and got off 
 
 With a hop and a jump. 
 
 And then with an eye 
 
 Turned on Peter and John, 
 And hanging his homely head 
 Down, he went on. 
 
 "We can't kill him now, John;" 
 
 Says Peter, " that's flat, 
 In the face of an eye and 
 
 An action like that." 
 
20 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 " For my part, I havn't 
 The heart to," says John ; 
 
 " But the load is too heavy 
 That donkey has on ; 
 
 "Let's help him; " so both lads 
 Set oflf with a will, 
 
 And came up with the cart 
 At the foot of the hill. 
 
 And when each a shoulder 
 
 Had put to the wheel. 
 They helped the poor donkey 
 A wonderful deal. 
 
 The summit once gained, 
 Back they went on the run, 
 
 Agreeing they never 
 Had had finer fun. 
 
 A PLEASANT WORD. 
 
 A DISPOSITION to act kindly towards all 
 should be cultivated by every boy and girl. A 
 kindly nature is always admired. How much more 
 happiness there would be in the world if every 
 person was possessed of a kind, pleasant spirit ! 
 
 Perhaps many of our little friends have heard or 
 read of instances wherein the power of a kind 
 word or act has been shown. The following inci- 
 
MORAL STORIES. 2 1 
 
 dent, which is quite true, will illustrate the effect 
 of a pleasant word : 
 
 One new-year's evening, a few years since, there 
 was a Sunday school party held in one of our 
 towns here in Utah. Among the young people who 
 were present upon this occasion was a young man 
 who was a stranger in the place, although he had 
 been living in the town for several months. 
 
 This young man had been working in the mines 
 and hauling freight the greater part of the time 
 he had been in the territory. He was accustomed 
 to rough labor and companions, and to be spoken 
 to in a gruff and unpleasant manner. 
 
 On entering the school room in which the party 
 was to be held, the young man saw a pleasant- faced 
 gentleman seated at a table; it was the superin- 
 tendent of the Sabbath school, and he was engaged 
 in giving out the numbers and receiving the admis- 
 sion fee. 
 
 The young stranger walked up to the table to 
 pay over his seventy-five cents and receive a check 
 with his number on. The superintendent ad- 
 dressed him courteously, made a few pleasant 
 remarks while taking his name, and thanked him 
 kindly as he was leaving the table. 
 
 The young man was deeply impressed by this 
 short interview, and, looking about the room, he 
 discovered one person with whom he was some- 
 
22 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 what acquainted. He approached the individual 
 and inquired of him the name of the gentleman 
 who sat at the table. On being told who it was 
 he exclaimed, almost with tears in his eyes : 
 
 "Well; sir, I never heard a man speak so pleas- 
 antly to me before in my life that I remember of. 
 I don't expect to dance much this evening, as I 
 am unacquainted here, but I don't mind that, I've 
 got the worth of my money just by hearing that 
 man speak to me." 
 
 The following Sunday the young man attended 
 the Sabbath school. He was so affected by the 
 superintendent's kindness that he liked to be in 
 his presence. From that time on he continued to 
 attend the Sabbath school as long as he remained 
 in the place, and he no doubt still remembers 
 the pleasant words of the kind-hearted superin- 
 tendent. 
 
 A GOOD WISH GRATIFIED. 
 
 FIVE little girls were spending a pleasant 
 evening together and fell to discussing 
 what they would most like to have. 
 
 "I wish I lived in a beautiful palace with noth- 
 ing to do but act as I pleased," said little Susie 
 Blake. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 23 
 
 "Oh! I wish that I were very, very pretty so 
 that people would look at me and say, 'She's the 
 prettiest girl I ever saw !' " exclaimed Ella Dud- 
 ley. 
 
 "And I do wish more than anything else that I 
 had lots and lots of money," said Dora Kyle. 
 
 "I would like to be very smart and write 
 beautiful story books," said Maggie Wilkins. 
 
 "Your turn now, Katie, what do you wish for?" 
 asked Maggie, seeing that Katie hesitated. 
 
 "I wish to be good — so good," she said slowly, 
 "that all my friends will love me very dearly and 
 miss me when I am absent from them," timidly 
 said little Katie Oatis. 
 
 "Why, Katie!" exclaimed four loving voices, 
 "you have your wish already; for only this morn- 
 ing we all agreed that the day would not be half 
 so pleasant if you did not come," said Maggie, 
 drawing Katie's hand in her own. 
 
 "And we each wished we were like you, be- 
 cause everybody loves you so," said Susie. 
 
 Katie actually cried for joy to think her wish 
 had so soon been granted. 
 
 "Oh! girls, let's make a good wish next time 
 and maybe it will be gratified," said Dora; to 
 which they all agreed. 
 
 Now it is in the power of every child to be 
 good — so good that it will be missed and wished 
 
24 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 for when absent. Don't you think it much wiser 
 to desire what is possible than to make life dis- 
 agreeable by wishing for what is impossible ? 
 
 THE MONKEY AND THE CATS. 
 
 TWO hungry cats, having stolen some cheese, 
 could not agree between themselves how to 
 divide it. Therefore they went to law, and a cun- 
 ning monkey was to be judge and decide their 
 case. 
 
 The monkey put the two pieces of cheese, 
 which the cats had brought him, into some scales, 
 to see if they were of equal weight. "Let me 
 see," said the judge, with a sly look. "This slice 
 weighs more than the other;" and with that he 
 bit off a large piece. 
 
 "Why do you bite our cheese?" said the cats. 
 
 "Because," said the monkey, '-'I must see that 
 neither of you has more than the other." 
 
 The other scale had now become too heavy ; 
 so the honest judge helped himself to a second 
 mouthful. 
 
 " Hold ! hold ! " cried the two cats. "Give 
 each of us her share of what is left, and we will 
 be content." 
 
 " If you are content," said the monkey, "justice 
 
MORAL STORIES. 25 
 
 is not ; the law, my friends, must have its course." 
 Upon this he nibbled first one piece and then 
 the other, till the poor cats, seeing their cheese in 
 a fair way to be eaten up, most humbly begged 
 him not to put himself to any further trouble, but 
 to give them what still remained. 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! ha ! not so fast, I beseech you good 
 ladies," said the monkey ; " I owe justice to my- 
 self as well as to you, and what remains is due to 
 me as the lawyer." Upon this he crammed the 
 whole into his mouth at once, and very gravely 
 broke up the court. 
 
 This fable teaches us that it is better to put up 
 with a trifling loss than to run the risk of losing 
 all we have by going to law. 
 
 WASHINGTON AND I. 
 
 A LITTLE Street-Arab was Johnny McGee, 
 Ragged, and friendless, and homeless was he. 
 But Johnny, though ragged, was clever and bright, 
 And he knew the difference between wrong and right. 
 
 Now it happened one morning that Johnny felt gay. 
 And ready for all kinds of mischief and play ; 
 His little strong arm went to tossing up stones, 
 Regardless of danger to heads and to bones. 
 
2 6 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 But alas for poor Johnny, for what do you think ! 
 It happened that one stone, as quick as a wink. 
 
 Went whack 'gainst the window of Squire B 's house, 
 
 And poor frightened Johnny wished he were a mouse, 
 To be able to hide in the first hole he found, 
 And keep himself hidden 'way under the ground. 
 For the beautiful window was cracked right in two, 
 And John, if discovered, wouldsuffer, he knew. 
 
 But hark ! he hears music away down the street ! 
 He knows there are soldiers, he hears the drums beat ! 
 And Johnny remembers whose birthday it is. 
 And a sudden resolve lights his pale little phiz. 
 "They say Mr. Washington ne'er told a lie 
 •When he was a little chap, neither will I ! 
 And maybe some day, when I'm grown up and dead, 
 Folks will build a big monument over my head!" - 
 
 Only just a few moments of mute hesitation, 
 Then, feeling as grand as the "Head of the Nation," 
 In walked little Johnny straight up to the squire. 
 And while he was speaking his courage rose higher. 
 And presently, when he was back in the street. 
 Speeding after the soldiers with fast, eager feet, 
 "Hurrah!" he cried gaily, "for Washington— and I, 
 For we are the chaps as would not tell a lie !" 
 
 A LITTLE HERO. 
 
 I WANT all my little friends, and especially the 
 boys, to pay attention to me. 
 You have often heard of heroes, and you doubt- 
 less know the meaning of the word hero. I am 
 
MORAL STORIES. 1'] 
 
 going to tell of a dear little friend of mine, who 
 showed himself to be one indeed. 
 
 While traveling with his mother and others into 
 the mountains to spend the summer, he was often 
 obliged to get out and walk up the steep' hills. 
 
 You must know they were traveling in a wagon, 
 which was very hard to pull over our mountain 
 roads. Upon coming to one of the hills we all got 
 out to walk (for I was there, my dears), and the 
 boys were to put rocks under the wheels to block 
 them. 
 
 My little friend, obeying the call to "give a 
 lift," jumped upon the wheel-spokes, instead of 
 lifting, and was immediately thrown down, the 
 wheel passing over his ankle. 
 
 One tiny outcry and all was still. 
 
 The men instantly ran around and cried out, 
 "What's the matter?" 
 
 My hero quietly replied, "I've been run over." 
 
 You may be sure he was tenderly picked up and 
 placed in the arms of his mother ; and when she 
 anxiously asked him how he felt, his pale lips made 
 no complaint, but sought to comfort his mother 
 with manly assurances of soon being "all right." 
 
 These are the kind of boys of whom God makes 
 noble, highly useful men. Of such brave, deter- 
 mined spirits were the ancient Spartans com- 
 posed. 
 
28 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Will you not strive to emulate this bright exam- 
 ple ? I hope so, my dear little friends. 
 
 BREAKING THE SABBATH. 
 
 THE Lord has commanded us to remember 
 the Sabbath day and keep it holy. He in- 
 tends that we should do no unnecessary work on 
 that day. It is also expected that children will lay 
 aside their playthings and go to Sunday school and 
 meeting. Sometimes children think they can 
 enjoy themselves by going off to play on a Sun- 
 day instead of going to meeting as they should. 
 But if they have been taught that it is wrong to 
 spend this holy day in play, they will find that 
 there is no pleasure in so doing. Their con- 
 sciences will continually remind them that they are 
 doing wrong, and they will feel unhappy. 
 
 Let me tell you of a little fellow who learned 
 by sad experience that there was no pleasure for 
 him in breaking the Sabbath: 
 
 One Sunday afternoon he decided to go fishing 
 with some other boys instead of attending meet- 
 ing, as his parents expected him to. Of course the 
 thoughts of disobeying his parents and breaking 
 the Lord's day made him very unhappy. But he 
 went in spite of these unpleasant feelings. He 
 
MORAL STORIES. 29 
 
 thought it would be cowardly of him to not go after 
 promising the boys he would. 
 
 At the place where he and the other boys stopped 
 to throw in their lines was a fence running a short 
 distance into the stream. The boy thought it would 
 be a good idea to sit on the part of the fence that 
 overhung the stream and there cast in his line. So 
 he climbed along to the desired point on the fence 
 and there settled himself 
 
 The posts that were in the water happened to 
 be rather loose in the ground, and it required con- 
 siderable care to keep the fence steady. Before 
 many minutes had passed another lad made an 
 attempt to climb out towards the end of the fence. 
 He did not know it was so unsteady, and almost 
 the first step he took upsiet the boy who had seated 
 himself on the top of the post that stood farthest 
 into the stream. With a great splash he went to 
 the bottom, head first. The water was not very 
 deep, and he soon managed to get out. 
 
 When he got to the shore his companions only 
 laughed at the mishap, thinking it a good joke. 
 He did not consider it any joke, however. He had 
 felt miserable since leaving home, and this greatly 
 added to his discomfort. He had disobeyed his 
 parents, broken the Sabbath, and now he was un- 
 able to keep from his parents the knowledge of his 
 disobedience, for he had to go home to get a change 
 
30 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 of clothing. It would be difficult to tell his feel- 
 ings at this time. You may be sure that he did 
 not soon forget this severe lesson. 
 
 When he reflected upon the matter, he recol- 
 lected several other instances of his disobedience. 
 He also observed that the result in every case was 
 similar — it always caused him considerable mental 
 suffering. He concluded that in the future he 
 would be more careful to obey his parents and 
 avoid breaking the Sabbath. 
 
 THE DECEITFUL PLUMS. 
 
 TWO travelers were once exploring the east- 
 ern shore of the Dead Sea, when they saw 
 before them a fine plum tree, loaded with bloom- 
 ing fruit. 
 
 " Let us see who reaches the tree first," said 
 one traveler to the other. Pressing forward eag- 
 erly, animated by the hope of the delicious, cool- 
 ing fruit, they reached it at the same time, and 
 snatching each a fine ripe plum, proceeded at once 
 to eat them. But instead of the cooling juices, 
 they found their mouths filled with bitter, biting 
 dust. Oh, such a coughing and clearing of mouth 
 and throat as followed ! But, withal, it was long 
 
MORAL STORIES. 3 I 
 
 before the nauseous taste was removed. Then 
 they found that they had come upon the famous 
 Dead Sea apple, whose existence has been often 
 doubted ; but no doubt would exist henceforth in 
 their minds of its reality. 
 
 Just like this Dead Sea fruit is the pleasure 
 which Satan offers the wrong-doer. It appears 
 very beautiful in the distance, and is easy to win. 
 Men struggle and hasten to sieze it, but, when it 
 is reached, it turns to ashes and bitterness. 
 
 Did you ever have a happy day when playing 
 truant from school? Did you ever enjoy any 
 pleasure when you knew you were disobeying 
 your parents? Did you ever commit sin of any 
 kind without having more pain and uneasiness 
 than satisfaction ? Pleasures you expect from sin, 
 may be fair outside, like the deceitful plums ; but, 
 like them, the taste gives no real gratification, and 
 if sin be persisted in, misery and severe. punish- 
 ment are sure to follow. 
 
 THE USE OF A GENTLE ANSWER. 
 
 OFTEN a civil answer may save you from 
 rudeness and insult. Even rough men 
 are softened by a few sweet, gentle words of a 
 
32 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 child, just as I have read that a little boy was soft- 
 ened by the notes of a bird. 
 
 The little boy was playing in the garden, when 
 a little bird perched on the bough of an apple 
 tree close at hand. 
 
 The boy looked at it for a moment, and. then, 
 obeying the promptings of his baser part, he pick- 
 ed up a stone that lay at his feet and was prepar- 
 ing to throw it, steadying himself carefully to take 
 a good aim. The little arm was reached back- 
 ward without frightening the bird, and it was with- 
 in an ace of destruction, when lo ! its tiny throat 
 swelled and it shook out a flood of sweet notes. 
 
 Slowly the boy's arm dropped to his side, and 
 the stone fell to the ground again, and when the 
 little warbler had finished his merry piping it flew 
 away unharmed. 
 
 A gentleman who had been watching the lad 
 then came to him and asked him : 
 
 "Why didn't you stone the bird, my boy? You 
 might have killed him and carried him home." 
 
 The little fellow looked up with a face of halt 
 shame and half sorrow as he answered, 
 
 "1 couldn't 'cos he sung so." 
 
 The civil words may sometimes save you from 
 damage, just as its sweet song saved the bird. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 
 
 TELL THE TRUTH. 
 
 IT IS always best to tell the truth. It is much 
 easier to speak truthfully than to say that 
 which is untrue. It needs no study or labor to 
 become honest and truthful. The only way to get 
 ■ respect, and to be trusted, and to live in peace 
 and happiness is by living an honest, upright life. 
 There is nothing gained by telling lies, or by tak- 
 ing a dishonest course in life. Some day our bad 
 actions will become known to others, and they 
 will despise us, and we will be brought to shame 
 and disgrace. 
 
 The following incident will show the folly of 
 telling lies: 
 
 A little boy who had been sent to school by his 
 parents, one day took it into his head to contrive 
 some way to avoid going to the .school room as 
 usual. The only plan he could think of was to 
 tell his parents a lie. The day he did not wish to 
 go to school he pretended that he was not well 
 enough. He spoke in such a whining way that 
 , his mother thought there was really something the 
 matter with him, and she allowed him to stay at 
 home for the day. 
 
34 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 It was in the springtime of the year, just the 
 day before closing the school for the summer. The 
 reason he did not want to go that day was because 
 he had been rather careless, and neglected to learn 
 his lessons well ; and he did not want to get up 
 and make mistakes, to be laughed at, on this the 
 examination day. He thought the examination 
 would continue for another day and was anxious 
 to stay at home again, but his parents concluded 
 that he was able to go. 
 
 He objected to leaving home on the second 
 morning, and it was only after much persuasion 
 that he would start. 
 
 When he reached the school-house, which was 
 nearly an hour after the time for commencing 
 school, he was surprised to find it vacant. 
 
 He learned from the janitor who lived near by 
 that on the previous day arrangements had been 
 made to spend that day in pic-nicing in a beauti- 
 ful grove, which was several miles from the school- 
 house. He knew nothing of this until then ; as 
 he had not attended the school the day before. 
 
 It was now too late. The distance to the grove 
 was too far for him to walk, and he missed this 
 rare treat. It however taught him a useful lesson 
 which he did not soon forget. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 35 
 
 A LITTLE BOY'S FAITH. 
 
 NOT two hundred miles from Salt Lake City, 
 resides a little boy about twelve years of 
 age whose name is Ernest. 
 
 I would not like to say that he is such a very 
 exceptionally good boy, who never did any wrong, 
 such as we read about in the little Sabbath school 
 story books, who always die young, as Mark 
 Twain says, and yet this little boy is not a bad boy, 
 and I think he is a pretty good boy, for I heard 
 him say that he wanted to gain an education and 
 grow up a useful man. 
 
 He attends his school regularly, and I believe 
 he applies himself tolerably well to his studies. 
 
 Not many weeks since, Ernest was wrestling 
 with another boy and accidentally had his hip dislo- 
 cated. 
 
 His mother, who was away from home, was sent 
 for, aS' well as some of the brethren, who came and 
 replaced the bones in their natural positions. After 
 all was arranged properly and the little boy was 
 quite comfortable,' which was accomplished with 
 but little pain or suffering, Ernest whispered to his 
 mother and told her that he knew the reason that 
 he got along so well, and with so little pain and 
 
36 * MORAL STORIES. 
 
 suffering : it was because he had, while waiting for 
 her to come after the news of the accident had 
 been sent to her, said his prayers and asked the 
 Lord to bless him and cause that he might not suf- 
 fer from the effects of the accident. The hip did 
 not swell at all, and in two or three days he was 
 attending school as usual. 
 
 Now, 'this would appear very remarkable to me 
 if I did not know that there is a power in faith, and 
 whether exercised by the Elders who bear the 
 Priesthood or by a child, it is all the same, God is 
 just as willing to hear and answer the prayer of a 
 httle boy or girl as any one else. And the young 
 folks among the Latter-day Saints should early 
 cultivate the habit of praying regularly. 
 
 How do you suppose this little boy came. to 
 think of praying ? Why, I will tell you : his 
 mother taught him almost in his infancy that he 
 should pray before retiring to bed at night, and his 
 father attends to family prayer night and morning, 
 asking God's blessing and protecting care upon 
 and around the family from day to day, that no 
 harm or accident may befall them. 
 
 I trust that all the little boys and girls and young 
 men and young women who read this will remem- 
 ber the incident, and if they have not heretofore 
 made it a practice to pray night and morning, that 
 they will commence to do so without delay. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 37 
 
 ACTING A LIE. 
 
 \ LFRED, how could you tell mother that 
 
 iV wrong story?" said Lucy to her brother. 
 "You know you did eat one of the apples that 
 were in the fruit dish; yet you told mother you did 
 noi." 
 
 "Now, Lucy, I did not tell any falsehood about 
 it at all. You know mother asked me if I iook 
 one of the apples from the dish, and I said 'No.' 
 And that was true ; for the apple rolled off from 
 the top of the dish when I hit the table, and I 
 picked it up from the floor. Mother did not ask 
 me if I aie one, but if I took one from the dish." 
 
 "But you know, Alfred, what mother meant; 
 and you know you deceived her ; and you meant to 
 deceive her. And that is acting a falsehood, which 
 is just as bad as telling a falsehood. If mother 
 had asked you if you had eaten the apple, and you 
 had shaken your head, would not that have been 
 telling a falsehood ? Certainly it would." 
 
 And Lucy was right. God knows what we mean, 
 as well as what we say. Do you not think an acted 
 lie is as wicked in His sight as a spoken lie? And 
 do you not think that Alfred's conscience troubled 
 him ? You should never act one thing and mean 
 another. 
 
38 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 A BARGAIN IS A BARGAIN. 
 
 ^' \ BARGAIN is a bargain," said John Smith, 
 IV who had just bought a knife of Willie 
 Reed, and given him a kite for it. But Willie 
 soon found that the kite was broken, and wished 
 to trade back again. "I shall not do it," said John. 
 "You did not ask me if the kite was broken; and 
 do you think I would be so foolish as to iel/ you 
 of it? No! A bargain is a bargain." 
 
 Yes, so it was a. bargain, but a very unfair one. 
 John deceived Willie ; and if he did not tell a false- 
 hood, he acted one. Don't you think the knife he 
 got in that way will be apt to cut his fingers ? 
 
 As George Davis and Charlie Brown were on 
 their way to school one day, Charlie took out of 
 his basket a nice large cake which his mother had 
 given him for his dinner. George offered him a 
 large, red apple for it. "Is it a good apple?" 
 asked Charlie. " Do you think that I would take 
 a poor apple to school for my dinner?" asked 
 George. " I tell you it is a real juicy apple, for I 
 know the tree on which it grew." So Charlie let 
 him have his cake for the apple. 
 
 At noon, when Charlie tasted his apple, he 
 found it was so sour that he could not eat it, and 
 
MORAL STORIES. 39 
 
 he wished to trade back again. "No" said 
 George, " I don't trade back. A bargain is a bar- 
 gain." 
 
 So it was a bargain, George Davis. But what 
 kind of a bargain was it ? You cheated Charlie, 
 and you knew it, and you Tneant to do it. You 
 are not an honest boy, and it was not a fair trade. 
 I should not. wonder if the cake should choke you 
 when you eat it. 
 
 Mr. Jones went out to buy a horse. He found 
 one that he liked, and that the owner wished to 
 sell ; but he determined to purchase him, if pos- 
 sible, for less than he was worth. The owner 
 asked a hundred dollars for him. 
 
 "What is the age of your horse?" "Eight 
 years old, I believe," said the man. "That is 
 what the person from whom I bought him told 
 me." " Eight years old ? Why, he is certainly 
 more than twelve. See how his teeth are worn 
 down." 
 
 The owner could not be positive as to his age. 
 "And besides," said Mr. Jones, "he seems a lit- 
 tle stiff in the joints. He carries his head badly, 
 and is too hard upon the bit, and I don't like the 
 color. If he were a bright bay, I would give much 
 more for him. I am willing to pay all he is worth, 
 but I can't think of offering you more than seventy- 
 five dollars." 
 
40 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Thus he cheapens the animal as much below 
 his real worth as he can. The owner cannot 
 afford to keep the horse. He is in want of 
 money, and must take what he can get. So Mr. 
 Jones buys the horse for seventy-five dollars; but 
 when he has taken the horse home, he boasts 
 what a good bargain he has made. 
 
 A man very much like Mr. Jones is described 
 in the Book of Proverbs, the twentieth chapter, 
 and fourteenth verse: "It is naught, it is naught, 
 saith the buyer; but when he is gone his way, 
 then he boasteth." 
 
 "I would not sell that horse for one hundred and 
 fifty dollars," says Mr. Jones. "He is of the 
 right age, and just what I want. I am suited 
 with him in every respect." 
 
 "But how cheap you bought him, Mr. Jones. 
 Did not you cheat the man?" 
 
 "Cheat him; Oh no! A bargain is a bargain. 
 Every one must look out for himself, you know." 
 
 "But, Mr. Jones, were you honest when you 
 told the owner that the horse was certainly twelve 
 years old? Did you not like the color of the 
 horse? Were you willing to pay all he was worth 
 to you? Ah, Mr. Jones, I am afraid that will be a 
 hard-backed horse for you to ride. 
 
 "And then again he is so stiff in the joints that 
 he may stumble, and throw you, or what is still 
 
MORAL STORIES. 4 1 
 
 worse, he is so hard upon the bit that he may run 
 away with you. Are you not sorry that you bought 
 so. bad a horse, Mr. Jones?" 
 
 IN SERCH OF A BOY. 
 
 BOYS can learn a good lesson "from this story 
 if they, will heed it. 
 
 A gentleman wanted a trusty boy. His friend 
 came to his office one day, saying, " I've got a 
 boy for you — smart, active, intelligent, just the boy 
 that will please you." 
 
 " Who is he ?" said the gentleman. The friend 
 told his name. Just at that minute the boy passed 
 the window, and was pointed out to him. 
 
 "Don't want him," said the gentleman ; "he 
 has a bad mark ; I met him the .other day with a 
 cigar in his mouth. I do not want a smoker." 
 
 While they were talking another gentleman en- 
 tered the office. 
 
 " I understand that you want a good, trusty 
 boy, Mr. ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir; have you got one for me ?" 
 
 " I think I have," he replied. 
 
 "Well, sir," said the gentleman, " what do you 
 know of him ?" 
 
42 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 " I don't know much," said the other ; "he is in 
 my Sabbath school, always has his lessons, and 
 never smokes." 
 
 " He is the boy for me. The boy that gets his 
 Sabbath school lesson and never smokes can be 
 trusted." 
 
 THE YOUNG GALLEY-SLAVE. 
 
 A YOUNG man was once condemned for some 
 offense to serve at the galleys in one of the 
 sea-ports of France. Such persons are called j^a/- 
 ley-slaves, and their punishment is to serve as oars- 
 men on board of a galley, or large government 
 boat. 
 
 The young man here referred to seized the op- 
 portunity, which occurred at night, to run away. 
 Being strong and vigorous, he soon made his way 
 across the country and escaped pursuit. 
 
 Arriving the next morning before a peasant's 
 cottage in an open field, he stopped to beg some- 
 thing to eat, and find a refuge while he rested a 
 little. But he found the inmates of the cottage in 
 the greatest distress. Four little children sat 
 trembling in a corner — their mother was weeping, 
 and the father was walking the flloor in agony. 
 
 The young galley-slave asked what was the 
 
MORAL STORIES. 43 
 
 matter, and the father replied that they were that 
 morning to be turned out of doors, because they 
 could not pay their rent. 
 
 " You see me driven to despair," said the father; 
 "my wife and little children will soon be without 
 food and shelter, and I am without the means to 
 provide any for them." 
 
 As the convict listened to this tale the tears 
 started in his eyes. 
 
 "I will give you the means to provide for your 
 family," he then said. " I have just escaped from 
 the galfeys ; and whoever secures and takes back 
 an escaped prisoner will receive a reward of fifty 
 francs. How much does your rent amount to?" 
 
 " Forty francs," answered the father. 
 
 "Well," said the other, " put a cord around my 
 body. I will follow you to the city; they will re- 
 cognize me, and you will get fifty francs for bring- 
 ing me back." 
 
 " No, never!" exclaimed the astonished listener. 
 "My children should starve a dozen times before I 
 would do so base a thing !" 
 
 But the generous young man insisted, and de- 
 clared at last that he would go and give himself 
 up, if the father would not consent to take him. 
 After much hesitation the latter yielded, and, tak- 
 ing his preserver by the arm, led him to the city 
 and to the mayor's office. 
 
44 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Everybody was*surprlsed that a little man, like 
 the peasant, had been able to capture such a 
 strong young fellow, but the proof was before 
 them. The fifty francs were paid, and the prisoner 
 was sent back to the galleys. 
 
 After he had gone the peasant asked to see the 
 mayor in private, and told him the whole story. 
 The mayor was so much affected that he not only 
 added fifty francs to the peasant's purse, but wrote 
 to the minister of justice, begging the young 
 prisoner's release. 
 
 The minister examined into the affair and find- 
 ing that the young man had been condemned to 
 the galleys for a small offense, and that he had 
 already served out half of his time, ordered his re- 
 lease. 
 
 Was not this a noble deed of self denial and 
 charity on the part of the young man ? And it not 
 only benefited others, but it benefited himself 2t\so. 
 Can you explain how it benefited himself? 
 
 A KISS FOR A BLOW. 
 
 ONE day the Rev. M. Adams went into an 
 infant school in Boston. He had been 
 there before, and had told the children they might 
 
MORAL STORIES. 45 
 
 ask him any question that they pleased, whenever 
 he came to see them. 
 
 " Please to tell us," said a little boy, "what is 
 meant by overcoming evil with good!' The minister 
 began to explain it, when a little incident occurred, 
 which gave him the best explanation he could 
 wish. 
 
 A boy about seven years of age was sitting be- 
 side his little sister, who was only six years old. 
 ' As the minister was talking, George, for that was 
 the boy's name, got angry with his sister about 
 something, doubled up his fist and struck her on 
 the head. 
 
 The little girl was just going to strike him back 
 again, when the teacher, seeing it, said, "My dear 
 Mary, can't you kiss your brother ? See how angry 
 and unhappy he looks." 
 
 Mary looked at her brother. He looked sullen 
 and wretched. Her resentment was soon gone, 
 and love for her brother returned to her heart. 
 She threw her arms about his neck and kissed 
 him. 
 
 The poor boy was wholly unprepared for so kind 
 a return for his blow. He could not resist the 
 gentle affection of his sister. He was wholly over- 
 come, and he burst into tears, sobbing violently. 
 
 His gentle sister took the corner of her apron 
 wiped away his tears, and sought to comfort him 
 
46 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 by saying, " Don't cry, George; you did not hurt 
 me much." But he only wept the more. No won- 
 der; it was enough to make anybody weep. 
 
 But why did George weep ? Poor little fellow ! 
 Would he have wept if his sister had struck him in 
 return ? Not he. But by kissing him as she did, 
 she made him feel more deeply than if she had 
 beaten him black and blue. 
 
 Here was a kiss for a blow — love for anger; and 
 all the school saw at once what was meant by 
 " overcoming evil with good." 
 
 CHARLIE PORTER. 
 
 ONE day, while the teacher was engaged in 
 the school room, he heard the breaking of 
 a pane of glass in one of the windows. He knew 
 it must have been done by one of the children on- 
 the playground. He thought he would say nothing 
 about it at the time, but wait and see if the child 
 who did it would come and tell him of it. 
 
 After the lapse of a quarter of an hour Charlie 
 Porter, a little boy between five and six years of 
 age, came in trembling with fear, and going up to 
 the teacher, said to him, "Sir, a little boy in the 
 play-ground broke a window." 
 
MORAL STORIES. 47 
 
 Here Charlie paused, and looked up to the 
 teacher as if he did not know what to say next. 
 The teacher took his little trembling] hand in his 
 own, and Charlie continued, " It was with a stone 
 he broke it, but he did not mean to do it." 
 
 Here Charlie made another pause, and again 
 looked up to the teacher's face; but seeing no signs 
 of severity there, he took courage. " It was I who 
 broke it," said he ; "I am very sorry indeed, so 
 I am." 
 
 The teacher kissed the child and told him he was 
 a good boy for telling the truth. He said to him, 
 also, that he must be very careful about throwing 
 stones. Charlie promised that he would be, and 
 went away feeling very happy. 
 
 A LESSON FROM NATURE. 
 
 IN a valley was a meeting of waters. 
 One was crystal-like in its clearness, for its 
 home was in the living rock of the mountain side 
 and its course through sunny pasture lands and 
 verdant meadows. No shadow fell on its bosom 
 but that of the foliage on its banks and no life did 
 it see but of nature. The beauty that it knew was 
 in the flowers it watered, the sounds that floated 
 over it, were from nature's choristers — the birds 
 
48 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 — and the wind that rippled its waters, was fresh 
 and pure from the leafy woodland. Need we mar- 
 vel at its crystal clearness ? 
 
 The waters of the other stream were dark and 
 tainted. 
 
 Its way lay through the city and it partook of 
 the impurities of the place whence it came. 
 
 In a valley these waters meet. 
 
 Does the one black scum of the city grow pure 
 when mingled with the translucent waters of the 
 country meadows ? No ; the purity is lost and 
 they flow on together — a stream of murky water. 
 
 So often is the contrast between two lives. 
 
 As a stream must partake of the impurities of 
 its course, so through association a character may 
 remain spotless or grow dark by sin. 
 
 A boy or girl surrounded by contaminating in- 
 fluences cannot keep his or her nature free from 
 these effects. 
 
 A country girl may not have what is generally 
 termed companionship, but better is a life of iso- 
 lation than for her spotlessness to be brought into 
 contact with the impurities of some social circles. 
 Communing only with nature and nature's God, 
 her character will be as pure as the limpid waters 
 of our country streams. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 49 
 
 DOING WELL. 
 
 EVERYONE when told to do anything should 
 try to do his work as nicely as he can. 
 
 Let me tell you about a little incident that once 
 happened. Try to imagine what kind of a man 
 the boy I am going to tell about would make if he 
 does not change his ways. I am sure none of you 
 want to be like him. 
 
 "What are you doing, Jacob?" said Mr. Myers 
 to Jacob Stearns, who was hoeing corn in a field 
 adjoining the road. 
 
 The question was not asked for information, but 
 as the commencement of a conversation. Mr. 
 Myers was fond of conversing with young people, 
 and loved to try to do them good. 
 
 "I am hoeing corn," said Jacob. 
 
 "I see ; but have you hoed those rows ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "There are a good many weeds left in the hills 
 and between the rows. There should be no weeds 
 left where the hoe has been." 
 
 "I am not trying to hoe it very well." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Because — because the corn will grow without 
 it." 
 
50 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Jacob hesitated in giving a reason, simply be- 
 cause he had no reason to give. 
 
 "You have heard the old proverb — whatever is 
 worth doing at all, is worth doing well. You 
 should either hoe the corn well, or not at all. You 
 should never do anything without trying to do it 
 well." 
 
 "I don't mean to be a farmer. If I meant to be 
 a farmer, then there would be a reason for my 
 doing all things relating to farming well." 
 
 "What do you mean to be? " 
 
 " I mean to be a professional man. I mean to 
 get an education. When I begin my education, I 
 will do everything relating to it as well as I possi- 
 bly can." 
 
 "My young friend, you have already begun your 
 education, and you are carrying on the process 
 every day." 
 
 " I am not studying now. I am going to begin 
 next fall." 
 
 "The process of education it not confined to 
 study. That is only part of the process. Educa- 
 tion consists in the formation of character — in the 
 formation of habits. One important habit is the 
 habit of doing things thoroughly — of doing things 
 in the best possible way. You are forming this 
 habit or the opposite one in all that you do. When- 
 
MORAL STORIES. 5 I 
 
 ever you do anything carelessly you are injuring 
 your habits." 
 
 "I thought if I studied to become a first-rate 
 scholar I should be an educated man." 
 
 "To be a well-educated man, one must do what- 
 ever he does in a first-rate manner. It is only men 
 who are first-rate that will command any high suc- 
 cess in life. The word of God gives the best pos- 
 sible rules for education, as it does for everything 
 else relating to the soul. The Bible says, ' what- 
 soever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy 
 might,' that is, do it diligently and as perfectly as 
 possible. ' Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do ' — 
 that includes hoeing corn, as well as studying. The 
 Bible would, therefore, have everyone a first-rate 
 man in his calling." 
 
 THE BOY AND THE DUKE. 
 
 HONESTY is the best policy, is an old proverb, 
 you know. We sometimes think it is re- 
 peated to young people too often.; and that they 
 may feel influenced to be honest from policy merely, 
 and not from principle. To be honest from policy 
 is to be honest because you will make something 
 by such a course ; to be honest from principle is 
 
52 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 to be honest because you believe honesty is right. 
 What the old proverb means, though, we suppose 
 is that it is always the best policy to do right. It 
 surely is, in the long run. Be honest, therefore, 
 but have a principle under your policy. 
 
 The following anecdote well illustrates the 
 beauty of honesty. 
 
 One day the Duke of Buccleuch, a Scotch noble- 
 man, bought a cow in the neighborhood of Dal- 
 keith, where he lived. . The cow was to be sent 
 home the next morning. Early in the morning 
 the duke was taking a walk in a very common 
 dress. As he went along he saw a boy trying 
 in vain to drive the cow to his residence. The cow 
 was very unruly, and the poor boy could not get 
 on with her at all. The boy, not knowing the 
 duke, called out to him in- broad Scotch accent, 
 
 "Hie, mun, come here, and gie's a han' wi' this 
 beast." 
 
 The duke walked slowly on, not seeming to 
 notice the boy, who still kept calling for his help. 
 At last, finding he could not get on with the cow, 
 he cried out in distress, "Come here, mun, and as 
 sure as I git anything I'll gie ye half I get." i 
 
 The duke went and lent a helping hand. 
 
 "And now," said the duke, as they trudged 
 along after the cow, "how much do you think you 
 will get for the job?" 
 
MORAL STORIES. 53' 
 
 "I dinna ken," said the boy, "but I'm sure 
 o' something, for the folks at the big house are guid 
 to a' bodies." 
 
 As they came to a lane near the house the duke 
 slipped away from the boy and entered by a differ- 
 ent way. Calling his butler, he put a sovereign 
 in his hand, saying, "Give that to the boy who has 
 brought the cow." 
 
 He then returned to the end of the lane, where 
 he had parted from the boy, so as to meet him on 
 his way back. 
 
 "Well, how much did you get?" asked the 
 duke. 
 
 '•A shiUing," said the boy, "an' there's half o' 
 it to ye." 
 
 "But surely you had more than a shilling," said 
 the duke. 
 
 "No," said the boy, "sure that's a' I got; and 
 d' ye not think it's a plenty? " 
 
 "I do not," said the duke; "there must be some 
 mistake ; and as I am acquainted with the duke, if 
 you will return I think I'll get you more." 
 
 They went back. The duke rang the bell and 
 ordered all the servants to be assembled. 
 
 " Now," said the duke to the boy, " point me 
 out the person who gave you the shilling." 
 
 "It was that chap there with the apron," said 
 he, pointing to the butler. 
 
54 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 The butler fell on his knees, confessed his fault 
 and begged to be forgiven ; but the duke indig- 
 nantly ordered him to give the boy the sovereign 
 and quit his service immediately. 
 
 "You have lost," said the duke, "your money, 
 your situation and your character by your deceitful- 
 ness. Learn for the future,- that honesty is the best 
 policy!' 
 
 The boy now found out who it was that helped 
 him drive the cow ; and the duke was so pleased 
 with the manliness and honesty of the boy that he 
 sent him to school and provided for him at his own 
 expense. 
 
 HONOR TO PARENTS. 
 
 MY little readers well know that the Lord 
 commands us to honor our fathers and 
 mothers. If we do so, He has promised to bless 
 us. He not only blesses us with long life, but 
 often rewards us in various other ways. 
 
 A little anecdote is told of the manner in which 
 Frederick the Great once rewarded one of his poor 
 subjects for his obedience to this righteous law. 
 
 Frederick was one of the greatest generals and 
 rulers Germany ever produced ; still he was not 
 
MORAL STORIES. 55 
 
 too proud to talk with and encourage his country- 
 men in doing rig^t. 
 
 One day he was out riding and happened to 
 come to a place where a poor man was breaking 
 stones by the roadside. The king stopped and 
 asked, " My good man, can you earn a living at 
 such work ?" 
 
 The man looked up with a cheerful countenance 
 and said, "Sir, I am not only able to support my- 
 self and family, but can also pay interest on a debt 
 I owe, and lay something aside for my old age." 
 
 Frederick was very much surprised at this an- 
 swer, and desired the laborer to explain how he 
 could do so much with the small wages he daily 
 received. This was the answer : 
 
 "The interest I pay is on the debt I owe and al- 
 ways will owe my aged parents for their kindness 
 to me in past years ; and that which I am laying 
 aside for my old age is the education I am giving 
 my children, for which they will be thankful to me 
 in after years." 
 
 The king was so much pleased with the answer 
 that he gave the poor man a purse of money, re- 
 marking at the same time, " Continue in your good 
 work, because while doing so you are serving 
 your king, your country and your God." 
 
 Now, in telling you this, my little readers, I do 
 not want you to get the idea that you should re- 
 
56 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 ceive some earthly pay for being obedient to your 
 parents. You always will be in debt to them, and 
 should, therefore, try in every way to do them 
 good, even if you cannot ever fully repay their 
 many acts of kindness. Try this course, and your 
 heart will be filled with joy, the Lord will bless 
 your labors, and you will gain eternal riches. 
 
 THE HUMMING BIRD AND THE 
 BUTTERFLY. 
 
 A HUMMING-BIRD met a butterfly, and 
 being pleased with the beauty of its person, 
 and the glory of its wings, made an offer of friend- 
 ship. 
 
 "I cannot think of it," was the reply, "as you 
 once spurned me, and called me a drawling dolt." 
 
 "Impossible!" exclaimed the humming-bird. 
 " I always entertained the highest respect for such 
 beautiful creatures as you." 
 
 "Perhaps you do now," said the other; "but 
 when you insulted me I was a caterpillar. So let 
 me give you a piece of advice ; never insult the 
 humble, as they may, some day, become your 
 superiors." 
 
MORAL STORIES. 57 
 
 A STREET INCIDENT. 
 
 LITTLE friends, if you wish to be happy, and 
 to be loved, try to act and feel like the kind 
 boy told about in this little story. 
 
 A New York reporter called to a little boot- 
 black near the City Hall the other day to give 
 him a shine. Before he could get his brushes out, 
 another large boy ran up, and calmly pushing the 
 little one aside said: 
 
 "Here, you go sit down Jimmy." 
 
 The reporter at once became indignant at what 
 he took to be a piece of meanness, and sharply 
 told the new-comer to clear out. 
 
 "Oh! dat's all right, boss," was the reply, "I'm 
 only goin' to do it fur him. You see he's been 
 sick in the hospital for mor'n a month, and can't 
 do much work yet, so us boys all turn in and give 
 him a lift when we can. 
 
 "Is that so, Jimmy?" asked the reporter, turn- 
 ing to the smaller boy. 
 
 "Yes, sir," wearily replied the boy ; and as he 
 looked up, the pallid, pinched face could be dis- 
 cerned even through the grime that covered it. 
 " He does it fur me, if you'll let him." 
 
 ■" Certainly, go ahead;" and as the bootblack 
 
58 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 plied the brush, the reporter plied him with ques- 
 tions. 
 
 " You say all the boys help him in this way ! " 
 
 " Yes, sir. When they ain't got no job them- 
 selves, and Jimmy gets one, they turn in and helps 
 him, 'cause he ain't very strong yet, ye see." 
 
 " What_ percentage do you charge him on a 
 job ? " 
 
 " Hey ?" queried the youngster. " I don't know 
 what you mean." 
 
 "I mean, what part of the money do you give 
 Jimmy, and how much do you keep out of it ? " 
 
 " You bet yer life I don't keep none. I ain't no 
 such sneak as that." 
 
 " So you give it all to Mm, do you ?" 
 
 "Yes, I do. All the boys give up what they 
 gets on his job. I'd like to catch any feller 
 sneaking it on a sick boy, I would." 
 
 The shine being completed, the reporter handed 
 the urchin a quarter, saying, 
 
 "I guess you're a pretty good fellow, so you keep 
 ten cents, and give the rest to Jimmy there." 
 
 "■Can't do it, sir; it's his customer. Here Jim !" 
 
 He threw him the coin, and was off like a shot 
 after a customer for hiniself, a veritable rough 
 diamond. In this big city there are many such 
 lads, with warm and generous hearts under their 
 ragged coats. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 59 
 
 THE PIG AND THE HEN. 
 
 The pig and the hen, 
 
 Both got in one pen, 
 And the hen said she wouldn't go out, 
 
 "Mistress hen," says the pig, 
 
 "Don't you be quite so big!" 
 And he gave her a push with his snout. 
 
 "You are rough, and you're fat. 
 
 But who cares for all that ; 
 I will stay if I choose," says the hen. 
 
 "No, mistress, no longer'!" 
 
 Says pig; "I'm the stronger, 
 And mean to be boss of my pen !" 
 
 Then the hen cackl'd out 
 
 Just as close to his snout 
 As she dare : "You're an ill-natured brute; 
 
 And if I had the corn. 
 
 Just as sure as I'm born, 
 I would send you to starve or to root ! ' ' 
 
 "But you don't own the cribs. 
 
 So I think that my ribs 
 Will be never the leaner for you : 
 
 This trough is my trough, 
 
 And the sooner you're off," 
 Says the pig, "why the better you'll do !" 
 
6o MORAL STORIES, 
 
 "You're not a bit fair, 
 
 And you're cross as a bear ; 
 What harm do I do in your pen ? 
 
 But a pig is a pig, 
 
 And I don't care a fig 
 For the worst you can say," says the hen. 
 
 Says the pig, "You will care 
 
 If I act like a bear 
 And tear your two wings from your neck." 
 
 "What a nice little pen 
 
 You have got !" says the hen, 
 Beginning to scratch and to peck. 
 
 Now the pig stood amazed, 
 
 And the bristles, upraised 
 A moment passed, fell down so sleek. 
 
 "Neighbor Biddy," says he, 
 
 "If you'll just allow me, 
 I will show you a nice place to pick." 
 
 So she followed him off. 
 
 And they ate from one trough — 
 
 They had quarrelled for nothing, they saw ; 
 And when they had fed, 
 "Neighbor hen," the pig said, 
 
 "Won't you stay here and roost in my straw?" 
 
 "No, I thank you; you see 
 
 That I sleep in a tree," 
 Says the hen; "but I must go away; 
 
 So a grateful good-bye ' ' — 
 
 "Make your home in my sty," 
 Says the pig, and come in ev'ry day." 
 
MORAL STORIES. 6 1 
 
 Now my child will not miss 
 
 The true moral of this 
 Little story of anger and strife; 
 
 For a word spoken soft 
 
 Will turn enemies oft 
 Into friends that will stay friends for life. 
 
 THE POWER OF KINDNESS. 
 
 MANY of you, perhaps, have heard or read 
 the fable about the sun and the wind. The 
 sun and the wind each claimed to be most power- 
 ful, and to prove which was stronger a trial 
 was proposed. 
 
 The one that could the most easily compel a 
 man to part with his cloak was to be considered 
 the most powerful. So to decide the matter the 
 wind started its work. It blew upon the man to 
 force his cloak from his back, but the harder it 
 blew the tighter the man held to his cloak and 
 drew it around him to keep warm. So the wind 
 failed to get the man to drop his cloak. But 
 when the sun began to shine upon him and warm 
 him he willingly took off the cloak, for he had no 
 need of wearing it. It was therefore decided that 
 the sun was the stronger of the two. 
 
 This fable is intended to teach the fact that it is 
 better to persuade than to use force. 
 
62 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 There are many examples that might be men- 
 tioned to prove that kindness is more powerful 
 than harshness. A little incident that came to 
 our notice will show this fact. A young man who 
 had been ordained a Deacon in one of our settle- 
 ments was once very much annoyed, while sitting 
 in meeting attending the door and seating the 
 people, by a noise outside. The disturbance was 
 caused by a group of young men talking and 
 laughing, not far from the meeting house. His 
 first thought on stepping outside the door was to use 
 severe means to quiet them. He felt like catch- 
 ing one of them, or as many of them as he could 
 manage, and give them a thrashing. But on 
 second thought he believed it would be better to 
 go to them kindly and remind them that they were 
 disturbing the meeting. He concluded to do so, 
 and going to where they stood he in a very 
 pleasant voice told them that their talking was so 
 loud that it was annoying the people in the meet- 
 ing, and asked them if they would not please to 
 move a little farther away or go inside the meet- 
 ing room. 
 
 The boys at once realized that it was very rude 
 of them to act as they had and apologized humbly 
 for their conduct, and quietly went away. 
 
 Had the young Deacon got angry and made 
 threats it is quite likely they would have answered 
 
MORAL STORIES. 63 
 
 by defying him, and they would have become more 
 noisy than before. But as it was they were 
 quieted without any trouble, and those boys al- 
 ways afterwards had a good feeling towards the 
 young Deacon, who sought to perform his duty in 
 a gentlemanly manner and they respected him in 
 his office. 
 
 Children, when you are tempted to use harsh 
 words or actions, just think of this incident and 
 try mild persuasion first, and you will be sure to 
 find it the best plan. 
 
 INGRATITUDE. 
 
 THE word gratitude means to be grateful or 
 thankful. 
 Ingratitude means ungrateful or unthankful. 
 How bcid it is to be unthankful for a kindness 
 shown us ! 
 
 The following story should teach ns to be care- 
 ful how we treat others. Even if a person has 
 done nothing for us, it is wrong for us to ill treat 
 him. 
 
 While a party of school-boys were playing on 
 the village green, an omnibus stopped in the road 
 near by, and the lads gathered round it to see the 
 passengers. Their attention was drawn to one 
 
6a moral stories. 
 
 man who seemed to have great difficulty in alight- 
 ing. When he had done so it was seen that he 
 was greatly deformed. His legs and arms were 
 bent and crippled. The boys were so amused 
 that they followed him, calling him names ; and 
 one of them, Charlie Purdy, tormented the poor 
 man, and said they would know him for the future 
 as "The old sack of bones." But soon they tired 
 of this cruel diversion, and returned to their more 
 innocent play. As the evening drew near, they 
 dispersed to their homes. Charlie lived quite 
 close to the village, and as he entered the house 
 he met his father coming in search of him. 
 
 " Here, Charlie," he said; " I have been looking 
 for you. I want to introduce you to the man who 
 saved your life." 
 
 They entered the drawing-room ; and imagine 
 the boy's surprise when he beheld the crippled 
 gentleman, who said to him in a kind voice : 
 
 "Come here, my boy; how much you have 
 grown!" 
 
 Charlie in his confusion, wished he were far 
 away to hide his blushes, as his father related to 
 him that, while he was a little boy, this gentleman 
 had saved him from drowning and had become 
 crippled during the rheumatic fever, which fol- 
 lowed consequent on the wetting. 
 
 How base is ingratitude ! Charlie rightly felt 
 
MORAL STORIES. 65 
 
 that his offense against his benefactor was one of 
 double enormity, peculiarly despicable as well as 
 cruel. So we act toward God when we offend 
 Him. He is our greatest and constant bene- 
 factor. 
 
 ASHAMED TO TELL MOTHER. 
 
 SUCH was a little boy's reply to his comrades 
 who were trying to tempt him to do wrong. 
 
 "But you need not tell her, no one will know 
 anything about it." 
 
 "I would know all about it myself, and I'd feel 
 mighty mean if I couldn't tell mother." 
 
 "It's a pity you wasn't a girl. The idea of a 
 boy running and telling his mother every little 
 thing!" 
 
 "You may laugh if you want to," said the noble 
 boy, "but I've made up my mind never, as long as 
 I live, to do anything I would be ashamed to tell 
 my mother of." 
 
 Noble resolve, and one which will make almost 
 any life true and useful. Let it be the rule of 
 every boy and girl to do nothing of which they 
 would be ashamed to tell mother. 
 
66 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 GEORGE'S ERROR. 
 
 THE following incident which occurred some 
 years ago shows that many of the' follies 
 common among boys in these days were also 
 practiced then; and it also shows one very effective 
 way of impressing boys with the wickedness- of 
 having fun which works injury or pain to others : 
 
 George was the name of a thoughtless little 
 boy whose parents were quite wealthy, and did a 
 great deal for his comfort and pleasure. He was 
 not naturally wicked but often did things that were 
 very wrong. 
 
 One day as he and his companions were going 
 home from school they saw a gentleman passing 
 quietly along the street. He was dressed in ordin- 
 ary working clothes, and they therefore took the 
 liberty of making him the object of their cruel 
 sport. 
 
 "Let's have some fun," said one of the boys. 
 
 "Very well, what is it?" all exclaimed. 
 
 "Why see who can come nearest to hitting that 
 man." 
 
 With this all picked up rocks and threw at the 
 gentleman, the one George threw happening to 
 strike him on the leg. The gentleman limped 
 
MORAL STORIES. 67 
 
 for a short distance, but further than that seemed 
 to take no notice of the cruel act. 
 
 The boys were delighted with their deed, and 
 laughed heartily as they took their different ways 
 for home. George's humor, however soon turned 
 to soberness, for as he reached his father's gate he 
 was met by his sister who said her uncle had come 
 to visit them, but while on his way through the 
 street he had been hit with a stone thrown by 
 some naughty boy. Immediately George felt con- 
 demned and hesitated about going into the house 
 until his father called him. 
 
 No sooner had he entered and met his uncle's 
 gaze before the latter said, "This is the boy who hit 
 me with a rock." 
 
 The parents could scarcely believe that George 
 had been so wicked, but when they knew the 
 truth his father said, "Well, George, your uncle 
 brought a nice watch for you, but because of your 
 folly and rudeness, it shall be given to your bro- 
 ther. Let this lesson cause you to remember that 
 it is your duty to be genteel and kind to every- 
 one." 
 
 George's error gave him a good lesson. 
 
68 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 A LESSON IN HONESTY. 
 
 ONE of the brethren who has served a term of 
 imprisonment in the Utah penitentiary 
 learned a lesson in honesty from his father when a 
 mere child, six years of age, the remembrance of 
 which has remained with him ever since. 
 
 One Sabbath he was sent with his sister to the 
 Methodist chapel in the vicinity where he lived in 
 England. As was customary, the pews of the 
 various churches were provided with hymn and 
 text books for the accommodation of the worship- 
 ers. The little boy, seeing a beautifully bound 
 hymn book lying there, apparently without any 
 owner, took possession of it and carried it home 
 with him. Here it was proudly exhibited to the 
 parents as quite a valuable find. The father, how- 
 ever, was doubtful about the finding of the book, 
 and on inquiry learned that it had been found in 
 the pew of the church. 
 
 "Now," said he, on hearing this, "you found 
 that book before it was lost. You must take it 
 back and place it exactly where you found it." 
 
 This was rather a damper on the boy's joyful 
 
MORAL STORIES. 6/ 
 
 feelings, and when a slight reluctance on his part 
 to comply was exhibited, the father added, 
 
 "If you make an objection to doing as I say, I 
 will flog you and then compel you to do it. Fur- 
 thermore, if you are ever guilty of finding any- 
 thing again where it is not lost, I will whip you to 
 that extent that you will never forget it." 
 
 The little boy, therefore, though crestfallen, 
 trudged back to the church and placed the book 
 where it belonged, the father going with him to 
 see that his commands were faithfully fulfilled. 
 
 This lesson was one which the son through all 
 the intervening years since the occurrence has 
 never forgotten, and from that moment he was 
 very careful not to find things in places where they 
 were not lost. 
 
 THE APPLE IN THE BOTTLE. 
 
 ON the mantle-piece of my grandmother's 
 best parlor, among other marvels, was an 
 apple in a phial. It quite filled up the body of the 
 bottle; and my childish wonderment constantly 
 was, "How could it have got there?" By stealth 
 I climbed a chair to see if the bottle would unscrew, 
 or if'there had been a joint in the glass through- 
 
70 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 out the length of the phial". I was satisfied by 
 carefiil observation, that neither of these theories 
 could be supported ; and the apple remained to 
 me a puzzle and a mystery. 
 
 One day, walking in the garden, I saw it all. 
 There, on a tree, was a phial tied, and within it 
 a tiny apple which was growing within the crystal. 
 The apple was put into the bottle while it was 
 little and it grew thus. 
 
 More than thirty years ago we tried this ex- 
 periment with a cucumber. We laid a large bottle 
 upon the ground by a hill of cucumbers, and placed 
 a tiny cucumber in the bottle, to see what would 
 be the result. It grew till it filled the bottle, 
 when we cut it off from the stem, and then fill- 
 ed the bottle with alcohol and corked it up tight. 
 We have it now, all as fresh, with the little prickers 
 on it, as it was when first corked up. 
 
 So sins will grow, if allowed, in the hearts of 
 children, and cannot be easily removed when they 
 have their growth. 
 
 HAVING SOME FUN. 
 
 "N 
 
 OW, boys, I will tell you how we can have 
 some fun," said Frank to his playmates, 
 
MORAL STORIES. 7 1 
 
 who had come together one bright moonlight 
 evening for sliding and snow-balling. 
 
 " What is it?" asked several at once. 
 
 " You will see," said Frank. "Who has a wood 
 saw ?" 
 
 "I have." "So have I," replied three of the 
 boys. 
 
 " Get them, then, and you and Fred and Tom 
 each get an axe, and I will get a shovel. Let's be 
 back in ten minutes." 
 
 The boys all started to go on their several er- 
 rands, each wondering of what use wood-saws and 
 axes and shovels could be in play. But Frank was 
 much liked by all the boys and they fully believed 
 in what he said and were soon together again. 
 
 " Now," said he, "Widow Brown, who lives in 
 that little house over there, has gone to sit up all 
 night with a sick child. 
 
 " A man brought her some wood to-day, and I 
 heard her tell him that, unless she got some one 
 to saw it to-night she would not have anything to 
 make a fire with in the morning. 
 
 " Now we could saw and split that pile of wood 
 just as easily as we could make a snow-man on 
 her door-step, and when she comes home she will 
 be greatly surprised." 
 
 One or two of the boys said they did not care 
 
72 MORAV STORIES. 
 
 to go, but most of them thought it would be fine 
 fun. 
 
 It was not a long and tiresome job for seven 
 strong and healthy boys to saw, split and pile up 
 the widow's half cord of wood, and to shovel a 
 good path. 
 
 When they had done this so great was their 
 pleasure that one of them, who had at first said he 
 would not go, proposed that they should go to a 
 carpenter shop near by, where plenty of shavings 
 could be had, and that each should bring an armful. 
 
 They all agreed to do this, and when they had 
 brought the shavings they went to their several 
 homes, more than pleased with the fun of the 
 evening. 
 
 The next morning, when the tired widow re- 
 turned from watching by the sick-bed and saw 
 what was done, she was indeed surprised, and 
 wondered who could have been so kind. 
 
 Afterward when a friend told her how it was 
 done, her earnest prayer, "God bless the boys !" 
 was enough of itself to make them happy. 
 
 WHO WAS THE GENTLEMAN. 
 
 A 
 
 ND do you think that you are a gentleman ?. 
 Why? Is it because you carry a little dandy 
 
MORAL STORIES. 73 
 
 cane, smoke cigars and wear your hat on the side 
 of your head ? Is that the way to be a gentleman ? 
 Read the following story and decide what it is that 
 makes the gentleman: 
 
 One afternoon last spring there had been a sud- 
 den gust of wind and a slight shower of rain. But 
 the clouds soon passed away. The sun shone out 
 brightly and the rain-drops sparkled like diamonds 
 on the trees of Boston Common. 
 
 The Boston boys love the Common, and well 
 they may; for where could they find a more glori- 
 ous playground ? During the shower the boys had 
 taken shelter under the trees ; as soon as it had 
 passed they resumed their amusements. 
 
 On one of the crossmgs or walks appeared a 
 small, plainly-dressed old woman, with a cane in 
 one hand and a large green umbrella in the other. 
 She was bent with age and infirmity, and walked 
 slowly. 
 
 The green umbrella was open and turned up in 
 the most comical manner. The wind had sud- 
 denly reversed it, without the consent or knowledge 
 of the old lady, and she now held it in one hand, 
 like a huge flower with a long stalk. 
 
 " Hurrah ! hurrah !" cried one of the boys, 
 pointing to the umbrella. " Mammoth cabbages 
 for sale ! Mammoth cabbages !" 
 
 The whole rabble of boys joined in the cry and 
 
74 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 ran hooting after the poor old woman. She looked 
 at therri with great wonder and endeavored to 
 hasten her tottering footsteps. 
 
 They still pursued her, and at length began 
 pelting with pebbles the standing umbrella, some 
 crying "Mammoth cabbages" and others " New 
 fashioned sunshades." 
 
 She turned again and said, with tears in her 
 eyes, "What have I done, my little lads, that you 
 should thus trouble me?" 
 
 " It is a shame," said a neatly-dressed, fine-look- 
 ing boy, who rushed through the crowd to the res- 
 cue of the poor old woman. 
 
 " Madam," said he, "your umbrella was turned 
 by the wind. Will you allow me to close it for 
 you i 
 
 " I thank you," she replied. " Then that is 
 what those boys are hooting at ! Well, it does 
 look funny," added she, as she looked at the cause 
 of their merriment. The kind-hearted boy en- 
 deavored to turn down the umbrella, but it was no 
 easy task; the whalebones seemed obstinately bent 
 on standing upright. 
 
 ■ The boys now changed the subject of their at- 
 tack, and the pebbles rattled like hail upon the 
 manly fellow who was struggling to relieve the 
 poor woman from her awkward predicament. 
 
 " You are a mean fellow to spoil our fun," said 
 
MORAL STORIES. 75 
 
 they; " but you can't come it; cabbage leaves will 
 grow upward." 
 
 He, however, at length succeeded, and, closing 
 the troublesome umbrella, handed it to the old 
 woman with a polite bow. 
 
 " Thank you, thank you, a thousand thanks, sir," 
 said she ; " and I should like to know your name, 
 that I may repay you whenever I can find an op- 
 portunity." 
 
 " By no means," replied he. " I am happy to 
 have rendered you this trifling service ;" and he 
 walked away. 
 
 " Well," said she, "whoever you are, your father 
 and mother have reason to be proud of you, for 
 you are a gentleman — a perfect gentleman." 
 
 And so he was a gentleman, and I wish I could 
 tell you his name, that you may see if my prophecy 
 does not prove true. 
 
 "Manners make the man," you may often have 
 written in very legible characters in your copy 
 books. They certainly do go very far toward 
 making the gentleman. But a true gentleman 
 must have a good heart also. 
 
76 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 ONLY A GRAIN OF SAND. 
 
 AM AN who for years had carried an old and 
 cherished watch about him, one day called 
 upon its maker and told him it was no longer use- 
 ful, for it would not keep time correctly. 
 
 " Let me examine it," said the maker; and tak- 
 ing a powerful glass, he looked carefully and stead- 
 ily into the works, until he spied just one little 
 grain of sand. 
 
 " I have it," he said ; "I can get over your diffi- 
 culty. There is a grain of sand here." 
 
 " Why, sir," said the man, who stood by while 
 the watchmaker removed the atom, and noticed it 
 was so small it could, only be seen through the 
 magnifier, ''how can such a little thing disturb the 
 whole machinery ? May it not be that the works 
 are defective in some way ?" 
 
 "No, I am quite sure there is nothing else wrong. 
 That little grain did all the mischief ; and it is the 
 more troublesome that it is so small, for it can 
 work itself into places otherwise proof against dis- 
 turbance, and where it is hard to be discovered or 
 dislodged." 
 
 Thus it is in the home. One cross feeling, one 
 
MORAL STORIES. ']'] 
 
 hasty word, or one angry look may mar the hap- 
 piness of the household. Like the tiny grain of 
 sand it is hardly noticeable, but it clogs the good 
 feelings and gentleness that should have full play 
 in the home circle. Always remember this lesson 
 and avoid saying angry or cross words, which will 
 be sure to have their effect to work an injury, like 
 the grain of sand in the watch. 
 
 GOOD FOR EVIL. 
 
 u]\ /fAMMA," said my little Charley, "now 
 i.VJL that I have a new sled, what shall I do 
 with the old one ?" His face wore a puzzled look 
 for a little while, when a thought struck him. 
 "Mamma, there's a chance to do something — real 
 good, too. What's the use talking so much about 
 a thing and never doing it ?" 
 "What, Charley?" 
 
 "Well, mamma, if there's any boy in the world I 
 hate, that boy's Sim Tyson. He's always plaguing 
 and teasing me and all the other little boys, either 
 taking our things from us, or pretending that he's 
 going to. It never does any good to get cross; 
 for that's just what he likes ; but, better even than 
 this, Sim does like a sled ; and — well, maybe it's 
 foolish — but I've half a notion to give that old sled 
 
78 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 to him. It might make him think, and so do him 
 good. Mightn't it, mamma ?" 
 
 "Yes, it might,'' said the mother. 
 
 So Sim got Charley's sled, which pleased and 
 touched him beyond everything ; and they do say 
 he is kinder, not only to the little boys, but to 
 everybody, than he was before. 
 
 THE SUNDAY STONE. 
 
 IN a coal mine in England, we are told, there is 
 a constant formation of limestone, caused by 
 the trickling of water through the rocks. This 
 water contains a great many particles of lime, 
 which are deposited in the mine, and as the water 
 passes off, these become hard and form the lime- 
 stone. 
 
 This stone would always be white, like white 
 marble, were it not that men are working in the 
 mine, and as the black dust rises from the coal it 
 mixes with the soft lime, and in that way a black 
 stone is formed. Now, in the night, when there 
 is no coal-dust rising, the stone is white; then again, 
 the next day, when the miners are at work, an- 
 other black layer is formed, and so on alternately 
 black and white through the week until Sabbath 
 comes. Then if the miners keep holy the Sabbath, 
 
MORAL STORIES. 79 
 
 a much larger layer of white, stone will be formed 
 than before. There will be the white stone of 
 Saturday night, and the whole day and night of the 
 Sabbath, so that every seventh day the white layer 
 will be about three times as thick as any of the 
 others. But if the men work on the Sabbath, they 
 see it marked against them in the stone. Hence 
 the miners call it "the Sunday stone." How they 
 need to be very careful to observe this holy day, 
 when they would see their violation of God's com- 
 mand thus written down in stone-^— an image of the 
 indellible record in heaven ! 
 
 A LOSING GAME. 
 
 THIS story again shows plainly the benefit of 
 being honest. The only true way to suc- 
 ceed in business and in life is to be truthful and 
 trustworthy. 
 
 Two boys were seated at their little stalls selling 
 their different wares to customers. One passed 
 off as "fresh" an article which would be found 
 quite stale when it came to be eaten. He made a 
 good profit and exulted over his sale. His neigh- 
 bor had but one melon left, and on a gentleman 
 inquiring its price, he honestly turned the melon 
 over and showed him a defect in it. 
 
8o MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Of course it was not bought, but the man looked 
 keenly at the boy, commended his honesty, and 
 told him he should deal with him again. 
 
 " What a fool you were," said the other boy; 
 "you'll have that melon left on your hands for your 
 pains. My stand is clear," and he rubbed his 
 hands with satisfaction. 
 
 "That may be," said the other, "but I have 
 only done what was right arid honest. Then, too, 
 I have gained a customer, while you have lost 
 one." 
 
 ONE BRICK UPON ANOTHER. 
 
 A BOY watched a large building as the work- 
 men from day to day carried the bricks and 
 mortar. 
 
 My son, said his father, you seem much in- 
 terested in the bricklayers. Do you think of learn- 
 ing that trade? 
 
 "No," he replied; "I was thinking what a little 
 thing a brick is, and what great houses are built 
 by laying one brick upon another," 
 
 "Very true, my son; never forget it. So it is 
 in all great works; all your learning is but one 
 great lesson added to another. If a man could 
 walk all around the world it would be by putting 
 
MORAL STORIES. 8 1 
 
 one foot before the other. Your whole life will be 
 made up of a succession of moments, learn from 
 this not to despise little things. Be not discour- 
 aged by great labors. They become easy if divided 
 into parts. You could not jump over a mountain, 
 but step by step takes you to the other side. Do 
 not fear, therefore, to attempt great things. Always 
 remember that the large building rose by laying 
 one brick upon another." 
 
 "ONLY MOTHER." 
 
 I HOPE none of the boys or girls who hear this 
 story are so heartless as the boy of which it 
 tells. But as a warning to them it is well to read 
 and remember it. 
 
 "Where are you, Harry?" "What do you 
 want?" said. a very cross little voice. "Why, 
 Harry, my dear, where are you?" "I am up here 
 in the barn hunting for eggs ! What do you want 
 now?" the childish voice asked, louder and more 
 harshly than before. 
 
 "I want to see you, Harry; won't yOu please 
 come here a minute?" 
 
 "No, I won't !" 
 
 "Don't you know who I am, Harry? I'm 
 Cousin Jennie." 
 
82 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "Oh, Cousin Jennie, is it you? I'm so glad 
 you've come. I'll come down just as quick as I 
 can." 
 
 Now the little voice was so sweet and loving 
 you would have been sure if you had been 
 there that two little boys had been in the barn. 
 
 Harry came down, his pretty face dimpling 
 and smiling. He ran up to the young lady, 
 waiting, and put his soft, pink cheek against 
 hers. 
 
 "You were so nice to come and see me," he 
 said; "you'll tell me a long story, won't you?" 
 
 "Why, Harry, you frightened me. I didn't 
 know you could ever say such cross words. I 
 thought a little bear was up there growling. 
 Whom did you think I was, Harry?" 
 
 "Oh, I thought it was only mother." 
 
 Only mother! — could words be more cruel? 
 
 "Oh, Harry Summers! what can it be that your 
 mother has done ?" 
 
 "Why, nothing— nothing — only she is my mother, 
 you know." 
 
 That was a year ago or more. Harry can never 
 say "only mother" now. His kind, good mother 
 has gone away forever, and people say that one of 
 the chief causes of her death was sorrow over the 
 ungrateful conduct of her children. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 83 
 
 HOW TOM GOT INTO TROUBLE. 
 
 TOM was quite as meddlesome as little Millie 
 who broke her grandmother's spectacles and 
 got snuff into her eyes. He could never leave 
 anything alone. 
 
 "Some day you will meddle too much," said his 
 mother, "and then you will be sorry." 
 
 But Tom did not mind. Other people did, for 
 Tom did a great deal of mischief in one way and 
 another. 
 
 If his mother laid down her knitting work for a 
 moment, he would pull out the needles in order to 
 see the little loops. 
 
 If his sister's worsted work was on the table he 
 began working at it and was sure to spoil it. If 
 the gardener was weeding Tom said he would weed 
 too, and pulled up more flowers than weeds, 
 which made the gardener very angry. 
 
 Then in the nursery, if he found the little ones 
 playing cars, he would interfere and place the 
 chairs another way, and would. insist on being the 
 conductor himself Then the little ones would 
 cry and nurse would be angry and send Tom out 
 of the nursery. 
 
 But^^one day Tom met with a punishment. He 
 
84 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 had been peeping about and listening, and hearing 
 of some wonderful machine that his father had just 
 received. 
 
 "I must go and have a look at it," said Tom to 
 himself. And down he went to his father's study 
 to see what the machine was like. 
 
 He opened the door very softly, and there stood 
 the wonderful machine, with chains and handles 
 and plates, most tempting to behold. 
 
 Tom rubbed his hands and smiled. " I might 
 take it to pieces," he said, "and put it together 
 again without any one knowing." 
 
 So he got upon a chair, and kneeling down, took 
 a chain handle in each hand. 
 
 "Capital !" he was going to say, but instead of 
 finishing the word, he cried out, " Oh, oh, oh !" 
 and screamed so loud that every one ran to see 
 what was the matter. 
 
 For no sooner had Tom taken hold of the handles 
 than he felt as if pins and needles were pricking 
 him, and he could not take his hands away, the 
 handles seemed to keep them fast. "Oh, oh, oh !" 
 yelled Tom. 
 
 "Ah!" said his father, "you have punished your- 
 self at last. This is a galvanic battery." 
 
 Tom did not know what a galvanic battery was, 
 but he made up his mind not to meddle with one 
 again. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 85 
 
 When his father had loosed his hands Tom crept 
 away to his room, without stopping to say a word, 
 not caring to hear their laughter and the jokes 
 that were made upon him. 
 
 The galvanic battery had done its work well. 
 Tom's feelings had been touched in a manner that 
 ■ surprised him. 
 
 He was told that there were other machines in 
 the world more dangerous than galvanic batteries, 
 and he believed it. 
 
 Tom had learned a lesson and one that he was 
 likely to remember. He never again meddled with 
 anything he did not understand. 
 
 SPEAK KINDLY. 
 
 A YOUNG lady had gone out walking. She for- 
 got to take her purse with her and had no 
 money in her pocket. Presently she met a little 
 girl with a basket on her arm. 
 
 "Please miss, will you buy something from my 
 basket?" said the little girl, showing a variety of 
 book marks, watch cases, needle books, etc. 
 
 "I'm sorry I can't buy anything today," said the 
 young lady. " I haven't any money with me. Your 
 things look very pretty." She stopped a moment 
 
86 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 and spoke a few kind words to the little girl ; and 
 then as she passed she said again, "I'm very sorry 
 I can't buy anything from you today. " 
 
 " O miss !" said the little girl, "you've done me 
 as much good as if you had. Most persons that 
 I meet say, 'Get away with you!' but you have^ 
 spoken kindly and gently to me, and I feel a heap 
 better." 
 
 That was considering the poor. How little 
 it costs to do that! Let us learn to speak kindly 
 and gently to the poor and suffering. If we have 
 nothing else to give, let us at least give them our 
 sympathy. 
 
 THE INVALID AND THE VIOLINIST. 
 
 AN OLD and infirm soldier was playing his 
 violin one evening on the Prater, in Vienna. 
 His faithful dog was holding his hat, in which 
 passers-by dropped a few coppers as they came 
 along. However, on the evening in question no- 
 body stopped to put a small coin into the poor old 
 fellow's hat. Every one went straight on, and the 
 gaiety of the crowd added to the sorrow in the old 
 soldier's heart, and showed itself in his withered 
 countenance. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 87 
 
 However, all at once, a well-dressed gentleman 
 came up to where he stood, listened to his playing 
 for a few minutes, and gazed compassionately 
 upon him. Ere long the old fiddler's weary hand 
 had no longer strength to grasp his bow. His 
 limbs refused to carry him farther. He seated 
 himself on a stone, rested his head on his hands, 
 and began silently to weep. At that instant the 
 gentleman approached, offered the old man a piece 
 of gold, and said : " Lend me your violin a little 
 while." 
 
 Then, having carefully tuned it, he said : "You 
 take the money and I'll play." 
 
 He did play ! All the passers-by stopped to 
 listen — struck with the distinguished air of the 
 musician and captivated by his marvelous genius. 
 Every moment the circle became larger and larger. 
 Not copper alone, but silver — and even gold — was 
 dropped into the poor man's hat. The dog began 
 to growl, for it was becoming too heavy for him to 
 hold. At an invitation from the audience, the in- 
 valid emptied its contents into his sack, and they 
 filled it again. 
 
 After a national melody, in which everyone 
 present joined, with uncovered heads, the violinist 
 placed the instrument upon the poor man's knees, 
 and, without waiting to be thanked, disappeared. 
 
 "Who is it?" was asked on all sides. 
 
88 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "It is Armand Boucher, the famous violin 
 player," replied some one in the crowd. "He has 
 been turning his art to account in the service of 
 charity. Let us follow his example." 
 
 And the speaker sent round his hat also, made 
 a new collection,- and gave the proceeds to the in- 
 valid, crying, " Long live Boucher !" 
 
 Deeply affected, the invalid lifted up his hands 
 and eyes towards heaven and invoked God's 
 blessing on his benefactor. 
 
 That evening there were two happy men in 
 Vienna — the invalid, placed for a long time above 
 the reach of want, and the generous artist, who 
 felt in his heart the joy which always repays the 
 bestowal of charity. 
 
 BE PLEASANT. 
 
 ccHV /r OTHER'S cross !" said Maggie, coming 
 WX. out into the kitchen with a pout on her 
 
 lips. Her aunt was busy ironing; but she looked 
 
 up and answered Maggie : 
 
 "Then it is the very time for you to be pleasant 
 
 and helpful. Mother was awake a great deal in 
 
 the night with the poor baby." 
 
 Maggie made no reply. She put on her hat and 
 
 walked off into the garden. But a new idea went 
 
MORAL STORIES. 89 
 
 with her. " 'The very time to be helpful and 
 pleasant is when other people are cross.' Sure 
 enough," thought she ; "that would be the time it 
 would do the most good. I remember when I was 
 sick last year I was so nervous, that if anybody 
 fepoke to me I could hardly help being cross, and 
 mother never got angry or out of patience, but 
 was just as gentle with me ! I ought to pay it back 
 now ; and I will." And she sprang up from the 
 grass where she had thrown herself, and turned 
 a face full of cheerful resolution toward the room 
 where her mother sat soothing and tending a fret- 
 ful, teething baby. Maggie brought out the pretty 
 ivory balls, and began to jingle them for the little 
 one. He stopped fretting and a smile dimpled the 
 corners of his lips. "Couldn't I take him out to 
 ride in his carriage, mother, it is such a nice morn- 
 ing?" she asked. 
 
 " I should be so glad if you would !" said her 
 mother. 
 
 The little hat and sacque were brought, and baby 
 soon was ready for his ride. 
 
 "I'll keep him as long as he is good," said 
 Maggie ; "and you must lie on the sofa arid get a 
 nap while I am gone. You are looking dreadfully 
 tired." 
 
 The kind words and the kiss that accompanied 
 them were almost too much for the mother. The 
 
go MORAL STORIES. 
 
 tears rose to her eyes and her voice trembled as 
 she answered, "Thank you, dearie ; it will do me 
 a world of good if you can keep him out an hour, 
 and the air will do him good, too. My head aches 
 badly this morning." 
 
 What a happy heart beat in Maggie's bosom as 
 she trundled the little carriage up and down on the 
 walk ! She had done real good. She had given 
 back a little of the help and forbearance that had 
 so often been bestowed upon her. She had made 
 her mother happier and * given her time to rest. 
 She resolved always to remember and act upon 
 her aunt's good word: "The very time to be help- 
 ful and pleasant is when everybody is tired and 
 cross." 
 
 TOM'S LESSON. 
 
 ii(r~^ O and get it? Go and get it, I say !" 
 
 Vjr Poor little Dash crept close to his young 
 master's feet, looking up in his face with earnest, 
 pleading eyes, as if he would say, "Please, please 
 don't ! I cannot do what you want." 
 
 Tom was trying to make Dash swim after a stick 
 which he had just thrown into the river. Now, 
 Dash was not a water dog, having no more love 
 
MORAL STORIES. 9 1 
 
 for it than a cat, and foolish Tom was bent on 
 making him one ! He kicked the poor little an- 
 imal away and repeated his order ; then, angry 
 that it was not obeyed, seized him and threw him 
 into the water. The dog was sorely frightened, 
 but by hard struggling reached the bank and 
 crawled to his master's feet with a pitiful whine, 
 wet, panting, trembling. The cruel boy caught 
 him up with rough words, and was just going to 
 throw him in again, when a pair of strong arms 
 seized him and a man's voice said, " Here, you 
 young scamp ! Now we'll see how you like to 
 swim !" 
 
 It was Tom's turn to be frightened. He turned 
 pale, trembled and caught his breath as the stran- 
 ger lifted him in his stout arms as easily as he had 
 poor Dash; he began to beg. "Oh, sir, pray don't! 
 I cannot swim, indeed I cannot ! Oh, don't throw 
 me into the water ! I will never, never do so 
 again." 
 
 The man paused, but did not let go his hold. 
 
 " Neither can your dog swim," said he ; "but 
 you mean to make him do it, just to amuse your- 
 self. Why can I not make you do it to amuse me? 
 I am as much larger and stronger than you, as you 
 are larger and stronger than that poor, panting, 
 trembling dog." 
 
 Tom still begged and promised, and the stranger 
 
92 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 at last let him go, saying ; "Now, my boy, let me 
 give you a kind word of advice. Never treat an- 
 other, whether human being or dumb animal, as 
 'you would not like to be treated yourself. Never 
 try to make anybody or anything do what God, 
 when He created it, did not make it to do, or to be 
 what He did not mean it to be. If you keep these 
 rules you will be a better, wiser, happier boy. 
 Good-bye." 
 
 And Tom knew in his heart that the man was 
 right, and the lesson, though it seemed severe, had 
 been given in kindness. 
 
 THE LION AND MOUSE. 
 
 A LESSON is conveyed in the following fable^ 
 which our young readers will do well to re- 
 member: 
 
 A lion had lain down to sleep in the forest, and 
 some mice running over him broke his rest. Start- 
 ing up and getting one of them under his paw, he 
 was about to crush it to death, when the mouse 
 asked for pardon in very moving terms. It begged 
 him not to stain his good name with the blood of 
 so humble a creature as itself; and the lion, after 
 a moment's thought, had pity on the little trem- 
 bling thing, and let it go unharmed. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 93 
 
 Afterwards the lion, when chasing his prey, 
 chanced to be caught in the snares spread for him 
 \ by hunters, and unable to free himself, he made the 
 valley ring with his cries of rage. His greatest 
 efforts were in vain ; for the snares were fastened 
 to posts beyond his reach. Suddenly he beheld 
 upon one of these a little mouse, who bade him fear 
 nothing. This was no other than his former cap- 
 tive, who had no sooner heard his voice of distress 
 than he had hastened to the spot. The mouse was 
 now able to give his friend the very help he needed. 
 Gnawing the cords of the snare with his sharp 
 little teeth, he soon set the lion at liberty, and re- 
 ceived from him afterwards many proofs of his 
 thankfulness. 
 
 The time may come when everything turns upon 
 the help of the smallest friend; hence a kind action 
 may bring its reward when least looked for. 
 
 A TRUSTY BOY. 
 
 ^^ EVERAL years ago, says a New York paper, 
 w_/ a large firm in that city advertised for a boy. 
 Next day the store was thronged with applicants, 
 and among them came a queer-looking little fel- 
 low, accompanied by his aunt, in lieu of faithful 
 parents by whom he had been abandoned. 
 
94 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Looking at this little waif, the merchant in the 
 store promptly said: "Can't take him ; places all 
 full. Besides, he is too small." 
 
 "I know he is small," said the woman; "but 
 he is willing and faithful." 
 
 There was a twinkle in the boy's eye which 
 made the merchant think again. A partner in the 
 firm volunteered to remark that he did not see 
 why they wanted such a boy; he wasn't bigger than 
 a pint of cider. But after consultation the boy was 
 sent to work. 
 
 A few days later a call was made on the boys in 
 the store for some one to stay all night. The 
 prompt response of the little fellow contrasted well 
 with the reluctance of the others. In the middle 
 of the night the merchant looked in to see if all was 
 right in the store and discovered his youthful pro- 
 tege busy scissoring labels. 
 
 "What are you doing," said he ; "I did not tell 
 you to work nights." 
 
 " I know that you did not tell me so, but T 
 thought that I might as well be doing something." 
 
 In the morning the cashier got orders to "double 
 that boy's wages, for he was willing." 
 
 Only a few weeks elapsed before a show of wild 
 beasts passed through the streets, and, very natur- 
 ally, all hands in the store rushed out to witness 
 the spectacle. A thief saw his opportunity, and 
 
MORAL STORIES. 95 
 
 entered in the rear to seize something, but, in a 
 twinkle, found himself seized by the diminutive 
 clerk aforesaid, and after a struggle was captured. 
 Not only was a robbery prevented, but the valu- 
 able articles which had been taken from other 
 stores were recovered. When questioned by the 
 merchant why he stayed behind to watch, the reply 
 was : "You never told me to leave the store when 
 others were absent and I thought I'd stay." 
 
 Some years later that boy was receiving a salary 
 of $2500 and is now a partner in the establish- 
 ment. 
 
 RETURNING EVIL FOR EVIL. 
 
 WHEN she was a little girl, a lady once 
 learned a good lesson, which she tells for 
 the benefit of other young people: "One frosty 
 morning I was looking out of the window into my 
 father's farmyard, where stood many cows, oxen 
 and horses waiting to drink. It was a cold morn- 
 ing. The cattle all stood very still and meek, till 
 one of the cows attempted to turn round. In mak- 
 ing the attempt she happened to hit her next 
 neighbor, whereupon the neighbor kicked and hit 
 another. In five minutes the whole herd were 
 
96 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 kicking each other with fury. My mother turned 
 and said, 
 
 "'See what comes of kicking when you are hit. 
 Just so I have seen one cross word set a whole 
 family by the ears some frosty morning.' 
 
 "Afterward, if my brothers or myself were a 
 little irritable, she would say, ' Take care, my chil- 
 dren. Remember how the fight in the farmyard 
 began. Never give back a kick for a hit, and you 
 will save yourself and others a great deal of trou- 
 ble.^ " 
 
 THE PEACOCK AND THE OYSTER. 
 
 A FABLE. 
 
 A FABLE is a story in which animals or 
 birds or even objects are supposed to 
 speak and act. Fables are always intended to 
 teach some good lesson. Listen to this one and 
 see what lesson you can learn from it. 
 
 One day an oyster set out to cross a neck of land 
 to save himself a long swim around it, and as he 
 journeyed along the dusty highway, content with 
 the weather, the climate and his surroundings, he 
 suddenly heard a harsh voice crying out for him 
 to halt. As he rolled into the shade of a pigweed 
 
MORAL STORIES. 97 
 
 a peacock advanced with a lordly strut, and de- 
 manded: 
 
 "How now, sirrah? Where are you going, and 
 what is your errand?" 
 
 "I'm simply crossing from water to water, and 
 tired enough I am. I believe I have been three 
 good hours making half a mile." 
 
 "Three hours! Why I could strut over the 
 distance in three minutes! Ah, me; but you don't 
 amount to much for size." 
 
 "No, a child can swallow me at a gulp." 
 
 "And you aren't the least bit pretty." 
 
 "That's true. My shell is course and full of 
 ridges." 
 
 "And you can't sing?" 
 
 "Not a note." 
 
 "Nor fly?" 
 
 "Not at all." 
 
 "Well, well, I really pity you. Now then, if you 
 want to see something gaudy, just gaze at me." 
 
 The bird strutted up and down, head up and 
 tail spread out, and the oyster was compelled to 
 say that it was a sight to do sore eyes good. 
 
 "While you creep, I walk, strut and fly." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "While you whisper I sing." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "While you tumble around in the mud and 
 
gS MORAL STORIES. 
 
 sand, I reflect all the colors of the rainbow on the 
 lawn." 
 
 "I must admit it," sighed the oyster. 
 
 "And while a pigweed shelters you it takes 
 a whole apple tree to give me a shade. You 
 see—?" 
 
 And the oyster saw. An eagle had been look- 
 ing for a breakfast. The humble oyster, hidden 
 under the weed, escaped his piercing glances, but 
 the gorgeous peacock was instantly seen and 
 spotted. There was a whirr, a scream,' and the 
 eagle had ascended with the vain bird fast in his 
 claws. 
 
 "Come to think it over," said the oyster, "it's 
 about as well to be an oyster under a pigweed as 
 a peacock in the claws of an eagle. I guess I'll 
 move on." 
 
 The moral or lesson which this story is intend- 
 ed to teach is that we should not boast of how 
 much nicer we are than other people, or how much 
 better clothes we have. It may happen as it often 
 does, that those we think are hot as nice as we are, 
 in the end are better or nicer, or at least more 
 happy. We should not feel vain or proud because 
 we have something that others have not. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 99 
 
 KEEPING FAITH. 
 
 s 
 
 ^ IR WILLIAM NAPIER was one day taking 
 a long country walk, when he met a little 
 girl about five years old sobbing over a broken 
 bowl. She had dropped and broken it in bring- 
 ing it back from the field to which she had taken 
 her father's dinner, and said she would be beaten 
 on her return home for having broken it. As she 
 said this a sudden gleam of hope seemed to cheer 
 her. She innocently looked up into Sir William's 
 face and said : " But you can mend it, can't you ?" 
 He explained that he could not mend the bowl, 
 but the trouble he could overcome by the gift of 
 a sixpence to buy another. 
 
 However, on opening his purse it was empty of 
 silver, and he promised to meet his little friend on 
 the same spot at the same hour next day, and to 
 bring sixpence with him ; bidding her meanwhile 
 tell her mother she had seen a gentleman who 
 would bring her the money for a bowl next day. 
 The child, entirely trusting him, went on her way 
 comforted. On his return home he found an in- 
 vitation awaiting him to dine in Bath the following 
 evening, to meet some one he especially wished to 
 see. He hesitated for some time, trying to cal- 
 
too MORAL STORIES. 
 
 culate the possibility of giving tKe meeting to his 
 little friend of the broken bowl and still being in 
 time for the dinner party in Bath ; but finding this 
 could not be, he wrote to decline accepting the in- 
 vitation, on the plea of a "previous engage- 
 ment, saying, " I cannot disappoint her ; she 
 trusted me." 
 
 MYRTLE AINSWORTH. 
 
 HOW SHE WAS MADE HAPPY. 
 
 Y^H! mamma, do you see the little girl with 
 
 \_y a basket on her arm? She looks so pale 
 and thin, and see, her shoes are all torn, and she 
 has an old torn dress on. Why don't her mamma 
 get her some new clothes?" 
 
 "That is Susan Jones, Myrtle, her mother lives 
 near the depot, and is very poor." 
 
 "Why is she poor, mamma?" 
 
 "Because when Susan was a small baby, her 
 papa, who had lost all his worldly goods, died, 
 leaving his widow and three small children home- 
 less." 
 
 "Don't they have any home, or warm fires, or 
 nice dinners?" 
 
 "No, my dear; but they are the poor the Lord 
 said we had with us always." 
 
MORAL STORIES. lOt 
 
 "Are they the poor you ask the Lord to bless 
 when you are praying, mamma?" 
 
 "Yes, Myrtle, and your papa knowing they are 
 poor, sends them many comforts on Christmas, 
 such as flour, coal, etc.; but Susan and her little 
 brothers do not look forward to a grand Christ- 
 mas tree as some children do." 
 
 Myrtle remained standing by the window look- 
 ing after Susie and wondering how she would feel 
 not to be looking forward to Christmas as the 
 brightest day of the year ; and turning she said, 
 "Mamma, did not the Lord say something about 
 clothing the poor?" 
 
 "Yes, Myrrie." 
 
 "Well, mamma, may I take Susie some of my 
 dresses? The one with the striped ribbon is too 
 short and she is not so large as I; and there is my 
 last winter's coat, and so many things." 
 
 "Yes, Myrtle, I am glad you are willing to 
 divide with the poor. Come, let us go and see 
 what we can find." 
 
 On Christmas Eve, while the widow and her 
 children were seated around a warm fire made 
 of coal Myrtle's father had sent them, a gentle 
 tap at the door startled the family, as few cared 
 to leave their comfortable homes Christmas even- 
 ing, and some nice things were brought through 
 Myrtle's influence to the poor family. 
 
I02 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Myrtle was very happy at finding she had made 
 little Susie glad and while Mrs. Jones thanked 
 good Mrs. Ainsworth, the little girls were busy 
 unpacking some things for the poor widow's 
 Christmas dinner, which Jotin, the hired man, had 
 just carried in. Thus was Myrtle joyous in trying 
 to make others happy, and we would all be happy 
 if we would do unto others as we would have 
 them do to us. 
 
 DOING THINGS WELL. 
 
 ^^' I "HERE !" said Harry throwing down the 
 X shoe brush, "that'll do. My shoes don't 
 look very bright, but no matter. Who cares?" 
 
 "Whatever is worth while doing at all is worth 
 doing well," said his father, who had heard the 
 boy's careless speech. 
 
 Harry blushed, while his father continued : 
 
 "My boy, your shoes look wretchedly. Pick up 
 the brush and make them shine ; when you have 
 finished them come into the house." 
 
 As soon as Harry appeared with his well-polish- 
 ed shoes, his father said : 
 
 "I have a little story to tell you. I once knew 
 a poor boy whose mother taught him the proverb 
 
MORAL STORIES. IO3 
 
 which I repeated to you a few minutes ago. This 
 boy went out to service in a gentleman's family 
 and he took pains to do everything well, no matter 
 how unimportant it seemed. His employer was 
 pleased and took him into his shop. He did his 
 work well there, and when sent on errands went 
 quickly and was soon back in his place. So he ad- 
 vanced from step to step until he became clerk, and 
 then a partner in the business. He is now a rich 
 man and anxious that his son Harry should practice 
 the rule that made him prosper." 
 
 "Why, papa, were you a poor boy once?" 
 "Yes, my son, so poor that I had to go out to 
 service and black boots and wait at table and do 
 any service that was required of me. By doing 
 these little things well I was soon intrusted with 
 more important ones." 
 
 IN SEARCH OF A BOY. 
 
 AGENTLEMAN wanted a trusty boy. His 
 friend came to his office one day saying, 
 "I've got a boy for you — smart, active, intelligent, 
 just the boy that will please you." 
 
 "Who is he ?" said the gentleman. The friend 
 told his name. Just at that minute the boy passed 
 the window, and was pointed out to him. 
 
I04 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "Don't wartt him," said the gentleman; "he has 
 a bad mark ; I met him the other day with a cigar 
 in his mouth. I do not want a smoker." 
 
 While they were talking another gentleman 
 entered the office. 
 
 "I understand that you want a good, trusty boy, 
 Mr. ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir ; have you got one for me ?" 
 
 "I think I have," he replied. 
 
 "Well, sir," said the gentleman, "what do you 
 know of him?" 
 
 "I don't know much," said the other; "he is in 
 my Sabbath school, always has his lessons, and 
 never smokes." 
 
 "He is the boy for me. The boy that gets his 
 Sabbath school lesson and never smokes can be 
 trusted." 
 
 A GOOD INVESTMENT. 
 
 SEVERAL winters ago a woman was coming 
 out of a public building where the heavy doors 
 swung back and made egress somewhat difficult. 
 A little street urchin sprang to the rescue, and, as he 
 held open the door, she said, "Thank you," and 
 passed on. 
 
MORAL STORIES. IO5 
 
 "D'ye hear that ?" said the boy to a companion 
 standing near by him. 
 
 "No; what?" 
 
 "Why, that lady said 'Thank ye' to the likes 
 o' me." 
 
 Amused at the conversation, the lady turned and 
 said to the boy : 
 
 "It always pays to be polite my boy; remember 
 that." 
 
 Years passed away, and last December, when 
 doing her Christmas shopping, this same lady re- 
 ceived exceptional courtesy from a clerk in Boston, 
 which caused her to remark to a friend who was 
 with her : 
 
 "What a great comfort to be civilly treated once 
 in a while — though I don't know that I blame the 
 store clerks for being rude during the holidays." 
 
 The young man's quick ear caught the words, 
 and he said: . 
 
 "Pardon me, madam, but you gave me my first 
 lesson in politeness a few years ago." 
 
 The lady looked at him in amazement, while he 
 related the little, forgotten incident, and told her 
 that that simple "Thank you" awakened his am- 
 bition to be something in the world. He went and 
 applied for a situation as ofifice boy in the establish- 
 ment where he was now an honored and trusted 
 clerk. 
 
I06 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Only two words, dropped into the treasury of 
 a street conversation, bnt they yielded returns 
 most satisfactory. 
 
 HELP YOUR MOTHER. 
 
 T S THERE a vacant place in this bank which 
 
 J. I could fill ?" was the inquiry of a boy as, 
 with glowing cheek, he stood before the manager. 
 
 "There is none," was the reply. "Were you 
 told that you could obtain a situation here } Who 
 recommended you ?" 
 
 "No one recommended me, sir," calmly an- 
 swered the boy. "I only thought I would see." 
 
 There was a straight-forwardness in the manner, 
 and honest determination in the countenance of 
 the lad, which pleased the man of business, and 
 induced him to continue the conversation. He 
 said : 
 
 " You must have friends who could aid you in 
 obtaining a situation ; have you told them?" 
 
 The quick flash of the deep blue eyes was 
 quenched in the overtaking wave of sadness, as 
 he said half musingly: 
 
 " My mother said it would be useless to try 
 without friends ;" then recollecting himself, he 
 apologized for the interruption, and was about to 
 
Moral stories. 107 
 
 withdraw, when the gentleman detained him by 
 asking why -he did not remain at school for a year 
 or two, and then enter the business world. 
 
 "I have no time," was the reply. " I study at 
 home and keep up with the other boys." 
 
 " Then you have a place already," said his in- 
 terrogator. 
 
 "I have not left it," answered the boy. 
 
 "But you wish to leave. What is the matter?" 
 
 For an instant the child hesitated ; then he re- 
 plied, with half reluctant frankness : 
 
 " I must do more for my mother !" 
 
 Brave words ! Talisman of success anywhere, 
 everywhere. They s,ank into the heart of the 
 listener. Grasping the hand of the astonished child, 
 he said : 
 
 "My boy, what is your name ? You shall fill the 
 first vacancy for an apprentice that occurs in the 
 bank. If, in the meantime, you need a friend, come 
 to me. But now give me your confidence. Why 
 do you wish to do more for your mother? Have 
 you no father ?" 
 
 Tears filled his eyes as he replied : "My father 
 is dead, my brothers and sisters are dead, and 
 mother and I are left alone to help each other. 
 But she is not strong, and I wish to take care of 
 her. It will please her, sir, that you have been so 
 kind, and I am much obliged to you." So saying. 
 
Io8 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 the boy left, little dreaming that his own nobleness 
 of character had been as a bright glance of sun- 
 shine into the busy world he had so tremblingly 
 entered. A boy animated by a desire to help his 
 mother will always find friends. 
 
 THE FOX AND THE FLEAS. 
 
 A FABLE. 
 
 A FOX was once grievously tormented with 
 fleas, that grew, multiplied, and became so 
 aggressive upon him as to render his life almost 
 unendurable. He became furious and enraged at 
 the torture they inflicted upon him ; he rolled him- 
 self violently about upon the ground, he snapped 
 and snarled at them with his teeth, he ran here and 
 there through the bushes, seeking in vain to rid 
 himself of his merciless tormentors, but the violence 
 of his efforts only made his enemies more fierce 
 and vexatious. At last, when nearly exhausted by 
 his endeavors, he laid himself down upon the bank 
 of a clear stream and began to ponder upon his 
 desperate and uncomfortable situation. 
 
 His attention was soon attracted by a group of 
 cattk that came down into the water from the bank 
 upon the opposite side of the stream, and who, 
 being greatly annoyed by swarms of flies, sought 
 
MORAL STORIES. ICQ 
 
 to evade them by submerging themselves in the 
 water. ^ 
 
 " Surely, surely," said the fox to himself, "there 
 are none under the sun that are free from perse- 
 cution. We have but to look about us and we find 
 that other creatures everywhere are as unfortunate 
 as ourselves, and we have but to observe the man- 
 ner in which they meet and overcome their misfor- 
 tunes, to learn important and useful lessons that 
 we can employ in the successful avoidance or mas- 
 tery of our own troubles." 
 
 Having delivered himself of this remarkable re- 
 flection, the fox arose and proceeded to look about 
 him ; he gathered a small bunch of grass from the 
 bank of the stream, and taking it in his mouth, he 
 slowly walked backwards into the water, until his 
 entire body was submerged and nothing was vis- 
 ible above the surface of the stream but the tip of 
 his nose and the tuft of grass. The fleas mean- 
 while, seeking to keep above water, slowly crept 
 along his body and began to take refuge upon the 
 grass. When the fox had made sure that the last 
 of his troublesome enemies were upon it, he sud- 
 denly opened his mouth and the bunch of grass 
 floated down the stream freighted with his late op- 
 pressors. The wily animal returned to the bank, 
 and creeping out of the water sunned himself, and 
 went upon his way rejoicing. 
 
no MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Nothing that lives under the sun is free from 
 persecution. It is well for those who are wretched 
 to think that the world is full of beings whose situ- 
 ations are more deplorable' than their own. The 
 wisest man may often learn lessons that are new 
 to him from the instincts of the lower animals. 
 Calm reason will do more to accomplish important 
 purposes than all the force and violence one can 
 command. 
 
 BETTER WHISTLE THAN WHINE. 
 
 AS I was taking a walk early in September, I 
 noticed two little boys on their way to school. 
 The smaller stumbled and fell, and though he was 
 not much hurt, he began to whine in a babyish 
 way — not a regular roaring boy cry, as though he 
 was half killed, but a little cross whine. 
 
 The older boy took his hand in a kind and 
 fatherly way, and said : 
 
 "Oh, never mind, Jimmy ; don't whine ; it is a 
 great deal better to whistle." 
 
 And he began in the merriest way a cheerful boy 
 whistle. 
 
 Jimmy tried to join in the whistle. 
 
 "I can't whistle as nice as you, Charlie," said 
 he, "my lips won't pucker up good." 
 
MORAL STORIES. I I I 
 
 "Oh, that is because you have not got all the 
 whine out yet," said Charlie ; " but you try a min- 
 ute, and the whistle will drive the whine away." 
 
 So he did, and the last I saw or heard of the little 
 fellows, they were whistling away as earnestly as 
 though that was the chief end of life. I learned a 
 lesson which I hope I shall not soon forget, and it 
 called out these few lines, which may possibly 
 cheer another whiner of mature years, as this class 
 is by no means confined to children 
 
 It is better to whistle than whine ; 
 
 It is better to laugh than to cry; 
 For though it is cloudy, the sun will soon shine 
 
 Across the blue, beautiful sky. 
 
 It is better to whistle than whine, 
 
 Oh, man with the sorrowful brow ; 
 Let the words of the child scatter murmurs of thine. 
 
 And gather his cheerfulness now. 
 
 It is better to whistle than whine ; 
 
 Poor mother ! so weary with care, 
 Thank God for the love and the peace that are thine 
 
 And joy of thy little ones share. 
 
 It is better to whistle than whine. 
 
 Though troubles you find in your way, 
 
 Remember that wise little fellow of mine, 
 And whistle your whining away. 
 
 God bless that brave boy for the cheer 
 He brought to this sad heart of mine ; 
 
 When tempted to murmur, that young voice I hear, 
 "It is better to whistle than whine \" 
 
112 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 THE BOY WHO KEPT OUT WEL- 
 LINGTON. 
 
 AN English farmer was one day at work in his 
 fields, when he saw a party of huntsmen 
 riding about his farm. He had one field that he 
 was especially anxious that they should not ride 
 over, as the crop was in condition to be badly in- 
 jured by the tramp of horses. 
 
 So he dispatched one of his workmen to the 
 field, telling him to shut the gate, and then keep 
 watch over it, and on no account to suffer it to be 
 opened. The boy went as he was bidden, but was 
 scarcely at his post before the hunters came up, 
 peremptorily ordering the gate to be opened. 
 
 This the boy declined to do, stating the orders 
 he had received, and his determination not to dis- 
 obey them. Threats and bribes were offered, 
 alike in vain. One after another came forward as 
 spokesman, but all with the same result. The boy 
 remained immovable in the determination not to 
 open the gate. 
 
 After a while, one of noble presence advanced, 
 and said in commanding tones : 
 
 "My boy, do you know me? I am the Duke of 
 Wellington; one not accustomed to be disobeyed;. 
 
MORAL STORIES. II3 
 
 and I command you to open that gate, that I and 
 my friends may pass through." 
 
 The boy Hfted his hat and stood uncovered be- 
 fore the man whom all England delighted to honor, 
 and answered firmly, 
 
 "I am sure the Duke of Wellington would not 
 wish me to disobey orders. I must keep this gate 
 shut, nor suffer anyone to pass but by my master's 
 express permission." 
 
 Greatly pleased, the sturdy old warrior lifted his 
 own hat and said : 
 
 "I honor the man or boy who can be neither 
 bribed or frightened into doing wrong. With an 
 army of such soldiers, I cauld not only conquer the 
 French, but the world;" and the old duke put spurs 
 to his horse and galloped away, while the boy ran 
 off to his work, shouting at the top of his voice : 
 
 "Hurrah ! hurrah ! I've done what Napoleon 
 couldn't do — I've kept out the Duke of Welling- 
 ton !" 
 
 AN AFTERNOON LESSON. 
 
 PHILIP BRENT and his sister Sadie generally 
 played very happily together, for they were 
 the only children in the large farm-house on the 
 hill ; and when Phil, was such a little' boy that he 
 
114 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 could scarcely speak plainly, he used to say that 
 "Sadie was such a cunning little thing !" 
 
 He was just three years older than his little 
 sister. He loved her very dearly now ; but some- 
 times he would feel that it was a much finer thing 
 to be a boy than a girl, and that he was so old 
 and so wise that Sadie should be very obedient. 
 
 But the spoiled darling, a dear little roly-poly 
 thing, with great black eyes and the sauciest little 
 nose, thought that brother Phil, was just made to 
 wait upon her and humor all her whims; and 
 sometimes their views would clash very unpleas- 
 antly. 
 
 It was a bright autumn day, and Philip was 
 busily working at a little out-house that had just 
 been given to him for his own use. 
 
 He had been hammering for some time inside 
 and he was now making the door secure. 
 
 Sadie stood near in her little pink sun-bonnet, 
 looking rather cross, for Phil, would not tell her 
 what he was doing all this for, nor would he let 
 her go. inside. To all her questions he replied 
 that it was a secret ; and that some day, maybe, 
 he'd tell her. 
 
 But what little girl of six years would be put 
 off in this way? Sadie coaxed until she was 
 tired ; and then she got angry and stamped her 
 
MORAL STORIES. I I 5 
 
 foot ; but Phil, went on with his hammering and 
 did hot seem to care in the least. 
 
 The little sister was sure that she saw him take 
 something out of a covered basket and she 
 thought it might be kittens, or perhaps chickens ; 
 but Phil, would tell her nothing and she stood 
 pouting awhile and finally walked away. 
 
 But there was no one at the barn to amuse her 
 and she did not want to go into the house, so by- 
 and-by she went back again. 
 
 But Phil, was not there now, he had gone to 
 the house to get something ; and after peeping all 
 around without being able to see anything inside, 
 Sadie tried the door. It was not fastened very 
 securely and two or three pulls got it open. 
 
 The little girl screamed, "Oh!" as two pigeons 
 flew over her head. And just then Phil., looking 
 very red and angry, ran towards her calling out, 
 
 "You little 'meddlesome Mattie !' I'll give you 
 a shaking that you'll remember." 
 
 Sadie shrieked and took to her heels ; she had 
 never run so fast in her life before, but her 
 brother ran faster; and forgetting all about the 
 pond in the fear of his anger, she stumbled and 
 rolled down the bank into the water. 
 
 Phil, was sobered in a minute and his red face 
 very quickly turned white. What if his little sis- 
 ter should be drowned ? There was no one to 
 
1 1 6 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 get her out, and he could do nothing but scream 
 for help. 
 
 Fortunately two of the hired men were coming 
 across a field in the opposite direction, and they 
 soon lifted little Sadie, all dripping, from the 
 water. But she was very still and white ; and 
 Phil, cried as if his heart would break. 
 
 He forgot all about his pigeons and would 
 have given everything he had to see Sadie smile 
 again. 
 
 She was carried into the house and laid on her 
 little bed; and Mrs. Brent cried, and everyone 
 looked very solemn, and the doctor was sent 
 for. 
 
 They rubbed and worked over the little girl for 
 a full hour without being able to see any signs of 
 life. But suddenly she opened her eyes, and 
 said : 
 
 "Where's Phil ?" 
 
 A happier boy never lived than the one who 
 now bounded joyously at the sound of his sister's 
 voice. And Sadie asked : 
 
 "Won't they ever come back again, Phil ? I'm 
 sorry ; but I didn't know there was anything there 
 that would fly." 
 
 " Never mind, dear," replied Phil., choking 
 down a sob at the thought of his pigeons, which 
 had cost him his only half dollar. " I ought to 
 
MORAL STORIES. I T 7 
 
 have told you. But, you see, I wanted to sur- 
 prise you, Sadie. They would have laid eggs, 
 you know ; and perhaps, on your birthday, I 
 might have had a beautiful white pigeon for you." 
 
 "Oh," whispered Sadie, "how good you are, 
 Phil!" 
 
 But Phil, did not feel particularly good as he 
 looked at his pale little sister ; and it was some 
 time before Sadie was able to run about again. 
 
 Mrs. Brent talked to her boy very earnestly 
 about his quick temper, which had nearly caused 
 his little sister's death ; and after that sad day 
 Philip seemed quite changed. Perhaps Sadie did 
 not tease him so much ; but the brother and sis- 
 ter were very fond of each other, and the new 
 pigeons which soon came to take the place of the 
 others belonged to them both. 
 
 HOW QUARRELS BEGIN. 
 
 T WISH that pony was mine," said a little 
 
 JL boy, who stood at a window looking down the 
 road. 
 
 "What would you do with him?" asked his 
 brother. 
 
 "Ride him; that's what I'd do." 
 
I 1 8 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "All day long?" 
 
 "Yes, from morning till night." 
 
 "You'd have to let me ride him sometimesj" 
 said the other. 
 
 "Why would I? You'd have no right to him if 
 he was mine." 
 
 "Father would make you let me have him part 
 of the time." 
 
 "No, he wouldn't!" 
 
 "My children," said the mother, who had been 
 listening, and now saw that they were beginning 
 to get angry with each other, and all for nothing, 
 "let me tell you of a quarrel between two boys no 
 bigger nor older than you are, that I read about 
 the other day. They were going along a road, 
 talking together in a pleasant way, when one of 
 them said: 
 
 "I wish I had all the pasture land in the world." 
 
 The other said, "And I wish I had all the cattle 
 in the world." 
 
 "What would you do then?" asked his friend. 
 
 "Why, I would turn them into your pasture 
 land." 
 
 "No, you wouldn't," was the reply. 
 
 "Yes, I would." 
 
 "But I wouldn't let you." 
 
 "I wouldn't ask you." 
 
 "You shouldn't do it." 
 
MORAL STORIES. II9 
 
 "I should." 
 
 "You sha'nt!" 
 
 "I will;" and with that they seized and pounded 
 each other like two silly, wicked boys, as they 
 were. 
 
 The children laughed, but their mother said : 
 
 "You see in what trifles quarrels often begin. 
 Were you any wiser than these boys in your half 
 angry talk about an imaginary pony ? If I had 
 not been here, who knows but you might have 
 been as silly and wicked as they were!" 
 
 DASH. 
 
 uiy /TUST I, mamma?" whined a little boy 
 
 IVX with a cloudy face. His mother had 
 handed him a basket, and asked him to go to the 
 store for her. 
 
 She answered a little sadly, for his unwilling 
 spirit grieved her, 
 
 "Yes, Jamie; I cannot leave baby, and Hannah 
 is very busy ironing." 
 
 He obeyed, but not in the cheerful, willing way 
 that would have given his mother pleasure. 
 
 A few days afterwards, they were invited to 
 visit a friend. The lady had a pretty little 
 
120 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 dog named Dash. He was very good-natured^ 
 and Jamie enjoyed playing with him. 
 
 But he was surprised when he saw the lady 
 give a basket to Dash, containing a written slip of 
 paper, and heard her tell him to go to the grocery 
 store. 
 
 As soon as she said "grocery',' the little dog 
 pricked up his ears, looked pleasantly in her 
 face, with his bright, brown eyes, and, taking 
 the basket in his mouth, trotted away down the 
 street. 
 
 In about ten minutes he returned with the 
 articles she wanted. 
 
 Of course he could not ask for them, but he 
 carried the basket to the grocer, and the man 
 read the writing on the paper. He usually 
 served Dash as soon as he came in, because 
 the little dog, if he had to wait, would keep 
 barking. 
 
 Jamie felt ashamed when he saw little Dash so 
 willing and ready to please his mistress, and re- 
 membered how selfish he had been when his kind 
 mother, who was always doing for him, asked so 
 trifling a service. 
 
MORAL STORIES. I2I 
 
 THE BUTTERFLY AND THE 
 GRASSHOPPER. 
 
 "Pretty butterfly, stay! 
 Come down here and play," 
 A grasshopper said. 
 As he lifted his head. 
 "Oh, no! and oh, no! 
 Daddy Grasshopper, go! 
 Once you weren't so polite, 
 But said, . 'Out of my sight. 
 You base, ugly fright!' " 
 "Oh, no! and oh, no! 
 I never said so," 
 The grasshopper cried : 
 "I'd sooner have died 
 Than been half so rude. 
 You misunderstood." 
 "Oh, no! I did not; 
 'Twas near to this spot: 
 The offense, while I live, 
 1 cannot forgive." 
 "I pray you explain 
 When and where such disdain. 
 Such conduct improper. 
 Was shown by this hopper. ' ' 
 "I then was a worm: 
 'Tis a fact, I affirm," 
 The butterfly said, 
 With a toss of her head. 
 
122 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "In my humble condition, 
 
 Your bad disposition 
 
 Made you spurn me as mean, 
 
 And not fit to be seen. 
 
 In my day of small things 
 
 You dreamed not that wings 
 
 Might one day be mine. 
 
 Wings handsome and fine. 
 
 That help me soar up 
 
 To the rose's full cup, 
 
 And taste of each flower 
 
 In garden and bower. 
 
 This moral now take 
 
 For your own better sake : 
 
 Insult not the low; 
 
 Some day they may grow 
 
 To seem and to do 
 
 Much better than you. 
 
 Remember ; and so, 
 
 Daddy Grasshopper, go ! " 
 
 TRUE AND FAITHFUL. 
 
 u/'~^ HARLIE, Charlie !" clear and sweet as a 
 V»^ note struck from a silver bell the voice 
 
 rippled over the common. 
 "That's mother," cried one of the boys; and he 
 
 instantly threw down his bat, and picked up his 
 
 jacket and cap. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 1 23 
 
 "Don't go yet ! Have it out !" 
 
 "Finish the game ! Try it again !" cried the 
 players in a noisy chorus. 
 
 "I must go — right off — this minute. I told her 
 I'd come whenever sh'e called." 
 
 "Make like you didn't hear!" they exclaimed. 
 
 "But I did hear." 
 
 "She won't know you did." 
 
 "But I know it, and — " 
 
 "Let him go," said a bystander ; "you can't do 
 anything with him, he's tied to his mother's apron- 
 string." 
 
 "That's so," said Charles ; "and it's to what 
 every boy ought to be tied, and in a hard knot, 
 too." 
 
 "I wouldn't be such a baby as to run the minute 
 she called." 
 
 "I don't call it babyish to keep one's word to 
 his mother," answered the obedient boy, a beauti- 
 ful light glowing in his blue eyes. "I call that 
 manly ; and the boy who don't keep his word to 
 her, will never keep it to any one else — you see if 
 he does ;" and he hurried to his cottage home. 
 
 Thirty years have passed since those boys 
 played on the common. Charlie Gray is a pros- 
 perous business man in a great city, and his 
 mercantile friends say that his word "is his bond." 
 We asked him how he acquired such a reputation. 
 
124 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "I never broke my word when a boy, no matter hoA/)^ 
 great a temptation, and the habits formed the/i 
 have clung to me through life." ' 
 
 DANGER OF BAD COMPANY. 
 
 BOYS and girls should be careful to keep good 
 company. Many good boys and girls have 
 been ruined by going into the company ol persons 
 who were not pure. 
 
 If you know boys or girls who are vulgar — who 
 use bad words, shun them. If you know any who 
 steal, or tell lies, or have other bad habits, do not 
 go with them. If you do, you are apt to fall into 
 their bad habits. Good apples become tainted 
 when they lay beside rotten ones. So good boys 
 and girls become tainted by being with those who 
 are bad. 
 
 A girl once asked her father to allow her to go 
 to a party. He did not like the character of the 
 others who were going, and wisely refused to let 
 her go. 
 
 She thought it unkind of him and cried and 
 coaxed him to consent. She declared there was 
 no danger, and promised not to fall into any of 
 their bad habits. 
 
 At last her father took up a dead coal from the 
 
MORAL STORIES. I 25 
 
 fire-place and offered it to her. She held back her 
 hand, fearing it might burn her. He said, "Take 
 it, my child, it will not burn you." 
 
 She took it, but in a moment cried out, "See, 
 father, it has blackened my hand !" 
 
 "Yes," he said, "I knew it would soil, if it did 
 not burn you. Just so with bad company. It 
 would taint you if it did not quite spoil you." 
 
 LEE AND HIS MOTHER. 
 
 LEE is a little boy about four years of age. 
 He lives in Cache Valley. He is a bright 
 little fellow and is very fond of play. Like many 
 other little boys, he likes to play in the water. His 
 mother has had to scold him very often for going 
 in the ditches and getting wet. But sometimes he 
 is thoughtless, and forgets what she says to him. 
 Not long ago he came into the house several times, 
 wet through. His mother said that he must not 
 go in the water, and said that if he did again she 
 would have to whip him. Not long afterwards 
 the family were sitting in the parlor, and Lee came 
 in very quietly and went over to the back part of 
 the room. No one noticed him at first, but upon 
 his mother looking round, she saw him kneeling 
 at the sofa. She asked him what he was doing 
 
126 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 there. He said he was praying to the Lord to 
 tell his mother not to whip him for getting in the 
 water. Upon looking at his clothes she saw they 
 were wet, but she had no heart to whip him. 
 
 Lee had been taught to pray, and that the Lord 
 would hear his prayer. When he got into trouble 
 he thought the best way was to ask the Lord to 
 help him. 
 
 Your parents who are Latter-day Saints, also do 
 this. When they get into trouble they ask the 
 Lord to help them out. 
 
 The best way, children, is to do right, and keep 
 out of trouble; but if you do need help, always 
 think of the Lord. 
 
 Ask Him in faith and He will assist you. 
 
 A SPOTTED TONGUE. 
 
 NEDDY KNOWLES was a naughty boy. 
 A very naughty boy indeed.. He said 
 wicked words. 
 
 His mamma overheard him one day, and she 
 felt sorry to hear her good, little boy talking just 
 like the bad, big boys out in the street. 
 
 She called him right up stairs to her room and 
 said, 
 
 "Neddie, put out your tongue." 
 
MORAL STORIES. I 27 
 
 Neddy obediently stuck out the naughty little 
 pink member, thinking that mamma was going to 
 put on it some nice, sweet, little medicine pellets. 
 
 "Yes," said his mamma, "I thought so ; it isn't 
 a clean, pure little tongue any more, and the 
 naughtiness must be washed off at once." 
 
 "Wash my tongue, mamma !" exclaimed Master 
 Neddy, opening his big, blue eyes very wide. 
 
 "Yes," replied mamma, very soberly. "When 
 you get your nice, clean dresses soiled, you know I 
 take them right off and put them in the wash, and 
 when your face and hands are dirty I also use 
 soap and water on them, and now that your pure, 
 little tongue is spotted with naughty, wicked 
 words, I shall have to try to clean and purify that 
 as well." 
 
 "O mamma, I'll never do so any more, deed 
 and double !" cried Neddy, as he saw his mamma 
 get the water ready. 
 
 "I hope not, I am sure," said his mamma, going 
 on with her preparations ; "and so I am going to 
 wash off all the naughtiness that there is there at 
 present. Open your mouth." 
 
 Neddy began to cry, but his mamma only 
 went on and washed Neddy's tongue very 
 thoroughly, and then she told him how he had soil- 
 ed, not only his little tongue, but his soul, by tak- 
 ing the name of God in vain, and that swearing 
 
128 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 was not only a bad, vile habit, but a sinful one as 
 well, and that no boy ever grew up to be a good 
 gentleman who used the wicked naughty words she 
 had heard him saying. 
 
 Neddy listened very attentively, and when she 
 had finished, he promised his mamma that he 
 would never be so wicked again, and although his 
 tongue smarted a little, he felt glad that all the 
 naughty words were cleaned from it, and when- 
 ever after he was tempted to say bad, wicked 
 words, he recollected what his mother had said, 
 and he kept his tongue clean. 
 
 THE LORD WILL PROVIDE. 
 
 TO-DAY I wish to relate to my juvenile readers 
 an incident which transpired during the 
 period of the great rebellion in the United States. 
 
 In the year 1864 Charles lived with his 
 
 mother in the city of C — , near the central part of 
 Indiana. He had a sister who resided with them. 
 His father and elder brother had enlisted in the 
 army. Charles was but four years of age, not 
 large enough to earn anything, and their daily food 
 depended upon what his mother earned by her hard 
 day's labor. 
 
MORAL STORIES. I 29 
 
 It was in the winter season. Times were hard, 
 and growing worse every day, and the people had 
 but little for the mother to do. It was with great 
 difficulty that she earned enough for herself and 
 children to live upon. 
 
 One morning she went out in the cold wintry 
 blast and gathered bark from the fence rails to keep 
 her children from suffering with the severe cold, 
 and at breakfast she gave them the last crust of 
 bread that was in the house, not eating any her- 
 self. Then she went out into the city to seek some- 
 thing to do to earn some more bread for her little 
 ones. But after a long search she returned, much 
 fatigued both in body and mind, without accom- 
 plishing her object. 
 
 The poor woman sat down and wept bitterly. 
 Her children were crying for bread and she had 
 none to give them. But when they again asked 
 her for bread she said to them, " The Lord will 
 provide." 
 
 Presently she knelt down, her bosom swelling 
 with grief, and asked the Lord to spare her chil- 
 dren's lives. 
 
 Then, rising to her feet, she thought of some 
 carpet rags she had put into a barrel just the day 
 before, and decided to take them to a store and 
 see if she could sell them for some bread. 
 
 Just as she turned the barrel upside down, to 
 
130 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 empty out the rags, she said in a tone of motherly 
 kindness : " Dear children, do not cry; the Lord 
 will not let us starve." Then she turned the barrel 
 back, and, on looking into it, what do you suppose 
 greeted her eyes ? 
 
 It was something that made her countenance 
 beam with gladness and her eyes dance with joy, 
 and she exclaimed : " The Lord will provide. 
 Blessed be the name of the Lord !" 
 
 It was a dollar bill. It had never been lost there, 
 because she had washed out the barrel the day she 
 put the rags into it. But how it got there I will 
 leave you to form your own opinion. Suffice it to 
 say, that it was neither in the rags nor barrel the 
 day before. 
 
 It purchased bread enough to last them a few 
 days, till they received seventy dollars sent them 
 from the army. 
 
 THE OLD SLATE. 
 
 uT HAVE a great mind to break this stupid 
 J. old slate," said Charles, one morning, as he 
 sat, with tears in his eyes, almost crying over his 
 first lesson in subtraction, "Why, what has the 
 poor slate done?" asked the pleasant voice of his 
 sister Helen behind him. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 131 
 
 "Nothing. That is just what I complain of. 
 It won't make the figures in this lesson for me ; 
 and here it is almost school-time !" 
 
 "What a wicked slate, Charles !" 
 
 "So it^is, I mean to throw it out of the window, 
 and break it in pieces on the stones." 
 
 "Will that get your lesson for you, Charley?" 
 
 "No; but if there were no slates in the world, I 
 should have no such lessons to learn." 
 
 "Oh, no ! Indeed ! But that does not follow, 
 by any means. Did slates make arithmetic ? 
 would people never have to count, and calculate, 
 if there were no slates? You forget pens, lead- 
 pencils, and paper : you forget all about oral 
 arithmetic, Charley !" 
 
 "Well, I don't like to cipher; that's all : but I 
 do like to count.'' 
 
 "And so, you hasty boy, you get angry with the 
 poor harmless slate, that is so convenient when 
 you make mistakes and wish to rub them out. 
 This is the way with a great many thoughtless, 
 quick-tempered people. They try to find fault 
 with somebody, or something, and get into a 
 passion, and perhaps do mischief; when, if they 
 would reflect, they would find that they themselves 
 ought to bear all the blame. Now, Charley, let 
 me see what I can do for you." • 
 
 So Helen sat down in her mother's great easy 
 
132 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 chair: she tried to look grave and dignified, like 
 an old lady, though she was but eighteen. Char- 
 ley came rather unwillingly, laid the slate on her 
 lap, and began to play with the trimmings on her 
 apron. "Why, what is this?" said she; "soldiers, 
 and cats and dogs, and houses with windows of 
 all shapes and sizes!" 
 
 Charley looked foolish. "O, the lesson is on 
 the other side," said he, turning the slate over. 
 
 "Ah, silly boy!" said Helen; "here you have 
 been sitting half an hour drawing pictures, instead 
 of trying to learn your lesson. And now, which 
 do you think ought to be broken, you or your 
 slate?" and she held the slate up high, as if she 
 meant to beat his head with it. 
 
 Charley looked up, with his hands at his ears, 
 but laughing all the while, for he knew she was only 
 playing with him. Presently, however, she put on 
 a serious face, and said. "Now, my little man, 
 you must go to work in good earnest, to make up 
 the lost time." 
 
 "Oh, Helen, it wants only twenty minutes of 
 nine: I shall be late to school. Can't you just 
 this once, make the figures for me?" 
 
 "No," said Helen. 
 
 "Oh, do ! just this once." 
 
 "No, Charley; there would be no kindness in 
 that. You would never learn arithmetic in that 
 
MORAL STORIES. 133 
 
 way. If I do it once, you will find it harder to be 
 refused to morrow. I will do a much kinder thing: 
 I will show you a little, and you may do all the 
 work yourself" 
 
 So she passed her arm gently around him; and 
 though Charley pouted at first, and could hardly 
 see through his tears, she questioned him about 
 the rule, and then began to show him the proper 
 way to get his lesson. 
 
 When all was finished, Charley was surprised 
 to find that he should still be in season for school. 
 
 "Now, tomorrow, Charley," said Helen, "do 
 not waste a moment, but begin your lesson at once, 
 and you will find it a great saving, not only of 
 time, but of temper. I hope you will not get in- 
 to a passion again, with this good old slate of 
 mine. It went to school with me when I was a 
 little girl, and I should be sorry if you had broken 
 it for not doing your work." 
 
 Away ran Charley to school, thinking to him- 
 self "Well, I suppose I was wrong, and Helen is 
 right. I ought not to have been making pictures: 
 I ought to have been getting my lesson." 
 
134 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 THE FAITH OF CHILDREN. 
 
 ONE of the brethren living in one of our 
 northern Stakes has been under bonds for 
 several months awaiting trial on a charge of un- 
 lawful cohabitation. On several occasions he has 
 appeared in court on the expectation of being 
 tried and perhaps convicted. Finally the court set 
 a day for his trial and a list of witnesses was 
 prepared. With these itwas supposed a conviction 
 could be secured. 
 
 On the appointed day this brother bade his 
 family good-bye expecting he would that day be 
 convicted on prejudice, if evidence was lacking, 
 and receive sentence immediately. On appearing 
 at court, however, he found that through some 
 oversight or blunder, no witnesses had been 
 summoned and the case was again postponed. 
 
 The accused therefore took the train for home 
 and on arriving at the station he saw his two little 
 boys there waiting for him. On being questioned 
 as to why they came for him when he himself had 
 not expected to return until after he had served a 
 term in the penitentiary, they replied, "Oh, we 
 fasted this morning and prayed to the Lord to 
 
MORAL STORIES. 135 
 
 bring you home tonight and we knew He would; 
 so we came to meet you." 
 
 Their faith was quite different to that shown by 
 the old woman who heard her minister speak of 
 that faith which was sufficient to move mountains. 
 She went home, pulled down her window-blinds 
 and then prayed to the Lord to remove a moun- 
 tain from the front of her door. After praying some 
 time she arose from her knees and peeped out 
 from behind the blind and saw the mountain still 
 in its place. "There," she exclaimed, "I did not 
 believe it would be moved." 
 
 CHOOSING COMPANIONS. 
 
 THERE is an old fable about the frog and the 
 mouse. As the story goes, a little mouse 
 was once persuaded by a frog to have one of its 
 legs tied to one leg of the frog. This was so that 
 the frog could help the mouse along, as it was 
 stronger and could jump faster than the mouse 
 could run. When the frog proposed to help the 
 mouse in this way, the mouse seemed pleased and 
 gladly accepted the offer. 
 
 But soon the frog got to a pond of water, and 
 naturally enough jumped in. The mouse being 
 tied to it, of course, went in, too. 
 
136 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "Hold on !" said the mouse as he saw where he 
 was going. But the frog had already taken the 
 leap, and just as the mouse shouted, down he 
 went with a splash. 
 
 The frog carae up as soon as he could, and the 
 mouse did iiot suffer much, but was greatly 
 frightened. Just then a bird darted down and 
 nabbed the frog and carried it off to make a meal 
 of it As the mouse was tied to the frog it 
 was also carried along; and when the bird had 
 finished eating the frog it began on the mouse 
 and gobbled it up as well. This ended their 
 lives, and ends also their story. 
 
 The lesson this fable teaches may be learned 
 from the following little story: 
 
 Once there was a boy who was a pretty good 
 young fellow, but he was a little thoughtless, and 
 did not mind what his parents told him as well 
 as he ought to. This boy got acquainted with 
 another boy who was older than himself, and who 
 was not a good boy. He talked as though he was 
 very smart and brave, and said that he dared to do a 
 good many things that other boys were afraid to. 
 By hearing him talk the other boy began to admire 
 him and felt that he would like to associate with 
 this bad boy. So, instead of keeping away from 
 such a bad companion, he would seek his company. 
 The bad boy was pleased to have him for a compan- 
 
MORAL STORIES. 1 37 
 
 ion and was quite willing to teach him some of his 
 daring acts. 
 
 About the first thing he proposed to his new 
 friend was to go into a man's orchard and steal 
 apples from the trees. 
 
 The other boy had been taught that to steal 
 was not right, and was afraid to go. But the 
 brave, daring boy called him a coward, and soon 
 coaxed him to go with him. He also persuaded 
 him, when they got in the orchard, to climb the 
 tree and shake the apples off, while he himself 
 would pick them up. While the youngest boy 
 was in the tree the owner of the orchard came 
 along and caught him. But the older 'boy, who 
 saw him coming, ran away. 
 
 And what do you think the man did with this 
 little fellow? After getting him to tell the name 
 of the other boy he gave him a very severe 
 whipping and let him go. Afterwards he caught 
 the other boy and whipped him too. And that is 
 what they both got instead of apples. 
 
 What you should learn from this story is to not 
 let anyone lead you into mischief or to do what 
 you know is not right. Never mind what such 
 people promise you. Those who are bad enough 
 to try to persuade you to do wrong will not try to 
 keep their promises when they make them. 
 
13^ MORAL STORtES. 
 
 WHICH GOT THE PLACE. 
 
 TWO boys applied for a place in a gentle- 
 man's store. One was older than the other, 
 and had had sonle experience in the business. His 
 father was a man of some means, and he was well 
 dressed. The other boy was the only son of a 
 poor widow. His clothes were well mended, but 
 perfectly clean, and his face had a quiet, honest 
 expression which impressed a stranger favorably. 
 Though the elder boy came highly recommended 
 from a gentleman he greatly esteemed, the mer- 
 chant decided in favor of the widow's son, much to 
 the surprise of everyone in the store. A circum- 
 stance which seemed trifling in itself had influenced 
 him in making this decision. 
 
 The two boys came together at the hour ap- 
 pointed, and the merchant was standing on his 
 own doorstep at the time. Just then a poor, little, 
 shivering child crossed the street, and as she 
 stepped on the sidewalk her foot slipped on the 
 icy stones, and she fell in the half-melted snow. 
 The elder boy laughed rudely at her sorry appear- 
 ance, while the water dripped from her thin, ragged 
 clothes ; but the child began crying bitterly, and 
 
MORAL STORIES. 1 39 
 
 searching for the four pennies she had lost. 
 William, the younger boy, hastened to her side, 
 and helped her search for them. Two were found 
 in the snow, the other two were probably in the 
 little icy pool beside the curbstone. William 
 bravely stripped up his sleeve and plunged his 
 hand down into the water, groping about till one 
 of the missing pennies was found, but the other 
 seemed hopelessly lost. 
 
 "I am afraid that can't be found, little girl," he 
 said pleasantly. "Then I can't get the bread," 
 sobbed the child, "and mammy and the children 
 will have no supper." 
 
 "There is a penny," said William, taking one 
 from a purse which contained but very few more, 
 and he made haste to. wash the dirt off his hand 
 in the snow, and dry it on his coarse, white hand- 
 kerchief The other boy looked on with contempt, 
 and remarked, as they passed along : 
 
 " It's plain enough you are a greenhorn in the 
 city." 
 
 The gentleman had observed it all, and scarcely 
 asked the rude boy a question, but after some con- 
 versation with William, he said he would be willing 
 to take him for a time on trial. At the end of his 
 month of probation, he had grown so much in 
 favor with all parties that the engagement was re- 
 newed for a year. 
 
140 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Now, shall I tell you the secret of his success ? 
 It was his politeness. That means a kind expres- 
 sion of feelings. Many fashionable people are 
 far from being polite, and sometimes the most 
 lowly are very remarkable for it. The merchant 
 knew that the boy who would be truly polite to a 
 poor little ragged child, would never be impolite 
 to customers. He knew that a boy whose prin- 
 ciples would hold out when he was laughed at, 
 could be trusted. Remember, that the boy who is 
 uriiformly polite in his behavior, has ten chances of 
 success in the world where a rude boy has one. 
 
 HOW SHE ATTRACTED NOTICE. 
 
 A LITTLE incident — it is a true story — oc- 
 curred a few years ago in Philadelphia, 
 which has its significance for our readers. 
 
 The owner of a large retail store gave a holiday 
 to all his employes in the middle of June. Cashiers, 
 foremen, salesmen and women, cash-boys and por- 
 ters, all were invited to spend the day on the 
 grounds of the country seat owned by their em- 
 ployer. Tents were erected, a bountiful dinner 
 and supper were provided, a band of music was 
 stationed in a grove, and special trains were char- 
 
MORAL STORIES. I41 
 
 tered to carry the guests to the country and home 
 again. 
 
 Nothing else was tklked of for weeks before the 
 happy day. The saleswomen, most of whom were 
 young, anxiously planned their dresses, and bought 
 cheap and pretty muslins, which they made up in 
 the evenings, that they might look fresh and gay. 
 Even the cash-boys bought new cravats and hats 
 for the great occasion. 
 
 There was one girl, whom we shall call Jane, 
 who could not indulge herself in any pretty bit. of 
 finery. She was the only child of a widowed 
 mother, who was paralyzed. Jane was quick and 
 industrious, but she had been but a few months in 
 the store and her wages barely kept her and her 
 mother from want. 
 
 "What shall you wear?" said the girl who stood 
 next her behind the counter. " I bought such a 
 lovely blue lawn." 
 
 "I have nothing but this," said Jane, glancing 
 down at her rusty black merino. 
 
 "But that is a winter dress ! You'll melt, child. 
 There'll be dancing and boating and croquet. You 
 must have a summer gown, or else don't go." 
 
 Girls of fifteen like pretty gowns. Jane said 
 nothing for a few minutes. 
 
 "I must wear this," she said firmly, "and I think 
 
142 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 I shall go. Mother wishes it, and I like to get all 
 the fun I can out of life." 
 
 "But you can't dance or play croquet in — that!" 
 
 "It is always fun to see other people have fun," 
 said Jane, bravely. 
 
 The day came, bright and hot, and Jane went 
 in her heavy, well-darned dress. She gave up all 
 idea of "fun" for herself and set to work to help 
 the others find it. On the cars she busied herself 
 in finding seats for the little girls and help- 
 ing the servants with the baskets of provisions. 
 On the grounds she started games for the children, 
 ran to lay the table, brought water to the old 
 ladies, was ready to pin up torn gowns, or to ap- 
 plaud a "good ball ;" she laughed and was happy 
 and friendly all of the time. She did not dance or 
 play; but she was surrounded by a cheerful, merry 
 group wherever she went. 
 
 On the way home to town the employer, who 
 was a shrewd business man, beckoned to his super- 
 intendent. 
 
 "There is one girl here whose friendly, poUte 
 manner is very remarkable. She will be valuable 
 to me as a saleswoman. Give her a good posi- 
 tion. That young woman in black," and he 
 pointed her out. 
 
 The next day Jane was promoted into one of 
 
MORAL STORIES. I 43 
 
 the most important departments, and since that 
 time her success has been steady. 
 
 The good humor and kindness of heart which 
 enabled her to "find fun in seeing others have 
 fun" were the best capital for her in her business. 
 She had the courage, too, to disregard poverty 
 and make the best of life, a courage which is rare, 
 and which rarely fails to meet its reward. 
 
 THE BOY HERO. 
 
 A ROUGH teacher in a school called up a 
 poor, half-starved lad, who had violated the 
 laws of the school, and said— - 
 
 "Take off your coat, sir!" 
 
 The boy refused to take it off. The teacher said 
 again, "Take off your coat," as he swung the whip 
 through the air. 
 
 The boy refused. It wa.s not because he was 
 afraid of the lash — he was used to that at home — 
 but it was from shame ; he had no undergarment. 
 And as at he third command he pulled slowly off 
 his coat, there went a sob all through the school. 
 
 They saw then why he did not want to remove 
 his coat, and they saw the shoulder blades had 
 almost cut through the skin. A stout, healthy 
 
144 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 boy rose up and went to the teacher of the school 
 and said, — 
 
 "O sir, please don't hurt this poor fellow! Whip 
 me. He's nothing but a poor chap. Don't you 
 hurt him; he's poor, Whip me!" 
 
 "Well," said the teacher, "it's going to be a 
 severe whipping ; I am willing to take you as a 
 substitute." 
 
 "Well," said the boy, " I don't care. You may 
 whip me if you will let this poor fellow go." 
 
 The stout, healthy boy took the scourging with- 
 out an outcry. 
 
 Probably not one of our readers but will say, 
 "Bravo!" But how many will not only admire but 
 imitate the spirit of that self-sacrifice? 
 
 TEN MINUTES TO LIVE. 
 
 ON board an English steamer, a little ragged 
 boy, aged nine, years, was discovered the 
 fourth day out of Liverpool to New York and 
 carried before the first mate whose duty it was to 
 deal with such cases. 
 
 When questioned as to his object of being 
 stowed away and who brought him on board, the 
 boy, who had a beautiful sunny face and eyes that 
 lookedjlike the very mirror of truth, replied that 
 
MORAL STORIES. 1 45 
 
 his stepfather did it because he could not afford 
 to keep him nor pay his passage to Halifax, where 
 he had an aunt who was well off, and to whose 
 house he was going. 
 
 The mate did not believe the story, in spite of 
 the winning face and truthful accents of the 
 boy. He had seen too much of stowaways to be 
 easily deceived by them, he said, and it was his 
 firm conviction the boy had been brought on 
 board and provided with food by the sailors. The 
 little fellow was very roughly handled in con- 
 sequence. 
 
 Day by day he was questioned and re-ques- 
 tioned, but always with the same result. He did 
 not know a sailor on board and his father alone 
 had secreted him and given him the food which he 
 ate. 
 
 At last the mate, wearied by the boy's per- 
 sistence in the same story, and perhaps a little 
 anxious to inculpate 'the sailors, seized and drag^ 
 ged him on the fore-deck, told him unless he told 
 the truth in ten minutes from that time, he would 
 hang from the yard arm. 
 
 He then made him sit down under it on the 
 deck. All around him were the passengers and 
 sailors of the middy watch, and in front of him 
 stood the inexorable mate with his chronometer 
 in his" hand and the officer of the ship by his side. 
 
146 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 It was the finest sight, said our informant, that 
 I ever beheld; to see the pale, proud, sorrowful 
 face of that noble boy, his head erect, his beauti- 
 ful eyes bright through the tears that surfaced 
 them. When eight minutes had fled the mate 
 told him he had but two minutes to live, and ad- 
 vised him to speak the truth and save his life ; but 
 he replied with the utmost simplicity and sincerity, 
 by asking if he might pray. 
 
 The mate said nothing but nodded his head and 
 turned pale as a ghost and shook with trembling 
 like a reed shaken by the wind. And then all 
 eyes turned on him, the brave and noble little 
 fellow — the poor boy whom society owned not, 
 and whose step-father could not care for him — 
 there he knelt with clasped hands and eyes turned 
 up to heaven, while he repeated audibly the 
 Lord's prayer, and prayed for the Lord Jesus to 
 take him to heaven. 
 
 Our informant adds that there then occurred a 
 scene as of pentecost. Sobs broke from strong, 
 hard hearts, as the mate sprang forward to the 
 boy and clasped him, and blessed him, and told 
 him how sincerely he believed his story, and how 
 glad he was that he had been brave enough to 
 face death and be willing to sacrifice his life for the 
 truth of his word. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 1 47 
 
 THE GOLDEN RULE. 
 
 S 
 
 ^ OME boys think that if they should find a 
 pocket-knife or any other article in the street 
 it should be theirs. It might be lying near some 
 neighbor's gate. It might be lost by that neigh- 
 bor's boys. But still, they think, if they find it, 
 it is theirs. This is not right. Boys should never 
 be anxious to get something for nothing. They 
 should never desire to get rich without working. 
 It is this desire that causes some people to steal. 
 It causes others to tell lies and cheat. It causes 
 wicked men to kill people for their money. And 
 for such acts many persons are sent to jail. They 
 are shut up in dungeons. Sometimes they are 
 hung or shot. This desire is avarice, and avarice 
 is a very bad quality in any person's nature. 
 
 We should remember the Golden Rule: "Do 
 unto others as you would have others do unto 
 you." We can apply this most excellent rule in 
 a thousand different ways. Every act of our 
 lives should be tempered by it. It should apply 
 no less to the disposal of things found, than to 
 any business transaction that we might engage in. 
 This application of the Golden Rule should be 
 
148 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 particularly impressed upon the minds of the boys 
 and girls of the Latter-day Saints. It is a princi- 
 ple that is ever held up to them, that where an 
 article is found is should be restored to the 
 owner. 
 
 Several years ago a boy from Salt Lake City 
 found a pocket book near Echo Canyon. On 
 opening it he found it contained quite a sum of 
 money, as well as some papers that would prob- 
 ably be of value to the owner. He asked the 
 persons whom he met that day upon the road if 
 they had lost anything, but as none of them had, 
 he concluded the pocket book did not belong to 
 any of them. When he got home he had a 
 notice inserted in the newspaper that a pocket 
 book containing money and several papers upon 
 which a particular name occurred, which was sup- 
 posed to be the owner's, and had been found by 
 him, could be had upon application. 
 
 The next day a stranger, a rough-looking 
 emigrant, called upon him. He stated that he 
 had lost a pocket book similar to the one des- 
 cribed in the News. The boy asked where he 
 had lost it, and the man replied, "Near Echo 
 Canyon." This satisfied the boy that this was the 
 owner, and he gave it to him. 
 
 It was interesting to watch the man's face as he 
 received the pocket book and examined its con- 
 
MORAL STORIES. 1 49 
 
 tents. He seemed very much surprised when he 
 received it. He, opened it and looked at the 
 papers. They were all right. He next counted 
 the money. It was all there. Then he seemed 
 more surprised. Looking at the boy, he said : 
 
 "Why didn't you keep this when you found it, 
 and say nothing about it?" 
 
 The boy told him he would not think it right to 
 do such a thing. 
 
 "But," he said, "it was yours when you found 
 it." 
 
 The boy replied that he did not think so. He 
 had always been taught to return anything he 
 found to its owner. He only did as he would 
 wish to be done by. 
 
 "And are you a Mormon ?" asked the stranger. 
 
 The boy replied that he was. 
 
 The man looked more surprised than ever. 
 "Do the Mormons," said he, "all teach their chil- 
 dren to return to their owners anything they 
 find?" 
 
 "They -should do," the boy replied, "it is part 
 of their faith." 
 
 "Well," said the stranger, "where I* came from, 
 if a person finds anything, he considers it his. 
 And when I lost my pocket-book I never expected 
 to see it again. I should not have taken the 
 trouble to inquire for it. But after we camped on 
 
150 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Emigration Square last night one of our men 
 came up town and bought a newspaper. In 
 reading it he came across the advertisement of a 
 lost pocket book with my name in it. He told 
 me about it or I never should have come to you. 
 But how much do I owe you?" 
 
 "Nothing," said the boy, "if you pay for the 
 advertisement, which I think will be about one 
 dollar." 
 
 "But you want some reward for finding it, and 
 for your honesty in returning it to me?" said the 
 man. 
 
 "No, sir," said the boy, "it cost me nothing to 
 carry it home, and J only did my duty in restoring 
 it to you." 
 
 The man pressed a five dollar bill into his hand, 
 and said, "Take that, anyhow, you have taught 
 me a lesson. If I had found a pocket-book I 
 should have kept it." 
 
 The man did not say so, but he probably left 
 with a much better opinion of the Latter-day 
 Saints, or "Mormons," as he called them, than he 
 had formerly entertained. 
 
 The boy Nvas four dollars richer than he ex- 
 pected to be ; but what was better than all, he 
 had a clear conscience. He felt that he had done 
 right, and that the Lord approved of his course. 
 He could look that man or any one else he should 
 
MORAL StORlES. 151 
 
 meet in the face then without any sense of guilt 
 or fear that they would ask him if he had found 
 a pocket book. 
 
 SPEAK GENTLY TO EACH OTHER. 
 
 •T^LEASE to help me a minute, sister." 
 
 JT "O, don't disturb me ; I am reading," was 
 the answer. 
 
 "But just hold this stick, won't you, while I 
 drive this pin through?" 
 
 "I can't now — I want to finish this story," said 
 I, emphatically ; and my little brother turned away, 
 with a disappointed look, in search of somebody 
 else to assist him. 
 
 He was a bright boy of ten years, and my only 
 brother. He had been visiting a young friend, 
 and had seen a wind-mill ; and as soon as he came 
 home his energies were all employed in making 
 one. 
 
 He had worked patiently all the morning, with 
 a saw and a jack-knife, and now it needed only 
 putting together to complete it. His only sister 
 had refused to assist him, and he had gone away 
 with a sad heart. 
 
 I thought of all this a few minutes after he left, 
 and my book gave me no pleasure. It was not 
 
152 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 intentional unkindness, but thoughtlessness, for I 
 loved my brother and was kind to him generally ; 
 but this time I had refused to help him. 
 
 In half an hour he came bounding into the 
 house, exclaiming, "Come, Mary, I've got it up; 
 just see how it goes !" 
 
 His tones were joyous, and I saw that he had 
 forgotten my petulance ; so I determined to atone 
 by unusual kindness. I went with him, and, sure 
 enough, on the roof of the wood-house was 
 fastened a miniature wind-mill, with its arms whirl- 
 ing around fast enough to suit any boy. 
 
 I praised the wind-mill and my little brother's 
 ingenuity, and he seemed happy, and entirely for- 
 getful of any unkind word. Then I resolved, as 
 I had done many times before, to be always loving 
 and gentle. 
 
 A few days passed by, and the shadow of 
 a great sorrow darkened our home. The joy- 
 ous laugh and noisy glee were hushed, and my 
 brother lay in a darkened room with anxious faces 
 around him. 
 
 Sometimes his temples would moisten and his 
 muscles relax; and then hope would come into 
 our hearts, and our eyes would fill with thankful 
 tears. On one such occasion he said, "I hear my 
 wind-mill." 
 
 "Does it make your head ache?" I asked. 
 
MORAL STORIES. 153 
 
 "Shall I take it down?" 
 
 "Oh, no," he replied. "It seems as if I were 
 out of doors, and it makes me feel better." 
 
 He mused a moment and then added, "Don't 
 you remember, Mary, that I wanted you to help 
 me fix it, and you were reading, and said you 
 could not? But it didn't matter, for mamma 
 helped me." 
 
 Oh, how sadly those words fell upon my ear, 
 and what bitter memories they awakened! I re- 
 pented, as I kissed little Frank's forehead, that I 
 had ever spoken unkindly to him. 
 
 Frank now sleeps in the grave and our home is 
 desolate ; but his little wind-mill still clatters away, 
 just where he placed it, upon the roof of the old 
 wood-house. Every time I hear it I remember 
 Frank, gone away forever ; and I remember, also, 
 the thoughtless, unkind words. 
 
 BREAD AND MILK. 
 
 ONE morning Johnny (for that was his real 
 name) came to the breakfast table and 
 boldly declared that he would not eat bread and 
 milk that morning. 
 
 "Very well, Johnny," said his mother quietly. 
 
154 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 and without raising her voice, " I'll set it on this 
 high shelf. You can run off to school." 
 
 This run was along a good piece of road and 
 then a short time through a wood, which gave 
 John ample time to call up his temper and strength- 
 en his desire not to give in. 
 
 Accordingly, on his return he was all ready to 
 assert the dignity of boyhood, and when he drew 
 up to the table and saw the bread and milk set be- 
 fore him, he felt nerved to any wicked course and 
 decided not to give in. 
 
 "Very well, Johnny," was the rnother's calm 
 remark, "I'll set it on the high shelf till you want 
 it ;" and a firm wave of the hand sent him from 
 the table, and in due time he was bidden by an 
 authority he could not resist, to run off to 
 school. 
 
 That run was not so spirited as the morning run 
 had been. He felt "dreadfully hollow," and had 
 no relish for his usual sport of pretending to be 
 chased by a bear, climbing, in fancied terror, a 
 tree, running out on its branches and dropping to 
 the ground, only to gain another tree and act the 
 same feat. 
 
 On the contrary, he felt as if he would give up. 
 He knew his mother never would, and admitted to 
 himself that he should " be glad of that bowl of 
 bread and milk; and when he came dragging home 
 
MORAL STORIES. 155 
 
 at night, and the bowl was lifted down from the 
 high shelf, without a word of threatening or re- 
 proach, he pretty well understood the force of 
 calm and firm authority. 
 
 Feeling well assured that he never would eat 
 anything else until he had swallowed that oft-pre- 
 sented and oft-refused bread and milk, he just 
 took to it as quietly as it was offered, and ate it. 
 And after that he never set up his will in'defiance 
 of his mother's. I saw the tears of fond love 
 gather in his eyes as he said : 
 
 " My mother was a woman of good judgment, 
 and I love to think how she made me obey her." 
 
 It is such mothers whom their sons delight to 
 honor. 
 
 GAMBLING. 
 
 t i, /^~^ IVE me a cent, and you may pitch one of 
 V^JT these rings, and if it catches over a nail 
 
 I'll g've you six cents." 
 
 That seemed fair enough, so the boy handed 
 
 him a dent and took a ring. He stepped back to 
 
 a stake, tossed his ring, and it caught on one of 
 
 the nails. 
 
 " Will you take six rings to pitch again, or six 
 
 cents." 
 
156 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "Six cents," was the answer," and two three- 
 cent pieces were put in his hand. He stepped off, 
 probably well satisfied with what he had done, and 
 not having an idea that he had done wrong. A 
 gentleman standing near had watched him, and 
 now, before he had time to look about and 
 rejoin his companions, laid his hand on his 
 shoulder. 
 
 "My lad, this is your first lesson in gambling." 
 
 "Gambling, sir?" 
 
 "You staked your penny and won six, did you 
 not?" 
 
 "Yes, I did." 
 
 ''You did not earn them and they were not given 
 to you; you won them just as gamblers win money. 
 You have taken the first step in the path; and that 
 man has gone through it, and you can see the end. 
 Now, I advise you to go and give hini the six cents 
 back, and ask him for your penny, and then stand 
 with the world an honest boy again." 
 
 He had hung his head down, but raised it 
 quickly, and his bright, open look, as he said, "I'll 
 do it," will not soon be forgotten. He ran back 
 and soon emerged from the ring looking happier 
 than ever. He touched his hat and bowed pleas- 
 antly as he ran away to join his comrades. That 
 was an honest boy. 
 
Moral stoRifis. 157 
 
 LOVE IS THE BEST FORCE. 
 
 ONCE two little boys were on their way to 
 school. They were brothers, and their 
 names were John and Frank. John was the older 
 of the two, and he liked to rule Frank by sharp 
 words; but Frank did not like to be ruled in that 
 way. 
 
 "Come on — quicker, quicker. What a slow 
 coach you are !" said John. 
 
 "It is not late, and the day is hot," said Frank. 
 
 "I tell you I want to get to school in time to 
 clean out my desk," said John. "Come, yon shall 
 come." 
 
 And then John tried to pull Frank along by main 
 force; but, the more John pulled, the more Frank 
 made up his mind not to yield. 
 
 While the dispute went on, they came to a place 
 in the road where a man was trying to make a 
 horse pull a great load of stones. The horse 
 stopped to rest when the man began to beat him. 
 
 This the horse did not like, for he had tried to 
 do his best; so he stood stock still. In vain did 
 the man lay on the lash; the horse would not start. 
 In vain did the man swear at him ; the horse did 
 not mind his oaths. 
 
158 MORAL STORIES. 
 
 Just then a young man came up, and said to the 
 man with the load of stones, "Why do you treat a 
 good, brave horse in that way? He would pull for 
 you till he died, if you would only treat him kindly. 
 Stand aside, and let me show you how to treat a 
 good horse." 
 
 So the man stood aside, and the young man went 
 up, and put his arm round the neck of the horse, 
 and patted him on the back and said: " Poor old 
 fellow ! it was too bad to lash you so, when you 
 were doing your best, and just stopped a moment 
 to take breath." 
 
 And so the young man soothed the poor beast, 
 by kind words and soft pats with his hand, and then 
 said to him: 
 
 "Now, good old horse, see what you can do ! 
 Come, sir, we have only a few steps more to the 
 top of the hill. Get up now. Show that you will do 
 for love what you would not do for hate." 
 
 The horse seemed to know what was said to 
 him, for he started off at a strong, brisk pace, and 
 was soon at the top of the hill. 
 
 "There, my good friend," said the young man 
 to the driver, "I hope you see now that love 
 is the best force ; that even beasts will do for 
 you, when you are kind, what thay will not do 
 when you are harsh." 
 
MORAL STORIES. 159 
 
 John heard all these words, and they set him to 
 thinking. At last he said to Frank : 
 
 "It is a hot day, Frank ; and it is not too late. 
 Let us walk through the lane to school." 
 
 "No, John," said Frank, "I will take the short 
 cut, and will walk just as fast as you want me to; 
 so, come on." 
 
 "Frank,'' said John, "love is better than hate — 
 isn't it ?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, a thousand times better !" cried 
 Frank. 
 
 THE KING'S MISTAKE. 
 
 MANY of you know that the eagle is the 
 largest and strongest of birds, having its 
 nest on high rocks, and coming down to the val- 
 ley in search of prey. He has a special liking for 
 lambs, kids and fresh fish ; and has even carried off 
 children. His eyesight, too, is so strong that it is 
 said he can gaze at the sun. You know he is often 
 called the "king of birds," as the lion is called the 
 "king of beasts." 
 
 Well, one day this monarch of the air went 
 hunting, and pouncing on what he probably took 
 for a fine, large hare, carried it in triumph to his 
 nest. 
 
l6o MORAL STORIES. 
 
 "Here, my children," said he in bird dialect, "is 
 a rich dinner for you. I have been highly success- 
 ful to-day. Come, enjoy it, and I will soon be 
 home again;" and away he flew to get something 
 for himself 
 
 Ah ! the king had made a mistake, and brought 
 up a nice, large cat. 
 
 "Not so fast," said pussy, in cat language; "your 
 majesty has provided me with a good dinner." 
 
 She leisurely ate up the young eaglets, and when 
 she had finished the last one and washed her face, 
 she cautiously picked her way, by her sharp claws, 
 down the steep rocks to her valley home. 
 
 What his majesty said when he returned has 
 never been written; but the story carries with it 
 a meaning not hard to read. 
 
 In some time and way, sooner or later, injury 
 done reacts on him who does it. Those who 
 seek to enrich themselves at the expense of others, 
 or deprive them of their rights and happiness, will 
 surely find, whatever may be their wordly es- 
 tate, that they have taken into their souls' dwell- 
 ing places enemies who will rob them of their 
 richest treasures. 
 
 FINIS.