The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1857-06-11
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A LESSON FOR PARENTS AND OTHERS

j was sitting I'm my room one morn
ing, feeling all out Of sorts about some
thing or other when an orphan child
whom I had taken to raise, came in with
a tumbler in her hand, and said, while
her young face was pale, and her lips
quivered:
"See, ma'aml I went to take this
tumbler from the dresser to get Anna
drink Of water, and let it fall"
/ was in a fretful humor before the
child came in, and her appearance
with the broken tumbler in her hand
didn't tend to help me TO a better
state of mind She was suffering good
deal Of pain in consequence of the ac-
cident, and needed a kind word to quiet
the disturbed beatings Of her heart
But she had come to me in an unfOrtu-
nate moment.
"You are a careless little girl" said I,
severely, taking the fragments of glass
from her trembling hands-"A very
careless little girl, and am displeased
with you"
said no more, but my oountenance
expressed even stronger rebuke than
my words The child fingered near
me a minute or two, and then shrunk
away outof the room. I was sorry in a
moment that had permitted myself to
speak unkindly to the little girl for
there was no need of my doing so,
and moreover, she had taken my
words, as 1 could see, deeply to the
heart. I had made her unhappy with
out a cause The breaking of the
tumbler was an accident, likely to
, happen to any one, and the child ev-
; identity felt bad enough without hav-
, ing my displeasure added thereto.
If was unhappy before Jane en-
tered my room, / was still more un-
happy after she retired. blamed my
self and pitied the child: but this did
not in the least mend the matter
s In about half an hour, Jane came up
very quietly, with Willy, my dear lit
tie curly y-haired, angel-facod boy in her
= arms. He had fallen asleep, and she
q had with her utmost strength carried
a him up stairs. She did not lift her
o eyes to mine as she entered, but went
with her burden to the low bed that
+. was in the room, where she laid him
i tenderly, and there sat down with her
2 face turned partly away from me, and
b with fan kept off the flies and cooled
4 his moist skin.
Enough Of James countenance was
visible to enable me to perceive that its
II expression was sad And it was an
!; unkind word from my lips that brought
n this cloud over her young face!
i, 80 much for permitting myself to
!, fall into a fretful mood, said mental
ly. "In future, i must be more watch
. full over my state of mind. 1 have no
l. right to make others suffer from my own
X unhappy temper" "
e Jane continued to sit by Willy, and
+, fan him, and every now and then
e could hear a very low sigh come up, as
10 if involuntary, from her, bosom. Faint
as the sound was, it smote upon my ear
d and added to my uncomfortable frame
Of mind
. A friend called, and I went down in
y to the parlor, and sat conversing there
o for an hour But all the while there
T. was a weight upon my feelings. tried
- but in vain, to be cheerful. I was toe
distinctly aware of the fact that an indi
n vidual-and that motherless little
y girl-was unhappy throughmy unkind
Is ness; and the consciousness was like {
heavy hand upon my bosom
"This is all weakness" / said to my
self, after my friend had left, making al
effort to throw off the uncomfortabl,
feeling. But it was of no avail Ever
60 if the new train of thoughts, awakened
p by conversation with my friend, hac
z raised me above the state of minC
~ in which was when she came, the sigh
ID of James sober face, as she passed me
3, on the stairs, would have depressed my
feelings again.
In order both to relieve my own anC
the child's feelings, thought 1 would
refer to the broken tumbler, and tell he
not to grieve about it, as its loss was of
no consequence whatever. But thi
Of would have been an acknowledgment t.
her that 1 had been in the wrong, anC
an instructive feeling of pride remon
strated against that.
"Ah, mep' I sighed. oWhy did
IS permit myself to speak so unguardedly
How much of good or evil there is in q
% single word"
Some who read this, may think
was very weak, to let a hastily-uttereC
sentence against careless child trou
N BILE me. What are a child's feelings
I have been a child, and as a chilC
have been blamed severely by thosr
whom desired to please, and felt tha
unkind words fell heavier and NOR,
painfully, sometimes, than blows
could therefore understand the nature
Of Janes feelings, and sympathize wild
her to a certain extent
10 All through the day, Jane moveC
IN about more quietly than usual Wher
I spoke to her about anything, which
ID did in a kinder voice than ordinarily
. used, she would look into my face will
" an earnestness that rebuked me.
Towards evening / sent her dow
In stairs for a pitcher of cold water. Sh
went quickly, and soon returned will
the pitcher of water and a tumbler Oh
a waiter She was coming towards me
evidently using more than ordinary eau
ton, when her foot tripped agains
n something, and she stumbled forward
% It was in vain she stroyo 20 save On