Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1858-10-23
VARIETY.
A Story for Children.
by KATE DEAN.

"Thero! everything has gone wrong to-
day" said little Mary Allen, as she tossed
her school satchel on the floor, and united
the strings of hcr sun bonnet with q jerk
Her pretty red lips were distorted with pout
and her whole face looked sulcn and cross.
Whose fault is it, Mary?" OStcd her moth
er, who sat sewing by the window
Not mine, am sure" said Mary "bu.
1T has all gone wrong, every single thing,
since got up this morning."
Somebody must bo to blame, my dear"
said Mrs. Allen; "such things don't come by
accident; come here, my daughter, and let
MS talk it over, and find out what the mat
ter is"
Mary sat down on little footstool at her
mothers sdc but kept her eyes cast down,
and began to twist the corner Of her apron
into rope.
Now something else is going wrong, am
afraid" said her mother smiling, as she took
the apron out of her fingers, and smoothed it
over her lap. She took the little offending
hands in her own, and said, gently, Now
tell me. Mary, what went wrong in the first
place"
We'll, in the first place" said Mary, blush
ing and dropping her eyes again, "I-was-
latc-at breakfast"
"Whosc fault was that, my dear ?'
81 don't know" said Mary. hcsitatingly,
81 couldn'thclp it."
Very well, you couldn't help it, you're
not to blame. What next ?"
"Thcn | couldn't 20 to ride with papa, as
he said might last night, and couldn't get
my lcsson-it came schooltime so quick, and
lost ono ofmy books. Then Fanny DAYTON
came, all ready for school, and wouldn't wait
for mo, and my bonnet blew off going to
school, and stumbled up the stops and tore
my frock- Miss Miller rang the bell, | know
just as soon rs she saw me turn the corner
sol n IN.-.,N Il. -
had to be marked tardy."
"Tako care, my dear, am afraid some
thing is going wrong again, " said Mrs. Allen
as Mary's tone grew worry cross.
We'll, | can't help that" said Mary.
Then Miss Miller would ask me all the
hardest questions and gave mo such a long
sum to do on the black board and then be-
cause didn't get itright, she made me stay
IN at recess. | don't think it was fair, for
Fanny Dayton couldn't do hers either; but
| had to take the blame of everything to-day
l am sure Miss Miller gave me tho very hard
est words in the spelling lessons, for she al
ways does, and then when missed, the girls
laughed ut me, and didn't caro- if missed
every word" Mary dropped her head in her
mothers lap, and fairly cried.
Mrs. Allen waited few minutes, till she
grow moro quiet, and then said, "Finish your
story, Mary; what went wrong this after
noon 2"
well, [ lost my place in the geography
class, and knew every word Of my lesson
too"
How did you happen to lose your place
thcre?"
Miss Miller wouldn't let mo say it! She
said was cross" said Mary, hlushng deep
ly again. She said didn't speak properly,
2"d I'm cure i,"npidn't sneak anv bctter.-
Fanny Dayton asked me to 20 home with her
tO-nl nd hfrof n,l,n
girls were going, but | wouldn't go, because
Julia Howard went, and Julia laughed at me
III the class to-day, and called me cross
patch, and can't bear her--she is always
making fun of everything you say or do"
That squitc a chapter of misfcrtunos tru-
~" said Mrs. Allen, "and now let us see,
Mary, if we can find out tho cause of it all,
so as to prevent everything from going wrong
another time. To begin, you were late at
breakfast which you say you could not help.
You forgot, my daughter, that you indulged
In another nap after called you, and so lost
the hall hour you would have had before break
fast. That was surely your own fault, was
it not"
Eyes, mamma"
"Then being disappointed of your ride, you
were not in the very best humor, and didn't
give your mind to your lesson, as you should
have done; so school time came before it was
learned, or you were ready TO go. Then you
were n little yexed with Fanny, because she
would not run the risk of being tardy for tho
sake of walking with you--was it not so 2"
''Yes, mamma"
."Then you hastened to school, and was
heated and tired and being just too late, was
disposed to blame Miss Miller for her punctu-
slity. If she were to wait for every idle girl,
! am afraid her school would soon lose tho
good reputation it has for order. You ac-