American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-07-13
THE SELFISH ACORN.

THE SELFISH ACORN.
"Will you lend me your slate little
whiles' said Mary Graham to her sister FL
len. "No," answered Ellen, II do not want
to lend II" ''Sister, won't you fix my kite?"
said Henry, as he entered the house with
two pieces of the kite in his hands. NO."
replied Ellen, II am busy, and cannot be
bothered" Her mother looked up from
her sewing, and said: "You are not very
obliging, Ellen" mo, mother" replied
Ellen, Il am tired of being obliging. 1
am always lending or giving away my
things, or doing some work to oblige some
one, and nobody seems to care. Yester-
| day had some nuts when was in school.
Susan Brown asked me for some, and
gave her half of them; but when we were
coming home she would not let me roll her
hoop at all. Then Henry wanted a PEN
Gil this morning. and | gave him the
longest one had; but when asked him,
afterward to show me how to do q sum,
he would not, but hurried off to school,
though there was plenty of time. 1t is
always so. Those that l give the most
to, and do the most for, are always the
most disObliging to me, and l have made
up my mind that it does not pay to put
myself out so much for them" 'DO you
think you will be any happier?" asked her
mother. Il will see," answered Ellen.
Il am tired of obliging ungrateful folks"
''You remind me of fable once heard"
Ellen. "Get chair my dear, and sit
| here by me, and will tell you"
"Near a house in the country grew
| large oak tree. Its branches were spread
out far and wide, Many little plants grew
near it that were not fitted to endure
much sunshine, and the kind old oak
sheltered them, and they grew and bios
70 Tho
children who lived in the farmhouse liked
a cool, shady place to play in. So they
brought a bench and placed it under the
tree, and many a pleasant hour they sat
there reading and crocbeting, and indulg-
ing in pleasant chat. One of the limbs
of the tree projected out, and the children
coaXed their father to tie a rope to it and
stood year after year, imparting shade and
GOODNESS and blessing to all who sought
rest under its branches.
zone summer the tree was laden with
acOrns. The acorns were of no use to
anyone while they remained on the tree,
and they had nothing to do but to grow a
little; So they had plenty of leisure. One
acorn watched the flowers that were grow
ing so beautifully near the grand old tree,
and the children who played so merrily
under its protecting shade, for many days,
and one morning It spoke thus This
old tree is very foolish to take so much
pains for these silly little flowers and
those noisy children. Neither the flowers
nor the children care for the tree, except
for the shade it gives them. II 1 am
ever planted. l will not trouble myself to
grow SO much. 1t is all nonsense-time
thrown away
while it was thus speaking the father
of the children came along with an ak on
his shoulder. He stopped at the tree and
looking at it, said, Yes, this will do. I
have not time to go into the woods but I
will cut down this old tree, and when it
is dry it will be good firewood.' So he
chopped Justify at the trunk of the tree,
and it soon fell with great crash.
"The acorn dropped off it fell.
When it had got over the bruise occa-
stoned by the fall, it said, After so many
years of usefulness the tree is cut down.
1t is just as l said. The world is migrate
full: Just wait till am planted, and see
if will be such great fool as that old
tree While it was thus talking. little
boy came along and, STOPPING, picked it
up and put it in his pocket. The next
day he planted it.
"The acorn lay in the ground awhile,
thinking, L am not going to push my
head up into the wOrld-it is too much
trouble But it soon became tired of its
dark prison and concluded to push up
little shoot to see what was going on in
the world above. So up it went till it
was about foot high. Then it stopped
growing. The roots tried in vain to sink
deeper into the ground and drink in the
nourishment that would make it tree.
The little shoot remembered what it
thought when it was only an acorn. and
it said, No, l will not grow. No I'M
grateful children shall play under my
branches, and no thankless flowers shall
be refreshed by me. l intend to stay just
so high
''And so it did. But large pine tree
near, who heard it muttering, shook itself
with laughter, and said, oh, no! you
won't grow. Who do you think will be
the loser? find it delicious to spread
enlarge my branches; and then, too,
have such fine view of the world and
can see so far. 1t is glorious thing to
live and to grow. That poor little shoot
will lose all this happiness. Of course l
shall be cut down some day, but while
do live l intend to make the most of my
existence and to be all | can"
Ellen sat and thought for some minutes
after her mother had finished the fable.
She was IA good kind hearted girl, and al
ways ready to acknowledge when she had
done wrong. AT last she said, ''Do you
know, mother, what your story reminds
me OFF" NO" answered her mother,
VI,
Patience and poor MIR Knowles. Aunt
Patience is so good and so kind. 1t seems
as if she loved everything and everybody
in the world, and we children always like
to 90 there, because she is so happy and
so clad to see u.s. But poor old Mr..
Knowles, Dear me! We all get out of
the way when we see him coming. He is
so cross and surly, and always looks as if
he longcd to bite u.s. Do you suppose
Aunt Patience has ever had much trou-
ble?" Eyes, Ellen, she has had many
very great trials, but she has always loved
every body and tried to help them, and
that makes her so full of sunshine. But
Mr.. Knowles, poor man. has never loved
any one or tried to benefit anybody, so
now no one loves him" Eyes, MOTHER
see," said Ellen; Il believe / will spread
out my roots and drink in the sap, and do
all the good | can, for | have no desire to
be a poor mean shrub when l am old. -
4 H. IT,