Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-11-03
Margie's Lesson.

Little Margie, with her mother, was
on visit to her grandmother, who
lived in fine roomy old house in the
town of Fernley.
There was beautiful porch in front
OF the house, With great big white pill
lars reaching up to the roof of the
house; and the floor was made of
square stones, part white and part blue,
while broad stone steps led down to the
walk. But it was q rather dangerous
porch for little folks, because, although
it was almost a full story from the
ground, it had no railing around it.
This did not matter much, most of the
time, as there were no little children
living in the house, but everybody was
uneasy about it when little Margie was
there; and this was the reason why
That little girl had very bad habit of
never obeying right at once when she
was spoken to. If her mother would
call "Stop, Margie,' she would always
90 a few steps farther before she
obeyed. If she said: Don't do that,
daughter" when she was in any mis-
chief, the little girl would almost al
ways go on for while instead of stop
ping as soon as her mother spoke.
Many bump and tumble she had got
ten in consequence of it, but as vet
nothing had cured her of this evil habit.
Her little cousin Lucy was there on
visit at the same time; but she, although
younger, obeyed her mother perfectly,
and gave no uneasiness to anybody.
When the two little girls were run
were very fond of doing, just before
nov 10 ha Il Il L n
say quietly: "Stop now. Lucy" and
Lucy would stop right still that very
minute, while Margie's mother would
cry: "Stop, Margie! stop! stopr' and
then run after her and grasp her dress,
perhaps just in time to save her from
running of at the end.
one evening, however, they started
for race, when Margie's mother was
talking to some one at the farthest part
of the porch, and with her back to them.
She turned in time to see them almost
at the edge, but being too far off to hope
to reach them, she screamed frantically:
"Stop, Margie, you'll fall! you'll falli''
but, as usual, Margie would 60 few
steps farther. So off she went, just
where the porch was highest, and fell
in little heap on the ground
The mother did not wait for her bitter
cry of pain, but, fastening round by the
steps, lifted and carried her carefully
into the house; one little arm hanging
helplessly. pitifully, with spIinters of the
bone sticking through the tender flesh,
for it was broken.
Oh! how dreadfullyit hurt, even when
nobody touched it; but when the doc
tor came and pulled it ever so hard,
as he was obliged to do to get the poor
little bones straight, it took mother and
Aunt Mag both to hold her.
All this time, and for several days,
the suffering was too great to let her re-
member how it all happened; but the
thinking time came at last, when she
had to sit in the big chair all day long
with her arm in sling, and nothing to
do but remember how many times she
had delayed and hesitated instead of
obeying her mother promptly. and how
that very thing had been the cause of all
this trouble.
One day she called her mother, and
putting her unbroken arm around her
neck, she whispered, while her little lips
quivered: Mother, know why Ibroke
my arm, and | am SO sorry was such
a naughty girl; am going to try, when
l get well, to mind you the very minute
you speak to me; and mother, won't
you punish me whenever I don't?-if I
don't mind the Uery first minute, moth
er?' And she held her tightly with
that one good arm until she got the
promise.
The next time they all visited grand
mothers. nobody could say that Margie
did not obey her mother as beautifully
as Lucy.-S. S. Times.