The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-01-03

the visit which might have been such
happy one, ended at last in a quarrel.
why, what has happened!' exclaimed
Mrs. Selden, when Zaidee rushed home
long before tea-time, looking wildly I'M
happy. ''Oh. mammal replied the
little girl, almost sobbing from excite
ment, Jessie very disagreeable; and
besides, she knocked me down" Mrs.
Selden looked very much surprised. 1T
doesn't seem possible" said she. Il
never heard of Jessie's behaving like
that. What had you done to make her
angry?o "Oh, it was she that made
me angry, talking about aunt Fanny's
bracelet, and aunt Fanny's hun1an
nose!"
Mamma let her work fall in her lap,
and laughed and laughed. "a human
nose is the very incest in the world"
said she, at last. But Jessie didn't
knock you down for that?" Nom"
and Zaidee bowed her head very low in
shame. Nom; | knocked her down
first" Then all was out. Zaidee had
been the one really at fault; and she
had known it all the while, though she
had tried to make herself believe it was
Jessie. This is very bad l am ex-
tremely sorry it should have happened"
said Mrs. Selden, gazing sadly at her
dear, wretched, hayward little daughter.
And to have it happen just as the
beautiful Christmas is coming, when
everybody ought to be glad and happy!
What kind of Christmas day is it going
to he-tnr, rax-'9,4a rEttle Zaidee?n 80
mamma, wish hadn't been naughty!
| wish | could take it all back. I
havn't acted so since / was little,
| little girl, " said the child, throwing her
self weeping into her mothers arms.
Can't | ever, ever take it back?"
- Yes, YOU can ask Jessie to forgive
YOU" 30, mamma, mamma, mamma
jesse was bad herself! If ask her to
forgive me she will think she was goodl
And, oh, she wasn't good! She was
almost half as bad as In'
Mrs. Selden said no more, but wisely
left her little daughter by herself to
think. At supper-time Zaidee's eyes
were still pink from weeping; but her
face looked serene, and the smiles were
playing about her mouth. The truth
was she had written letter to Jessie.
! II WAS Vel y IIthIlN tlOhC III NlOlCG LIN,
and she had put in the left-hand corner
of the envelope: kindness of Zaidee, "
thinking that was the latest style,
though the person who took the letter
was Nancy, the cook, and she laughed
to think Iaidee considered herself kind!
| The letter was short:
MY AFFECsHIoNATE FRIEND:
am very sorry knockt you down first. ]
will forgive you if you will forgive me. Yours
respectively, IS.
This was all Jessie needed to make
her happy, for she had the tenderest
little heart in the world She wrote in
reply: Il forgive YOU" And in the
left-hand corner of her envelope were
the words kindness of jessie" for
she supposed that must be the proper
thing, and she never allowed Zaidee to
be more fashionable than herself if she
could possibly help it. And, indeed,
there was kindness" now in the hearts
of both little girls. and sincere repent
ance too for their foolish, bad behavior.
The angel with the pearly wing" had
come back again; the unhappy little
breeze" had blown over, and in three
nights and two days Zaidee and Jessie
were enjoying the merriest Christmas
that ever dawned in Boston town. -
Sophie May, IN Wide A,Oakc.