The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-02-22
for tbe CHILDREN.
Little Sunshine.

ana L." SAID Mamie, as she walked
slowly through the house. "But 1
don't know as want to 60"
Why, Mamie, on such beauti-
full day!" said her aunt. CT thought
you liked to go skating"
Yes, so l do" said Mamie, "but
mamma says I've got to wear my old
shoes, and they're such clumsy old
things | can't bear to-"
The whine in her voice became a
growl before she had finished speak
ing, and somehow the growl seemed to
have something to do with her fore
head; for if it was wrinkled before, it
was fairly tied up into knot now.
Have you ever noticed how, when
little girls or boys get into bad tenn
per, the bad temper seems to go all
over them? The dancing feet move
sullenly, the dimpled hands are not
ready for doing little loving deeds for
anybody, the light goes out of the
pretty bright eyes and the lips 90
down at the corners, and the dimples.-
o dearl they surely go up into the
forehead, for you have seen how it
will be marked and scanned. | never
did like dimples in the forehead, did
you?
And the little ripple of laugh is
gone, and what whine and whimper
and growl have taken its place! Yes,
you can easily see that the whole boy or
girl is wrapped up in that ugly temper.
What pityl thought Aunt Carrie,
as Mamie sulked and fretted. First
it was because of the shoes; but she
could not keep on all the time about one
pair of shoes, so she soon found some
thing else to grumble at.
wonder why Susie doesn't come.
| think it's too bad of her to keep me
waiting like this. We ought to have
been off half an hour ago. The best
part of the day is going.
"There'S hole in one of my nit
tens" was the next complaint.
Well, as you are waiting it will be
good time to mend it," said Aunt
Carrie.
Here is needle and some yarn.n
l never did like to mend" said
Mamie.
"There are great many things in
the world harder than mending," said
Aunt Carrie. But they have to be
done, and it is so much nicer to do
them pleasantly, don't you think SOP"
If | could have fixed things they
shouldn't have been hard )" said Mamie.
She did not, however, refuse to take
the needle and thread which Aunt
Carrie offered her. But / am afraid
the darn in her mitten must have looked
like the knot in her forehead
know Susie'll be here before it is
DONE" she said.
But Susie did not come until the hole
was mended and the needle put away.
"Why, have you kept me waiting so
long?" asked Mamie, when at length
she came in.
go, Pm sorry" said Susie, with a
smile, =" but mamma wanted me to help
little with the baby. Doesn't the
sun shine bright and isn't it nice day?
saw blue-jay as l came along, and
he twittered just as if he wanted to say,
Isn't this beautiful day for little girls
and birds?'"
1t would have done you good to look
from Nannie's face to Susie's. She
had surely brought in good share of
the sunshine with her in her bright
little face, and the blue-jay's twitter
could not have been merrier than her
voice.
And dimplesl Her dimples were all
in place, just where God meant they
should be when he made little faces to
be the dearest and sweetest things in
our homes. Blue eyes, cheeks, lips
and all went to make up the smile
You could feel pretty sure that mamma
and baby at home had been left happy
after the help of such a CHEEKY little
lassie.
81 hate to wear old shoes and old
mittens," said Mamie, still keeping up
the grumbles as she went out of doors,
for all the clear, frosty air was so crisp
that Susie could not help skipping
along like fairy
cold shoes? You don't call those
old, l hope?" said Susie, laughing.
"Just look at mine-they're twice as
bad as yours. And look" she said,
taking one little hand out from be-
tween the buttons of her jacket, "
lost one of my mittens last winter and
mamma hasn't been able to get another
pair yet, so l have to keep my hand
covered up. But, don't you see, l
never have the trouble of taking my
mitten off when l put on my skates, so
there's some good in it,"
Everybody who came near Susie felt
the influence of her sunny face and
her loving, kindly ways.
Which of these little girls would you
wish to be like?
Dear little children, if you have been
in the habit of scowling and complain
ing, bringing cloud over the sunshine
of your home and a burden on the
spirit of your mother, or others who
give you tender care, stop and think il
you can not do better.
Turn about at once and try a CHEEKY
word, a bright smile or loving effort
to do kind things for others. Try if all
the sunshine you make for them does
not shine back on your own hearts anc
beam out on your dear little faces
making them things of beauty anc
sweetness for any one to look on
NeW York Observer
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