Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1889-10-03
Sour Apples or Sweet.

Where is the apple basket" asked Mary
Littlewood A. she hoped and skipped in
to the house.
She was just home from school The
little white school-house where she went
nestled under the trees on one corner Of
her fathers farm. nearly half a mile away
4 spring burst from the bank of the ravine
below and an cim-iree. whose roots the
spring mois'ened dropped its graceful
branches, making 4 shade as welcome 10
the children as the cool water. with the tin
cup ever hanging on projecting root
There they sQoried ~ TcCcsses; and there
they ate their noon lunch in summer DAYS
when heat and dust made tramp home Al
mld day anything bat pleasant. The boys.
with touch Of .allantrv qnite rare for their
age. had bu'lt a playhouse for The girls
a framework made Of Old limbs gathered
from the adjacent grove. and covering
Of hemlock boushs. hope they never in
hoyish something quite different from
gallantTy. upset II sli after the girls had
partitiuucd il into kitchrn, sittinc-room
and ed-room. where their dolls We're cud-
died into beds made OF Wild flowers, and
curtalned with Ion. shreds Of moss. Rare
fun il was
i mere were Ten OF lltUl. DuL rthIiN only
nine had much TO do with their sport. for
Betsy Baker was an odd one II was not
easy 10 say Just what the trouble was
but. poor child. nobody liked her or want
ed to be In her company. When all the
Others Were busy III the playhouse Betsy
only sat around, for the most part doing
little hut looking on. Sometimes She would
90 aud get piece Of board from a broken
fence, 10 help finish the fioor or make
scat She even contributed her doll. TO
complete the family. and carried water
from the spring in their toy tea pot. and
did other such outside work hut was rare
ly inside She knew the other girls did
not Ike her. and sometimes went of alone
smi said 10 herself, Il III good mind 10
STAY n, home, and never come 10 school
again, the girls act - "a me, But Betsy
did continue in school week after week.
The Others all had their intimate friends
hut Ia her all were about alike. and none
would even walk to school with her if any
other was near for company, So the sum
mer wore away. and Betsy wished for the
last day long before il came. But It came.
When Mary Litilewood skipped into her
home asking, -'Where j. the apple e-oasket!
the last day was at hand.
In the pantry" said her mother. But
" hat do YOU want oi llf
Tomorrow i the last day of school I"
said Mary; "and want to % down To-
the sweet applc-trcc, and get one apple for
each little girl, and have them for our
noonIng in the play house. May |: Say
yes, mamma; for none Of the other girls
have a sweet apple tree like ours :"
Well said her mother. .'if YOU can
lind enough that are ripe and mellow"
f,ff rod f44ift ted hat
she carele>sly stepped on a little chicken
a. She turned the corner OF the wood
house, and 1t went CRYING and limping TO
its mother IN the coop Mary followed,
until she saw it cuddled into the old hens
down Then saying. Il guess it will be
all right by morning" turned with her
basket for the apple-tree
Here and there they lay on the ground,
turning up their yellow checks and seem
ing to say, Here We are." She quickly
counted them into her basket,-nne Of
them.
But" Mary said there are ten; that
j., if count Betsy Baker"
She found she was talking aloud to her
self but looking around to see If any
body could have overheard her, she con-
tinued =
Nobody likes Betsy, anyhow. I'm sure
don't! And Ill just 20 to the sour apple
tree, and get the meancst little thing can
find; and that1l make ten. and be good
joke, too.
So of she set, and found little, gnarled
hard apple that looked sour.
There" She said, as she threw it into
the basket, that looks just about as sour
as Betsy acts.
Walking toward the house, and thinking
6 f..l, n.
sour apple; and so. setting the basket
down. she put the sour one in the bottom,
and the sweet ones atop.
Marys mother met her on the back porch,
and was quite delighted at the good hit of
finding such handsome specimens for the
occasion.
But. handling them one by one, she came
upon the little hard one.
What is this, Nary" said her mother
You've made q mistake and got one from
the sour tree"
mo, no mistake at ALL said Mary. II
got that one on purpose for Betsy Baker.
She is little plague anyhow, and that is
just fit for ter"
But, Mary" said her mother, 'do you
think you would like TO have anybody treat
you So If you were Betsy Baker,"
lin not Betsy" said Mary, 'nor bit
like her, either"
But suppose you were" insisted her
mother Suppose yUu had been born
with bad temper, and suppose your moth
| er had been unkind to you, as they say
| Betsy's Is to her: would you like to have
little girls treat you soI And, besides,
what does Jesus say about doing to Others
as we would have them do to us?"
Mary dropped her eyes, and. hanging her
head, set the basket into the pantry, and
saw it no more until next morning. When
school. time came, she st rted with her two
baskets, ,-one of lunch, to which her moth
er had added glass of Jelly because it
was the last day, and the other with the
apples.
Mrs. Littlewood had said no more about
the sour apple, but left Mary to think it
out for herself alone.
Evening came, and Mary returned with
her two baskets empty; but her heart was
full Of delight.
well, nv child" said her mother, "did
you have nice lunch with the girls2"
"Oh it was lovely chattered Mary
'just lovely. The teacher gave US half
hour extra, and we made little table in
the playhouse, and invited the teacher in
with US; and gave her the glass of jelly,
because there was no apple for her But
she passed 1t around to US all; and the ap-
piles surprised them so. Then we all gave
the boys outside a piece of our apples, and
some of the jelly, too"
And" interrupted Mrs. Littlewood,
what about Betsy and the sour apple?"
well. mamma" said Mary, lyon see,
J when said my prayer last night, and came