The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-07-11
A Fall-0ut and a Fall-In.

Dora and Josie were cousins. Dora's
home was in the city, but she was Wis
iting at her little Cousins country
home, and delightful time she was
having. The two girls were the best
of friends, and for the most part they
agreed very well together, spending
many days at play in the pleasant fields
of the large farm. But neither of
them had any brothers and sisters, and
so they were not used to sharing their
playthings and sport with others, aud
of course that made each little selfish.
So it did happen, after they had been
playing together few days, that they
quarreled sometimes. Neither wanted
to give up to the other. Josie's mother
saw what was the trouble, and told
them she hoped they would soon learn
to be little more patient and unselfish.
But she had no idea that they would
learn the lesson in the way they
did. One day the two girls went out
to the fields with Josie's wagon to
gather flowers. They had almost filed
the wagon box, and were on their way
home, trudging along the steep bank of
the river that flowed through the farm.
Suddenly Dora cried:
sob, see those pretty flowers in the
meadow down there! How sweet aud
brigh.l Josie, let's go and gather
them"
"No, let's not" replied Josie. "It's
almost dinner time, and we'd better go
home"
"Oh it isn't dinner time yet, Josie.
Your mamma'll ring the bell when she
wants us to come home. l want some
of those flowers. Come on!''
cts too far, and Pm tired and
hungry" Josie complained. "I don't
want to go y; and she hung back.
You don't want to go just because
! do" said Dora, Grossly.
SIT isn't so, and you're real mean to
say that" flashed Josie.
" You're just as stubborn and selfish
as you can be-"
$50 are you"
Well, Pm going for those flowers,
and l don't care if you go or not" and
Dora started off toward the meadow,
drawing the little wagon after her.
"You can't take that wagon; it's
mine," cried Josie, running after her
cousin and grasping the wagon by the
hind wheels.
Then the girls began to tug at the
wagon, one at one end and the other
at the other, gowing angrier every mo-
ment. Thus they pulled and jerked,
neither gaining any advantage, and
both becoming very red in the face,
when suddenly the tongue of the wagon
broke loose, and Josie fell back on the
ground with a thud. But Dora was
standing 80 near the steep river bank
that, when the wagon tongue gave
way, she lost her balance and fell over
the edge and went rolling down the
sandy incline into the stream. When
Josie looked up, she could not see her
cousin, but she heard her utter a scream
of terror, and the cry came from the
river! She ran to the edge of the bank,
and saw her little cousin struggling in
the water, trying to save herself from
being swept away by clutching at the
soft, yielding sand.
"Ohl she'll drown if | don't help
her! shrieked Josie. But she was a
brave little girl, and so she scrambled
down the bank, digging her feet and
hands into the sand to save herself
from sliding into the water. There was
no time to be lost. She reached the
edge of the water, and then clutched
her cousins hand just as the current
was drawing her out into the deep
stream. Together the girls managed
to Chamber up the sandy bank. When
they reached the top and stood once
more on solid ground, they fell into
each others arms, wet and splashed
with sand and mud as they were.
go Dora, if you had drowned, I'd
have been to blame," sobbed Josie.
"No, you wouldn't; it was all my
fault; was so selfish, But We'll never
quarrel again, will we?"
"No, indeed, Dora"
When Josie's father heard about the
accident, he smiled and said, twittingly,
" Your fall-out was settled by fall-in,
wasn't it, girls? "-Zion's Herald.