ELSIE'S ADVICE.
"Now, Maud Anna Belinda," said Elsie, "I want you to sit up straight and listen to me. I have something to say to you; something you should be glad to hear."
It was hardly worth while to ask Maud Anna Belinda to sit up straight, for she was already straight, indeed, with her hands hanging down stiffly at her sides, and her eyes right out in front of her.
"I have some good advice to give you," Elsie went on, "for your manners. There's company manners and there's home-folks manners. Some people have very fine company manners, but their home-folks manners are horrid. They make all their smiles in company, and just have frowns and pouts and frets for the family; which of course, you know, is very unfair and not nice at all. Some people don't divide theirs up; they have manners that are just the same all the time. And this is a much better way, especially if they are a pleasant kind, my dear.
"Some people get their manners at Paris, and some people's mothers tell them to them when they are young. But my dear Maud Anna Belinda, if you want yours to be good and lovely through and through, you must have a good and lovely heart that's full of kindness and best wishes to everybody. Those are the sort they have in heaven, and heaven's a better place to get them from than Paris, I guess.
"So now I'm done. And I will give you a kiss to remember it by."
If Maud Anna Belinda did not need Elsie's advice, that is not saying that some of us may not.
—Selected.
"That boy looks like a gentleman," said poor little Harry, looking at that boy's nice clothes and then at his own poor ones.
He got on a street car. Soon he gave up his seat to a woman, and picked up her gloves.
"You're a little gentleman," she said.
You can be a gentleman, no matter how shabby your clothes.
Ralph and Emma and little Paul were sitting in a big circle. There were others in the circle, too. There were the eight dolls, and the little wooden dog that squeaked, and the fuzzy little rabbit that squeaked, and the lop-eared toy donkey, and the tiny elephant that stood alone. So many toys, and yet nobody seemed happy but baby Paul, who was trying to swallow his two little thumbs.
So many toys and yet nobody seemed happy but baby Paul.
In the middle of the circle was a tray with little dishes, and Emma held a tiny cup in her hand, for the children were just finishing a make-believe dinner party that had water and two apples for refreshments.
"Winter parties, when its raining outdoors, aren't much fun," grumbled Emma.
"It'd be lots nicer if we could have our party outdoors, and pick apples off trees," grumbled Ralph.
"Twees," echoed baby Paul, trying to swallow his thumbs.
"It just rains and rains," said Emma dolefully.
"Wains," echoed baby Paul.
Baby Paul had stopped swallowing his thumbs. What was it he saw in Emma's face? Was everything so bad?
"Yes, it just rains and rains," complained Ralph dolefully.
Baby Paul looked at Ralph, and saw the same thing he had seen in Emma's face. Oh, thing's must be very bad when big brother and sister looked so sad! It must be nearly time to cry!
Back of the children was a nice warm fire in the grate. The room was comfortable, but baby Paul missed something from the atmosphere. He could not have told what it was, but he began to whimper.
"Don't you go to crying!" said Emma crossly. "It's bad enough to be shut in by the rain without your crying."
Baby Paul cried softly to himself. Thumbs were no comfort now.
Emma went over to the window. She looked dolefully out at the rain. By and by she saw a man going into a house on the corner. The man had a case with him.
"Oh," said Emma to herself, "that's the doctor who went there yesterday! The Brown baby must be real sick."
The doctor stayed a good while. By and by he came out again into the rain. Emma ran to the telephone in the next room, and telephoned to the Browns. Yes, the baby was very, very sick.
Emma came back softly into the room where the fire burned so comfortably. Baby Paul was still crying softly to himself.
"The Brown baby is dreadfully sick," said Emma softly. "Oh, dreadfully! Lizzie Brown was crying when I telephoned to her. They don't know whether the baby will live."
Ralph and Emma looked at baby Paul. Both children had the same thought. Emma ran to baby Paul, and hugged him.
"Oh, baby darling!" cried Emma. "Baby darling, I couldn't stand it if you were sick!"
"Goo!" said baby Paul, looking at Emma's face. That ugly something that was in her face awhile ago was not there now. Baby Paul smiled. If big sister's face was all right what was there to cry about?
Ralph went to the window and looked toward the Browns. Then Ralph went to baby Paul and hugged him. Baby Paul crowed for joy. Big brother's and sister's faces were all right!
"You darling!" cried Emma. "Let's play menagerie for him, Ralph."
So pretty soon the little elephant and the fuzzy rabbit and the wooden dog and the lop-eared donkey were being hurried about at so lively a rate that baby Paul crowed and shouted for joy. What fun it was to be a well baby, when big sister and big brother smiled at him! And the rain just poured outdoors! But everybody was happy.