“Well, I never saw any thing so selfish as that before, I declare,” said Carrie Sherwood, striking the ground with her foot, and looking very angry as she spoke. “The next time I invite them to spend the day at my house they shall certainly know it.”
“Oh, never mind, never mind,” said Jessie. “We can look at them, and that will be almost as good as sliding ourselves. Perhaps they will get tired presently, and then we can slide while they rest.”
“No, we shan’t get tired either, Miss Jessie,” retorted Charlie. “We mean to slide until dinner-time.”
“And then you expect to eat dinner at my house, I suppose. Really, you are a very generous boy!” replied Carrie, in a bitter tone of voice.
“’Taint your house. It’s your father’s. He!” said the ugly boy, grinning at his young hostess.
“Well, if you were not Jessie’s cousins, you should never step inside of my house again—but here comes my brother. He’ll make you let me slide.”
Walter Sherwood now came up to the spot where his sister and Jessie stood. Carrie told him the story of the selfishness of the two cousins, and ended by saying:
“Won’t you compel them to let us slide too, Walter?”
“If he touches me, I’ll throw this big stone at him,” growled Charlie, looking very ugly and holding up a large stone, which he had just taken up from the side of the ditch. Wasn’t he a selfish little fellow?
“Please don’t touch him,” entreated Jessie. “I don’t care much about sliding, and Carrie won’t mind waiting until to-morrow. Will you, Carrie dear. The weather is so cold, there will soon be plenty of ice. Please don’t hurt Charlie, Walter.”