Sometimes she would coax him to go, by the promise of candy or cake; but, as he soon found that his mother did not hesitate to tell a lie; that she often promised what she did not intend to perform; he flatly refused to obey her.
But, on the day of Mr. Bryant's visit, Mrs. Russel had some beef soup, of which her husband was very fond; so she told Oscar he must carry a pailful to his father, or he should have none for himself.
After a great deal of trouble and many hard words from both the mother and son, he started away, Mrs. Russel standing in the doorway and telling him to hurry as fast as he could, or the soup would be cold.
But Oscar had no idea of hurrying. He walked on very leisurely for a while, until he saw a squirrel run along the top of the stone wall. Then he set down his pail and chased the poor, frightened creature until it fled for safety into the limb of a large oak-tree.
In his haste to catch the squirrel, he had set the pail on a stone which had tipped over, and nearly half of the soup was spilled.
Instead of being sorry that his father's dinner was spoiled, he only laughed, and said,—
"Now I'm glad, for 'twont be so heavy."
By and by he came to Mr. Monson's neat cottage. Charley was playing with his cart in the yard, and said, pleasantly,—
"Hollo, Oscar!"
"Now, if I had that cart," said Oscar, "it would be easy to drag my pail." He waited till Charley came very near, and then he snatched it, and began to run away.