HOW TADDY LEARNED HIS LESSON.
Taddy and his mamma had just got nicely settled, she with some sewing, and he with a little primer, out of which he was beginning to learn his lesson, when mamma was called away to see a neighbor who was sick. She only stopped to tell Taddy to study his lesson like a good boy, while she was gone. But, instead of looking on his book, the little boy, as soon as he was left alone, began to look out of the window. In an open lot behind the house he saw grown-up Jamie, who lived next door, skating on a little sheet of ice.
Taddy's eyes began to grow round. "Don't I wish I was a big boy too, so I could skate!" he said to himself.
Then he saw Jamie take off his skates, and lay them down on the ice, and go off on an errand for his mother.
All at once it popped into Tad's head to slip down the back-stairs, and out through the gate, and just see if he could not skate.
"I'm sure," said he, "it can't be so very hard: the boys do it so easy! What if I do tumble down a few times at first! I don't mind a little bump."
So he sped down the stairs, tied on his cap and scarf, tucked his mittens in his pocket, and was off for the ice.
"The skates are too long for me, but that is no matter. I know how to put them on. There! now they're on. Hurrah! here I g—! Oh!"
Down he sat, before he had hardly got upon his feet. He got a hard bump; and his bare hands rubbed upon the ice till they were so cold, that, if he hadn't made up his mind to be stout-hearted, he would have been glad to go in and warm them.