There is nothing more pleasant than to see brothers and sisters, lovely
in their lives, and in all their plays kind and obliging to each other.
Mrs. Jones' three little children were always noted for their good
behavior by all the people in the village, and the school teacher said
they were the prettiest behaved children she ever saw, and this was
saying much in their praise, for her scholars were noted for very good
behavior and promptness in their recitations. Mrs. Jones kept her
children under a good discipline, but she always gave them time and
opportunities for their pleasant plays. She would not allow them to
associate with vicious children, because "evil communications corrupt
good manners," and she knew her children were as liable to fall into bad
habits as any others. There were a few vicious boys in the village where
she lived who always took delight in teasing and vexing the other
children, and sometimes these boys would try some method to break up the
children's play.
One afternoon, there being no school, Mrs. Jones gave her little
children permission to go into the lower back-room and spend awhile in
play. Away they jumped and skipped along down stairs to the play room,
with merry hearts and smiling faces. They had not been there a long
time before they heard a very singular noise, which they did not know
what to make of. But they soon forgot it, and continued playing with the
same cheerfulness; very soon again they heard the same noise, which
sounded like somebody's voice. The children began to be a little
frightened, and you will see them in the picture standing "stock still,"
while little Susy stretches her hand out to take hold of the post, and
is in the act of running away. Molly and Anna put their fingers to their
lips, and listened again to know what the noise could mean. Soon the
noise was repeated, and away they flew to their mother's arms in such a
tremor that she felt at the moment alarmed herself. They told their
mother what had happened, and all that night the children could not
sleep.
It was ascertained the next day that one of the bad boys crept along in
the back part of the yard where the children were playing, and by an
unnatural sound of his voice made the noise that so alarmed the three
little children. Susy, who was the youngest, did not forget it for
sometime; and all of them were afraid to go alone into the lower room
for many weeks.
This was very wrong in the bad boy; he might have injured the children
at play so they would never have recovered from it. I have known young
children to be so frightened as never to forget the impression all their
life-time. How much better for the boy to have been like these good
children, and joined with them in their pleasant pastimes. Never do any
thing that will give sorrow and pain to others, but live and act towards
each other while in youth, so as to enable you to review your life with
pleasure, and to meet with the approbation of your Heavenly Father.