Little Charles knew nothing about an echo. As he was playing by himself
in the field, he cried out, "Ho, hop!" and immediately a voice from the
woods near by answered, "ho, hop!" Being surprised at this, he called
out, "who be you?" The voice answered, "who be you?" Charles thought
this very strange, and cried out "you're a stupid fellow," and "stupid
fellow," was the reply from the woods.
Charles began to be much displeased, and called several abusive names,
and every name he called, came back to him. "I never met with such
insolence," said he, "but I'll revenge myself;" and he ran up and down
among the trees, trying to find the supposed offender, but he could see
no one. Vexed and disappointed, he hastened home and told his mother
that a bad boy had hidden in the woods and called him all sorts of
names.
His mother smiled and shook her head. "Now you have been angry at
yourself, Charles, for you must know that you heard nothing but your own
words repeated. As you have seen your own face reflected in the water,
so you have now heard your own voice echoed." Had Charles spoke kind
words he would have heard kind words in return. It is often true that
the behavior we meet with from others, is but an echo of our own. If we
speak kind words we shall have kind words in return.
[Illustration]