MAUD.
The little Maud grew more beautiful every day; she was fair as a lily,
except that you might think rose leaves had been crushed to color her
cheeks. Her bright eyes were shaded by long, silky lashes; and her
pretty mouth, when it was shut, concealed two rows of delicate, pearly
teeth. Her hair hung in a cloud of dark-brown curls, touched on the
edges with a golden tinge.
The old dame took care that her dress should be always fine; and while
she gave Daisy the coarsest woollen gowns, brought delicate muslins for
Maud.
But Daisy did not mind this; she was glad to see her beautiful sister
dressed handsomely; and, besides, how could she crowd through the
bushes by the river bank, or sit on the ground looking at grass and
flowers through her spectacles, if her own dresses were so frail?
It was not, after all, so very amusing as Daisy had hoped, to take care
of Miss Maud, when she began to run about and play. She did not dare to
go in the wood, for fear of bugs and snakes; she did not like to sail
chips in the river, and make believe they were boats; she tossed away
Daisy's wooden doll, and called it a homely thing; she pulled up her
sister's flowers, and always wanted to go in a different place and do a
different thing from her.
The little girl found it hard to give up so many pleasures; but she kept
thinking that Maud would be older soon, and would know better than to be
so troublesome.
And Maud was no sooner large enough to run about than Daisy wished her
young again; for she took pains to tread on the prettiest flowers, and
call them old weeds, and would chase every butterfly that came in sight,
and tear his wings off, and then laugh because he could not fly; she
pinched the rabbits' ears until they grew so wild they were almost
afraid of Daisy, and seemed to have no pleasure except in making those
about her very uncomfortable.
Yes, Maud had one other pleasure--she loved to sit beside the still
pools in the wood, that were like mirrors, and watch the reflection of
her handsome face.
But after this, she was sure to go home peevish and discontented,
telling her mother and Daisy what a shame it was to live in such a
lonely place, and have no one admire her beauty; and to be so poor, and
depend on the charity of "that hag," as she called the dame.
Then she loved to tell Daisy what a common-looking little thing _she_
was, and how the mark of those ugly spectacles was always on her face,
and every day it grew more homely and serious, and as if she were a
daughter of the dame. "As for myself," Maud would end, "I am the child,
I know, of some great man; the dame has stolen me away from him, I feel
sure, and then thinks I ought to be grateful because she brings me these
clothes."
At this, Daisy would look up through her spectacles, and say, meekly,
"It doesn't matter much who is our father here; for God, up in heaven,
is the Father of us all, and gives great people their fine houses, just
as he gives these flowers to you and me; for mother told me so."
Then Maud would toss her head, and ask, "What is mother but an old
woodcutter's wife, that has worked, perhaps, in my father's kitchen?"
"God doesn't care where we have worked, but how well our work is done,"
said Daisy.
"O, nonsense! Who ever saw God? I want a father that can build me a fine
house, all carpeted, and lighted with chandeliers, and full of servants,
like the houses mother tells us about sometimes."
"Why, Maud, what is this world but a great house that God has built for
us? All creatures are our servants; the sun and stars are its
chandeliers; the clouds are its beautiful window frames; and this soft
moss is the carpet. Look, what dear little flowers grow among it, and
gaze up as if they were saying, 'Yes--God made us all.'"
"Who wants a house that every one else can enjoy as much as we, and a
father that is not ashamed to call every dirty beggar his child?"
Daisy thought her home all the pleasanter for this, and loved her
heavenly Father more, because he had room in his heart for even the
meanest creature; but she could not make her sister feel as she did, nor
try, as Daisy tried, to be patient, and gentle, and happy.