Nellie and Madge were two little girls getting ready to go for a visit
to grandmamma. She lived many miles away, and the children were to go by
train and stay with her for a whole month.
Their clothes were all laid on the bed ready for packing, and as mother
wanted them to grow up =helpful= girls, she said they might put the
things in the boxes themselves. So Nellie and Madge began to pack.
Nellie took each article by itself, and laid it carefully in the box
without creasing, putting all the heavier things at the bottom, and the
dresses and lighter articles at the top. When she had laid them all in,
the lid just closed nicely, and her work was finished.
Then she turned to see what Madge was doing. Madge had not packed more
than half her pile, and the box was full. "What shall I do?" she cried,
"I =cannot= get them all in." Just then mamma came up and said: "Have
you finished, children? it is nearly train time". Her eyes fell on the
box Madge was packing, and she exclaimed, "Oh! Madge, you have put the
clothes in anyhow, everything must be taken out!" Madge had just thrown
them in "higgledy-piggledy," instead of laying them straight, and they
came out a crumpled heap. She was so hot and flurried, and so afraid of
being late for the train, that she could hardly keep the tears back, but
mamma and Nellie helped to straighten the things, and to pack them
neatly, and just as the cab drove up to the door the last frock was laid
in the box, and the lid went down without any trouble. Madge remembered
to take more pains next time she packed her box.
I was in a house one day, and when the lady opened a drawer to get
something out, the articles in the drawer =bounced up= just like a "Jack
in the box," because you see, they had been put in anyhow, and then
crushed down to allow the drawer to be closed. Of course she could not
find what she wanted. I hope none of =your= drawers are like a "Jack in
the box". I wonder if untidy people are lazy? I am afraid they are.
A girl came home from school one day, and threw her wet cloak on a chair
all in a heap, instead of hanging it up nicely on a peg. When she next
wanted to wear the cloak, it was all over creases and not fit to put on.
Perhaps she thought that mother would see it on the chair, and hang it
up for her, but a nice, thoughtful child would not like to give mother
the trouble, would she?
(Blackboard.)
Be Tidy and Neat.