It was Maggie's birthday, and her father brought her as a present
something that she had been wishing for a very long time. It was a
beautiful yellow canary, and its little house was the prettiest cage
imaginable, for it was made of brass wire, which was so bright that you
could almost think it was gold. Of course Maggie was delighted. "It is
just what I have been wishing for," said she; "I shall feed the canary
myself, and give it fresh water every day; it is the prettiest bird I
ever saw."
For some weeks Maggie remembered her little pet each day, and attended
to all its wants, but there came a day when there was to be a picnic for
all the school children, and Maggie was so excited and glad about the
picnic that she forgot all about feeding the bird.
Then next day there was hay-making, and she was in the field all day,
and again forgot the poor bird.
This went on for a few days, and when at last she =did= remember, and
went to the cage, the bird was dead.
Maggie was full of grief, and cried until her head ached, but she could
not undo the results of her forgetting.
Some people think it is a =little= fault to forget, but that cannot be,
for we know well that "forgetting" often causes pain and suffering to
others.
(Blackboard.)
Forgetting often causes Pain.