You have often heard grown-up people say to little children, "Behave
nicely," or "Mind your manners"; I wonder if you know just what they
mean. There is a little word that describes people who have =not= nice
manners--we say they are =rude=. Try to find out who was rude in this
story.
One bright day in April little Alice was dressed all ready for a
birthday party. She had on a pretty, new pink frock, of which she was
very proud, and over this she wore a cloak, but the cloak was not quite
long enough to cover =all= the pretty dress, for which Alice was not
sorry. She was all the more pleased about the party because she had to
go by train. It was only three miles, but Alice thought that was quite a
long journey for a little girl of ten to take all by herself.
Her mother brought her to the station, and when the train came up, Alice
jumped in and sat near the window, opposite to a tall, nicely-dressed
boy. Now before Alice came into the carriage, what do you think the boy
had been doing? He had been sitting with his feet up on the cushions
opposite, and his boots were very muddy. Can you guess the rest? Poor
Alice sat down on the muddy patches left by the boy's dirty, wet boots,
and her pretty pink frock was spoilt.
Can you tell who was rude in this story? "The boy was rude." What did he
do that was rude? "He put his feet up." Then we will say, "It is rude to
put our feet up". The proper place for feet is the floor. What effect
did the boy's rudeness have on Alice? (or to younger children): How did
the boy's rudeness make Alice feel? It made her unhappy. Then I think we
might say that manners are =rude= when they make other people
=uncomfortable= or =unhappy=.