One windy day in March Kitty Miller was on her way to school, when she
spied in a store window, a great pile of lovely red apples.
“Oh,” she said, “how lovely! if Mamma could only have one!”
Kittie’s mother was very poor. She had been a dress-maker ever since
Mr. Miller died, and had worked so hard to earn a living for herself and
Kitty that she had become sick. She was obliged to lie in bed all day,
and when Kitty was away at school, the house was very lonesome to the
invalid.
When Kitty reached the school that day her thoughts were full of her
sick mother and the lovely apples.
She was usually a good scholar, but to-day she made so many blunders
that the teacher looked at her in surprise. The little girl could
only sit at her desk, with her book before her, and dream of those red
apples. When school was dismissed, Kitty started slowly homeward. She
had gone only a short distance when she saw a gentleman in front of her
drop his purse. Running quickly forward she picked it up. It felt quite
heavy in Kittie’s little hand.
“There must be a good deal of money in it,” thought Kitty. “How I wish
I could keep it. Then I could buy Mamma a red apple and so many other
things she needs.”
But she knew this would not be right, so she hurried after the
gentleman. Touching him on the arm, she said, “Please, Sir, you dropped
your purse.”
“Thank you, dear,” said the gentleman taking the purse.
Then noticing how poorly dressed she was, he said, “Why did you not keep
the purse, my child?”
“Because that would be stealing,” replied Kitty. “But,” she continued
honestly, “before I thought I must give it back to you, I did wish I
could keep it, for then I could buy Mamma a red apple.”
The gentleman smiled kindly and said, “You are a good little girl to
return my purse. I would like to give you a little present and then you
can buy a red apple.”
He handed her a silver dollar and then bade her good-by.
Kitty was so surprised that she started hastily for home, forgetting all
about the red apples until she stood in front of the store.
The store-keeper happened to look out and saw the same little girl who
stood looking so longingly in at his window in the morning. He quickly
picked out the biggest, roundest, reddest apple he could find and taking
it out to Kitty said, “Would you like this, my dear?”
She took the apple, looking so pleased and thanking him so prettily,
that the good man thought of it for many a day. When Kitty reached home
with her treasures she found her mother fast asleep. So she put the
apple and silver piece on a plate where her mother could see them when
she awoke.
When Mrs. Miller was told the wonderful story, she kissed her little
daughter and said, “You see, dear, it always pays to be honest and
truthful.”