Anonymous

Transcriber's note

DEAN'S

Illustrated Farthing Books.

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BE KIND ONE TO ANOTHER.

title page image

LONDON: DEAN & SON,
11, Ludgate Hill.

47

Lily Stuart and Ellie Graham were very near neighbours, and very dear friends. They attended the same school, and when that was over, they spent most of their leisure time in playing with each other.

Ellie's younger sister, May, was also a great friend of Lily's, and joined with them in all their plays; but as she was in a different class at school, Ellie and Lily were rather more constantly together. At any other time, however, wherever you saw one of the little girls, you were almost sure of seeing the three; indeed, the two sisters were so seldom separated, that Lily's little brother Frank, who was very fond of them both, used to call each of them "Ellie and May"—he heard them so constantly spoken of together.

At a school which these little girls attended, there was a reward given for good conduct and perfect lessons, at the end of each week. This was a beautiful silver medal, with "Reward of Merit" engraved upon it. This was to be worn the following week, and very happy it made any little girl to show her friends this proof of her good scholarship.

There were so many good children at this school, that the kind teacher was sometimes puzzled to know on whom to bestow it, and thus she was obliged to make her rules quite strict; and one of them was, that the children must not miss a day from school, if they wished to receive the medal.

Ellie and Lily had been longer at this school than May; so when she entered it, she became very anxious to deserve the medal. Two or three times she almost gained it, and then, by necessary absence, lost it again. Finally, four days of the week had passed, and May had not once missed in her lessons or conduct. Very perfectly did she study her task for Friday, and went to sleep to dream of the medal.

Alas! when she woke the next morning, she found the ground covered with snow, and the streets looking quite impassable. Still she hoped she might get to school, when a man who lived in the neighbourhood of the school-house, came to Mrs. Stuart on an errand, and he told May's grandmamma, that no child could get past a crossing a few streets off, on the way to school. So May, who was rather a delicate child, had to stay at home. Bitter was her disappointment, and still worse did she feel, when, a few moments after, Ellie and Lily came running in—their cheeks as red as roses—to see if May was ready for school. They, too, felt very badly when they heard she had to stay at home, for they, like generous children, were very anxious that she should receive the medal.

May's grandma asked them if they thought they could get over the bad crossing; they said, "Oh, yes; they had on their india-rubber-boots, and were not afraid." So off they went, leaving May very sadly behind. They trudged along through the snow-drifts, until they came to the crossing of which the man had warned them. They looked one way, and the other, and then Ellie made a jump over the worst place, and helped Lily across; thus they got over very nicely.

"Oh!" cried Ellie, as she reached the school-door, "how I do wish May had come; for now she will lose the medal; I do believe I will go back for her." No sooner said than done. Hastily closing the door behind Lily, she ran as quickly as possible to Mrs. Stuart's. "May, May!" cried she, "do ask your grandma to let you go back with me; that crossing is not at all bad; I came back to tell you so."

Of course, Mrs. Stuart consented; and in a few minutes, off the little girls started, as merrily as possible. When they reached school they were a little late.

We hardly know which was the happiest that afternoon—May, when the medal, with its pretty pink ribbon, was put about her neck—or Ellie, to remember that she had helped May to obtain it.

Before I bid my little readers "good-bye," I would whisper to them that this is no fairy tale or fancy sketch, but a true story. Thus you will see that I have asked you to do nothing impossible—since little children, like yourselves, have shown how pleasant it is to "be kind one to another."