MARK AND I
I HAVE found it at last. I mean the place in the Bible where it tells about two boys who were like Mark and me. But I may as well begin at the beginning, and tell all about it. Mark Adams is my brother. I am Wesley.
Mark and I were having a jolly game this afternoon. Mother was in the house making short-cake for supper. Pretty soon we heard her say, "Boys! Boys!" I thought she was calling for Mark, so I waited to let him answer, because it isn't polite to reply when someone else is spoken to. Mark did not speak, and in a minute she called louder," Boys! Bo-oys!"
We could tell what it meant. There was an errand to do. What's the use of so many errands, I wonder? Grandpa says most of them are to get something for boys to eat. If I was a woman, I would have my errands done some time when boys didn't want to play. Mother asked the other day when that would be. But it was this particular errand I was going to tell about. When mother called the second time, Mark answered. Sure enough! Somebody must go to the store for strawberries. Mark tried to beg off. We were having such a good time, he didn't want to leave. Mother looked sort of worried, and said it was easier to go for anything herself than to make one of us go. Grandpa told her she was not half strict enough with us. I happened to be behind the woodshed; but mother saw me. "Wesley," she said, "you ought to do this. All these things come upon Mark." I told her of course I would go. I had no idea she wanted me, or I should have offered long ago. I thought Mark' ought to be ashamed of himself for being unwilling to do such a little thing.
She didn't praise me as I thought she would, but went into the house, and I went back to play. Mark was not there, but some other boys were, and I thought I would wait a few minutes before going to the store. In a few minutes I could not get away, and pretty soon I forgot all about it.
The next thing was the supper bell. I felt bad then. I remembered about the berries, and I felt afraid we couldn't have short-cakes. But what do you think? There sat Mark, his fingers all stained with strawberry juice! He had been to the store, and picked the berries all over besides, while I had been playing! Nobody spoke about it till after supper. Then mother said, "I have been reading about you today, Wesley." I wondered what she meant.
"Take this Bible. Turn to the twenty-first chapter of Matthew, and see if you can find what I read," she went on. When I tell you that there are forty six verses in that chapter, you will not wonder that I felt a little bit as if she meant to punish me. But Mark said he would help, and we found it at last. I will not tell you what it is, for I want to see if you know. But Mark looked real sober when he read it. "I think," he said, "the first boy would have pleased his father better if he had gone to work without saying, I will not." Mark is a good boy, but he does have some queer ideas.
S. S. Advocate