TWO SIDES.
"You did!"
"I didn't."
"You're real mean."
The children out in the kitchen were quarreling. Mrs. Brown was entertaining a caller in the parlor, when she heard the angry voices. The caller had just been telling her about another lady who had said things not true, and behaved in an unchristian way. It was very plain that the caller and Miss Lewis had been quarreling, though they had been too polite to contradict each other like the children.
Mrs. Brown could not prevent her neighbors disputing, but she did mean to keep peace in her own family.
Edwin and George burst into the room without noticing the caller.
"O mamma," began Edwin, "George has broken my top, and lost my knife, and he won't lend me—"
"But Edwin tore my new kite, and I want to play sliced animals, only he won't," cried George.
"Hush, children! Not another word. Edwin, you may sit in that corner, with your face to the wall; George, in this; and each write five good things about the other before you stir from your seats;" and mamma handed each of the boys a sheet of paper and a pencil. They felt very much ashamed when they saw Miss Clara. Mamma did not often punish them before people. They wondered why she should do so now. She had her own reasons.
Miss Clara soon went away. Then mamma went out, shutting the door, and the boys were left alone.
George: never did like to write. He always got Eddie to help on the grammar exercise at school.
Now he folded his paper and bit his pencil; but the words would not come. He peeped around at Eddie. Eddie was writing away as fast as he could. By and by, he spoke, very timidly it is true, "Couldn't you tell me something to write, Ed?"
"What, something good about myself? You are funny!" 'Then both boys laughed. "Perhaps it will help you to hear what I've written," and Eddie read his paper.
"Whew!" whistled George, "I hardly know myself; but I can say you've got your paper done first, for one thing; and that you're going to wait for me to finish mine, for another; and that you helped me in my exercise, for another," and then the "good things" came so thick and fast to George's mind he could not write half of them.
When the boys carried the papers to mamma, it was with arms thrown about each other in a very loving fashion. Indeed, you could not have thought, to see them, that they had ever quarreled. Next time, I hope they will stop to think of the "good things" before they begin to dispute.
The boys were surprised that evening to see Miss Clara come in again. Two calls in one day! But she walked right up to the boys' mamma, and said, and I've been doing what you told the boys to do, and 'my mind has changed about Miss Lewis. I'd no idea how many good qualities she had till I tried to count them." And Mrs. Brown said softly, "Charity not only suffereth long, but is kind."
S. S. Advocate.