"Annie? _Lillie_, you mean."

"Oh, no," said the lady, "I sent the cornelian ring to Annie."

This announcement troubled Lillie's mother. She knew her little girl thought more of this cornelian ring, than of all the rest of her presents; but she promised the lady, who was their cousin, it should be given to the rightful owner.

Now, this good mother would gladly have bought another ring for Annie, and let Lillie keep her treasure, but that would not have been the _right thing_; so she took Lillie out walking with her, and as the little girl skipped and danced along, (for a little happy creature like that, scarcely ever walks,) she began her painful duty by saying, "Lillie, what is the golden rule?"

"_I_ know," said Lillie, "Do as you would wish to be done by."

"Well, do you understand what it means?"

"Why, yes, mamma; papa says the golden rule means, that I must be good and kind to everybody, because I always want everybody to be good and kind to me."

"Well, Lillie," said her mother, in a very kind tone, "I must tell you about a mistake I have made. I am very, very sorry for it. I gave you two rings on Christmas day, and your cousin tells me, that she meant the cornelian ring for Annie. Now, Lillie, what will you do?"

"Oh, mamma!" exclaimed Lillie, and then she stopped, while a painful flush came all over her face, her little breast heaved, and her large and lovely blue eyes filled with tears.

She felt very miserable, for a moment, then checking a rising sob, she said, softly--

"Mamma, you made _two_ 'steaks. You said Christmas day, that I had too many presents; that was one 'steak, and Annie had too few, that was two 'steaks. I--I must give this ring to sister Annie. It is her ring. I shall only have _one_ ring, but, _never matter_," and she sighed----and _then she smiled_.

"That is right, my darling," answered her mother, "that is doing just as you would wish to be done by."

So Lillie, with her great resolution filling her n.o.ble little heart, said not a word more, but hastened home with her mother, and walked straight up to Annie, with such a heaven-sent smile illuminating her sweet face, and took the precious ring off her finger, and said, "Here, Annie; this is your ring, take it; it was meant for you all the time, but mamma didn't know it," and here the rosy lips began to tremble, and Lillie was silent.

"Would you _rather_ I should take it?"

"Yes," said Lillie.

"Well, then, I will. If I had got the two rings by mistake, I should have given one to you right away! indeed I would, Lillie."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Horse with tail like a water-spout]

"Would you?" answered Lillie, brightening wonderfully, "well, then, I am glad I have given it to you," and the painful shadow pa.s.sed away from her face, and Willie was so impressed with this interesting scene, that he forthwith brought out one of his dearest treasures, a horse with a tail like a water-spout, drawn for him by his father, which he had painted such a bright apple green, that it set your very teeth on edge only to look at it, and bestowed it then and there upon Lillie, with a hug and a kiss, that was worth all the green horses, and brown ones too, in the universe; and thus happiness was restored to the hearts of these three lovely children, and Lillie got along like other people, with only one wedding ring, and came to think it quite enough; but that I believe is the general opinion, though I am not absolutely certain.

And now, if you little folks cannot see by this story, the good effects of setting a good example, and how great the responsibility even little children incur in their relation to each other, Aunt f.a.n.n.y will have a heart-ache, and she will be brought to wish, that instead of writing stories that do no good, she had taken to growing pumpkins or hard-hearted cabbages, _and that's all_.

JACK AND HIS FRIENDS.

Once upon a time, there was a little boy, named Jack. He lived in a house with his papa and mamma, who were so fat that they had to be very good-natured, because you know, it don't answer at all for fat people to be cross, it makes them feel so very uncomfortable. So it does everybody else, for the matter of that! Who likes to see any one cross or angry, with a face flaming with rage, and talking in so sharp a voice that it sounds like a pack of fire-crackers, going off? Why, n.o.body.

So, suppose you and I try which can keep the brightest and sweetest face all this next year. Will you? you dear little thing!

Well, Jack had a pretty little brown dog, named Carlo, and a nice little white cat, named Minnie; and Jack the boy, and Carlo the dog, and Minnie the cat, were the best friends, and had the greatest fun together, that ever a boy, and a cat, and a dog had, since the world began, and a little before.

When Jack had eaten his pudding, and Carlo had munched his bones, and Minnie had lapped her milk, they would all rush out in the garden together, as if they were distracted with joy; and then such a hurrying, and a scurrying, and a scampering, and a scattering, and a cutting round corners, and a hiding under bushes, and a jumping out of unexpected places, was never seen or heard of, I do believe. Wasn't it funny? Did you ever have such fun?

One day, Jack's father and mother had gone out to spend the day with Mr. and Mrs. Thingumbob, and the cook forgot to give the poor little boy his dinner.

Into the kitchen he rushed, and nearly tumbled head first into a tub full of soap-suds. If he had, I couldn't have finished this story, which would have been a pity. But he did not fall in; for he immediately shouted out--"Mary! Mary! Mary! I want a piece of bread and b.u.t.ter! I want my dinner!"

[Ill.u.s.tration: You can't have any dinner, said the cook.]

"But you can't have your dinner yet," said the cook; "I'm just making the dumpling; the baker has not come, and there isn't a speck of bread in the house."

"Well, give me a piece of cake then," said Jack.

"Haven't got any cake," said the cook.

"Well, candy then," said Jack.

"Haven't got any candy," said the cook.

"Well, sugar, or sweetmeats, or something; I'm just as hungry as a little bear," said Jack.

"Haven't got 'em, Master Jack," said the cook; "but I tell you what! here is a penny; go to the baker that lives on top of the hill, and buy a loaf of bread for yourself."

"Oh, yes! so I will!" shouted Jack, jumping over a chair and upsetting the knife-board, and all the knives which the cook had just been cleaning; and this provoked her so, that she caught up the broomstick, and ran after him, and fell over the wash-tub herself; so Jack got off safe. Aren't you glad?

Then he called Carlo, the dog, and said--"Look here, Carlo; do you want to go to the baker's with me to buy a loaf of bread?"

"Bow, wow, wow," said Carlo; which meant, "Of course I do.

Hurrah!"

Then he called Minnie, the cat, and said--"Look here, Minnie, do you want to go to the baker's with us to buy a loaf of bread?"

Minnie opened her eyes, stiffened her tail, and made her back as round as a hoop, and said, miau! miau! miau! which was cat-talk for "Of course I do. Hurrah!"

So they all started off together in a state of perfect delight. Presently, they came to where Bunny the rabbit lived.

"Bunny, Bunny," called Jack. Out popped little Bunny, flapping his long ears, and winking his red eyes, and gave a funny little squeak; which meant, "How-de-do, Jack, what do you want?"

"Bunny," said Jack, "do you want to go to the baker's with us to buy a loaf of bread?"

"Oh! of course I do," squeaked Bunny. So Jack the boy, and Carlo the dog, and Minnie the cat, and Bunny the rabbit, made quite a party.

Pretty soon they came to Jenny Wren's house, high up in a tree. "Jenny, Jenny," called Jack.

Out she popped from her nest, where she was sitting on top of her children, and jumped on a branch, and wagged her little head, and fluttered her little wings, and c.o.c.ked up her little tail in the air, to show how glad she was to see her friend Jack.

"Jenny," said Jack, "do you want to go to the baker's with us to buy a loaf of bread?"

"Chip, chip, chip," said Jenny; which was bird-talk for "Oh!

of course I do."

"Well, come along, then," said Jack. Down flew Jenny, and hopped along with the rest. So Jack the boy, and Carlo the dog, and Minnie the cat, and Bunny the rabbit, and Jenny the wren, made a jolly little party, all going to the baker's together. I wish I had been there, don't you?