Miss Rose put her work down on her lap, and with one soft hand smoothed away the thick curls that had a way of falling over and shading Johnnie's forehead and eyes. She thought to herself, "What a pretty boy he is! How noble and open and candid those eyes and that brow!" Johnnie was a very truthful little fellow, and though he had faults, he would have scorned to tell a lie or do anything mean. At this moment Charlie Hill, Aunt Chloe's boy, passed by with his fishing-rod and line. So Johnnie could not stay to hear Miss Rose then. He caught up his straw hat, seized his shrimp-net, and ran off, without even saying, "Excuse me." "That wath very imperlite," observed Mabel. "And Johnnie began asking the questions too! He ithn't very thad." "Dear children," said Miss Rose, "you are only little and young, to be sure, but you may as well learn that God never wants you to _try_ to be miserable. He means you to be as merry and happy as you can be. Consider a minute. Have you ever been very unhappy when you have been good?" "No," said Edith. "I have," said Mabel, "when I've had the teethache." Miss Rose laughed. "Well, that was a pretty good cause; but generally, when children are not naughty, they are happy. You would only vex your dear mamma, and make her feel badly, if you were moping and fretting here, where she sent you to be with your auntie. Then you would spoil auntie's pleasure if, instead of laughing and singing, you were crying and sitting in the corner. She would say, 'O dear, what queer children these are! I'll be glad when they're gone away.'" "That would be dreadful! to have Aunt Maria think that," said Edith. "But tell us your opinion about it." "My opinion is, that it is every one's duty to be as cheerful as he can be all the time. If things vex us and trouble us, let us say, 'Never mind.' If it rains to-day, it will be clear to-morrow. If we pray to our Father, about everything, we will never need to be sorrowful long." Then Miss Rose taught them a pretty little verse: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you." Kneeling that night by her little white bed, Edith said her prayers as usual, and then added another petition: "Dear Lord Jesus, make me happy every night and day, so that I shall love everybody, and everybody love me." Edith was already one of those children whose lives are like "a little light, within the world to shine." CHAPTER IV. CHERRIES ARE RIPE.