Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Country life -- Juvenile fiction; Cousins -- Juvenile fiction
They wanted to make a window now more than ever, for each wanted to have
his own way; but Jonas would not consent, and as they had agreed to
abide by his decision, they submitted. Jonas then returned to his work,
and the boys stood by the side of the brook, not knowing exactly what to
do. Jonas told them, when they went away, that he expected that they
would have another quarrel, as he perceived that their hearts were still
in a bad state.
HEARTS WRONG.
The boys sat down on the bank of the brook, and began to pick up little
stones and throw them into the water. They began soon to talk of the
window again.
Rollo said, "Jonas thought you were most to blame, I know."
"No, he did not," replied James. "He blamed you the most; he said you
were unjust."
"I don't care," said Rollo. "You do not know how to build a wigwam. You
cannot reach high enough to make a window."
"I _can_ reach high," said James. "I can reach as high as that," said
he, stretching up his hand.
"And I can reach as high as _that_," said Rollo, stretching up his hand
higher than James did; for he was a little taller.
James was somewhat vexed to find that Rollo could reach higher than he
could, though it was very foolish to allow himself to be put out of
humor by such a thing. But boys, when they are ill-humored, and dispute,
are always unreasonable and foolish. James determined not to be outdone,
so he took up a stick, and reached it up in the air as high as he could,
and said,
"I can reach up as high as _that_."
Then Rollo took up a stone, and tossed it up into the air, saying,
"And I can reach as high as that."
Now, when boys throw stones into the air, they ought to consider where
they will come down; but, unfortunately, Rollo did not in this case, and
the stone fell directly upon James's head. It was, however a small
stone, and his cap prevented it from hurting him much; but he was
already vexed and out of humor, and so he began to cry out aloud.
Rollo was frightened a little, for he was afraid he had hurt his cousin
a good deal, and then he expected too that Jonas would come. But Jonas
took no notice of the crying, but went on with his work. Now, Jonas was
very kind and careful, and always came quick when there was any one
hurt. But this time, he knew by the tone of James's crying, that it was
vexation rather than pain that caused it.
James, finding that his crying did no good, gradually became still; and
in a few minutes, as he happened to look round, his eye rested on the
stone where they had put their half dollars, and he saw that only one of
them was there.
"O, Rollo," said he, "one of our half dollars is gone."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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