The Nest in the Honeysuckles, and other Stories — John Shaqi
The Nest in the Honeysuckles, and other Stories
Religion
The Nest in the Honeysuckles, and other Stories
Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories; Christian life -- Juvenile fiction
"That always makes people happy," his mother replied.
Willie is generally a good boy, but he sometimes does wrong, and
wrong-doing always makes him sad. It was a great pleasure to him that
he had tried to be good, and had been enabled to overcome temptation.
All children are sometimes tempted to do wrong, and it often requires
a severe struggle to decide to do right. But every child who overcomes
evil feels a conscious happiness and self-respect in so doing. I hope
you will "try to be good." If you do, and look to Christ for strength,
he will aid you, and through his grace you will be able to become
conqueror over the sins that "so easily beset you."
Henry Maxwell lives in the same town with Willie, and is of the same
age. These boys often play together. I regret to be obliged to say
that Henry is not so good a child as Willie. He does not so promptly
obey his mother, and of course he cannot be so happy. Sometimes he
pouts out his lips, when his mother wishes him to do something which
he does not exactly like.
I one day heard his mother talking to him about his teeth. She wished
him to brush them again, as he had not done it thoroughly the first
time. It was astonishing to see how that fair, round face was
disfigured by that ugly pout, and it was sad to hear his dissatisfied
"I don't want to." When his mother insisted on obedience, Henry
reluctantly complied with her wishes, closing the door behind him with
great violence.
His face was not sunny and bright like Willie's, when he had tried to
be good, but was dark and shady, like a clouded sky. It was not
pleasant to look upon, and it made the heart of his mother heavy and
sad to see it. I hope Henry will learn to be cheerful and prompt in
his obedience to his mother, for, if he should not, the expression of
his face will grow more and more disagreeable, till, when he is a man,
it will look more like a chilly day in November, than a sweet,
gladsome day in June.
I do not wish you should tell me, but I should like to have you ask
yourself, when you have read about these two boys, which of them you
are most like. Is your face sunny, or shady?
"IT ISN'T FAIR. I PEEPED."
Willie and Eddie were playing Hide the Button. After they had played
some time, and it was Willie's turn to find it, he came into the
nursery with his face flushed, and evidently much excited. "It isn't
fair," said he, and the tears gathered in his eyes, and his lips
quivered with emotion, "I peeped. Eddie must hide it again;" and he
went out of the room, for Eddie to put the button in another place.
Willie had been overcome by temptation. He had done a dishonourable
act, but his conscience was quick to reprove him, and he had listened
to its admonitions. There had been a short but severe struggle in his
mind, and truth and honour had conquered. He was brave enough to
confess his fault, and to do what he could to make amends for it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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