"I Didn't Think."


PAUL MARTIN is a boy who is always in

trouble himself, and the cause of trouble in

others. He leaves the gate open, and lets

the cow out of the pasture and into the

corn. Once he left the bars down, so that

she got into the clover-field while the dew

was yet on; and she ate till she killed herself,

as cows have no more sense than to

do. Paul felt very sorry after the mischief

was done, but he thought he excused himself

when he said that he "didn't think."

Paul's father is not rich, and the loss of the

cow was a serious matter to him.

Paul is good-natured, and is always willing

to help others; but the chances are that

in attempting to help he does more mischief

than his work would be worth in a month.

Not long ago he went to visit his grandmother,

whom he loves better than any one

else in the world, and who loves to hear him

read to her.

If Paul would confine himself to reading,

he would not get into troubles; for his reading

would not break or destroy.

"Let me put the waiter in the china closet

for you, grandma," he said, just after Mrs.

Neal had finished washing her best china,

which she would not trust to the hands of

a servant.

"Be very careful, my dear," said Mrs.

Neal, anxiously. "Oh, yes," said Paul, set

setting the waiter but half way on the closet

shelf, as his eyes were turned out of the

window to see who was passing. The instant

he removed his hands, down went the

waiter with a crash. Not a single piece of

china was saved.

Mrs. Neal could not help crying. "It

was my mother's wedding set," she said.

Paul, of course, was very sorry; but as

usual had many excuses to offer, and thought

it was something in his favor to say,

 "I didn't think."

So he goes on, a trouble to every one, a

source of worry, expense and anxiety, to his

parents, and to all with whom he is connected.

Whether he will ever improve, I

do not know. Certainly he never will until

he learns that the fault is in himself, and

that "I didn't think," instead of being any

excuse, is the source of the whole trouble.




— Child's World,