The  Peacemaker.



"Two CAN  play at  the same  game," said 

Leonard-Blake, a flash of anger  in  his  eyes, 

as he stood looking at his broken kite.

In  a  fit  of  passion,  a  boy  named  Albert 

Grant  had stamped  on  Leonard's  kite  and 

broken it to pieces.

As Leonard  said,  "Two  can  play at  that 

game," he started forward with the intention 

of cutting the  string of Albert's kite, which 

was flying  high in the  air.

"Don't, Leonard!" exclaimed an  older 

boy, in  a  voice  of warning,  as  he  saw  the 

lad's  purpose.

"He broke  my  kite,  and  I'll  break  his," 

said Leonard, pausing and  looking round  at 

the  older  boy,  who  now  moved  quickly  to 

his side.

"Come, I want to talk to  you;"  and  the 

boy, putting  his  arm  in  that  of  Leonard's, 

drew him  away.

"Talking won't mend  my  kite,"  said 

Leonard, impatiently.

"Nor will breaking Albert's  mend it."

"It will spite him, and  that's something."

"Something worse for you than for him," 

answered the other.

"Worse for me?  I'd like to see you make 

that out."

"The spite would  hurt  your  soul,  as  our 

teacher says, and that would be a worse hurt 

to you than the  destruction  of Albert's  kite 

would be to  him.  Don't you think so?   

Revenge is a wicked feeling,  you  know."

"Revenge!"

"Yes, only another  word  for  spite.  To 

do  a thing for spite is to be revenged.  Now, 

I am very sure  that if  you  had  cut  Albert's 

kite  string just  now, it  would  have  caused 

you a great deal of suffering.  Albert would 

have struck you,  and you would  have struck 

back.  From  friends  you  would  have  be- 

come  enemies."

"We  are  enemies  now,"  said  Leonard. 

"Do you think I'll ever speak to him again?"

"Yes; after  he  sees  that  he  did  wrong, 

and does what  he  can to  make  amends, you 

will forgive him."

"Catch him making amends!"

Even as the two boys talked, Albert Grant 

began  slowly  pulling  in  his  kite.  The  hot 

flush  of anger  had faded  out  of his face,  and 

the  fiery  gleam  from  his  eyes.  A voice 

speaking  within told  him that  he  had  done 

wrong,  and  he was  already feeling  ashamed 

and  sorry.  Slowly  and  steadily  the  kite 

came down, until at last it struck the ground.

"Leonard will smash it all  to  pieces," said 

a boy standing near.

Albert made no reply, but kept on winding 

the  cord with which  he  had flown  the  kite. 

As  soon  as  he  had  finished  doing  this,  he 

lifted  the  kite  from the  ground  and  walked 

with it to where Leonard stood talking  with 

his  friend.

"I'm sorry," he said, reaching out the kite 

to Leonard.  "I get mad so easy, and  don't 

know what  I  do.  Here, take  mine.  I can 

make  another."

"Oh, no!  Never mind about it," answered 

Leonard, taken  by  surprise  and  instantly 

softened.  "I  don't  want  your  kite.  I'm 

only sorry you  broke  mine.  But then  may 

be  I  should  not  have  said  what  I  did.  It 

made  you  angry."

"Take  it,  Leonard,"  urged  Albert,  "I'll 

feel better if you do."

"No;  but I'll tell you what;  you go home 

with me  and  help  me  make  another.  That 

will  put us  square."

"Agreed!" cried Albert, in a cheery voice, 

and with  a brightening face.

And the two lads went off together, friends, 

instead of  enemies.

Blessed indeed are the peacemakers!  How 

much we  all  owe them.  





Children's Hours.