Unsaid Words.


MARY loved  her  brother William.  They 

lived  happily together.  One morning   

William told a little story which he had heard.

"You  are  mistaken,"  interrupted  Mary; 

"it is  not so."

"Yes, it is, I am sure," said William.

"No," said  Mary,  "this  is  the  way  the 

story was  told;  I  heard  every word  of  it." 

She then gave an account very different from 

that  of  her  brother.  William smiled, but 

did not reply.

"You  are  laughing  at  me,  you  naughty 

boy," said Mary  in  an  angry  tone;  "don't 

you believe that I speak the truth?"

"Yes, sister," said William, gently;  "there 

is  some  mistake perhaps  I  may  be  in 

fault."

"I knew you were," said Mary,  "and that 

you would  have to  own it  at last."

She had scarcely said the words before she 

was sorry.  She wished to ask William to forgive 

her, but she was too proud to do so.  She 

hurried  out  of the  room,  and  slammed  the 

door after her.

A  little voice kept whispering,  "Go  back 

and  ask William to  forgive  you;  you spoke 

unkindly  to  him."  "No, no;  he  need  not 

have  provoked  me."  "You are  to  blame, 

Mary," still  whispered  the  little  voice. 

"William is  good;  he will  get  over  it,  and 

will think none the worse of me."  And with 

this selfish idea, Mary hushed the good voice 

which had been urging her to do right.  But 

she  was  not  happy.  She hastened  home, 

and went to her brother.

“Will you  forgive  me,  William?  I am 

very sorry I spoke so  unkindly."

"To  be  sure,"  said  he;  "it  is  just  the 

same as  if the words  had  never  been spoken.

"No, my dear children," said their mother, 

"you are  mistaken.  The wrong has been 

repented  of  and forgiven;  but the words have 

been  spoken,  and  can  never  be  unsaid.  The 

Bible says that for every idle word we shall 

give  an  account.  What will be our record 

if  we  indulge  in  angry  and  sinful  ones? 

Let us  speak, then, only words  of  love  and 

kindness,  and  these  we shall  never wish   

unsaid." 





 Child's  Paper.