Ella Clinton

and anemones, and the little birds, while busy building their nests, were filling the air with their happy songs of praise. The winter term of school was over; Mr.

ough the woods in search of wild flowers, or working in the little spot of ground which her aunt had given her in the corner of the garden, digging up the soft earth and planting roots and flower seeds; and in these empl

ld, what are yo

er shortest route, and in so doing she had come suddenly and unexpectedly upon Ella, who was seated upon the ground, wi

olets on mot

n and putting her arms around the child. "Ellie dear, I wish for your sake, that y

ild, laying her head on Mary's shoulder, "and aunt Prudence says I never will if I don't

now you used to play and whisper in school sometimes, and blot your copy-book, or spill ink on your copy, or lose your books or pencil, or forget to bring them to school, and I k

day when I came late to school; what made

uld whip you so hard, and besides, I thought it wasn't a very bad story,

ny harm. But those are not all the naughty things I do, Mary; I'm always forgetting not to meddle, and always leaving my th

y wicked; I didn't think

ning my temper, and that she said, when I got so angry, it was the same as being a murd

sn't just as wicked for her,

up, you know; and I'm

sn't say big people may get angry

t get angry like aunt Prudence, but I never thought about it being wic

Mary. "I've heard people talking about getting good by praying, but I never tried i

! who is she

he's the new teacher, and they

n is she to

Aren't you going

, and I shall go as soon as ever school begins again. I hope Mi

ble says people ought to be kind and patient, and it says, 'By their fruits ye shall kno

t, and she lets me come here whenever I please, though she does think it is very foolish, and she gave me that rose bush to plant at mother's feet, and sent Jake, our gardener, to plant that willow tree. T

ood bye

bye,

and if she would really help her to be good. She sometimes felt as if she could hardly wait for the time to come, that she might satisfy herself on these points; and sometimes she wished vacation

walk very much. Though it was still quite early when they reached the school-house, they found it already half-filled with girls and boys, some seated on the benches, others collected in little groups here and there, talking

ames," said Mary, pulling

said Miss Layton, looking kindl

oung, and this

ved. Mary told her where hers resided, and then said, "Ellie has no parents, but

and kissing her cheek, "I know how to pity you, for I am one also; but we have a kind h

e lady's neck, and ask her to love her, and teach her to be good; but she was a rather timid child, and afraid to venture. She turn

e one to direct and control, or there will be endless quarrelling and confusion. Now, in a school, that place is naturally and properly filled by the teacher. Your parents, my dear children, have sent you here to be under my care; it will be my duty to direct your studies, and do all that I can for your mental and moral improvement, to treat you with kindness and forbearance, and to require of you only such things as are just and reasonable. It will be your duty to obey me, to be kindly affectioned one toward another, and to improve your time by steady industry. In short, it will be the duty of each of us, to be 'diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.' God, my dear children, has given to each of us a work to do, and he will take notice of, and one day call us to account for, the manner in

to be the case, she read a few verses herself, sung a hymn, and then requested the children to rise and stand a few moments while she offered a short but fervent prayer for the blessing of God upon their labours. She next proceeded to class them,

Ella to Mary Young, as they wal

t people don't always show w

he'll ever be as cross a

I'm sure,"

ol so carefully, that it seemed as if she had really overcome her bad habits of carelessness and inattention; but alas! it was not so. Miss Layton required her scholar

wild flowers, which she admired so much that she dug them up and carried them home to plant them in her garden, saying to herself that it would not take long, and she would still have time for her lessons; but she was surprised in the midst of her employment, by a call to supper, and then a play mate came in to spend the evening and stayed until Ella's bedtime, and as she knew it would be worse than u

re barely in time, and then discovered that she had left her spelling book and geography at home. Then her slate pencil was missing. She was sure she had either put it in her pocke

ord that came to her, then the second. "Ella," said Mi

r head and m

repeated h

at all," replied El

o recite a lesson that has not been learned, and remember that at

raphy class was called next, but, remembering wh

ot come to your class?" "I haven't lear

ing; all the other girls took out their slates and pencils, and were soon busily engaged. Ella alone sat idle

my slate pe

e of mine," said Mary

o careless as to lose her pencil, she must sit idle while the rest are at work, and Ella, you must remai

en she came so near being punished for her fault, was sitting opposite, and presently when Miss Layton was not looking that way, she began pointing her fingers at Ella, and shaming her. Ella was crying and Sallie mimicked her. Ella began to grow

crossed the room, and as

d Sallie Barnes; "s

you,

er, if she doesn't quit pointing at me a

y wicked temper. Go and sit down on that bench near my de

anything," re

sure you are speaking the ex

, nor say a word to

nd properly. You certainly did d

tle, because she sat there cr

rong, indeed,"

t hurt her," said

ngs: and that is often harder to bear than bodily pain. I shall

o much did she dread being left alone with her justly offended teacher. Miss Layton sat at her desk, reading, until the

essons, and behaved very well all the time that I have been your teacher, until to-day. Now, t

hole truth; how she had put off learning her lessons, first for one thing, then for another, until t

excuses. I can forgive anything sooner than falsehood, for that is so very wicked. But you have been guilty of several very serious faults, Ella.

n, Miss Layton?" asked Ella, "

nd to that first, and take our pleasure afterwards. But your worst fault to-day, Ella, was getting into such a dreadful passion. Don't you know,

me so, and I often think I never will get angry a

help of God, he will enable you to do it. I am afraid that you forgot to ask God this morning, to

ss Layton," said Ella; "mamma told me

g of the words you were saying, and really desire what you were aski

said in a low tone, "and said them very fast

that is a dreadful sin. The Bible tells us: 'By their fruits ye shall know them,' and you, Ella, have shown by your actions this day, that you are a child of wrath, even as others; that you have a very wicked heart-a heart at enmity with God; and, Ella, unless your heart becomes changed, you can never be fit to dwell with him; you w

said she, "will you ask God to forgive me, and t

ort but earnest prayer, asking her heavenly Father to forgive the sins of that day and of all their lives, asking him to

e more like my mamma, t

Layton, you are more like my mamma than anybody else; nobody has ever prayed for me since she died, an

mbrace, "but, my dear child, no one but God can really help you t

ys it is no use for such a wicked child as I am to pray; she says God won't hear me, and I wou

y better. Jesus said, 'I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' But come, my dear,

iss Layton, so I don't hav

ike to walk

lways want some

ouse door, and taking Ella's ha

your mother died, El

seems such a long, long while, a

ve been a very good

any thing wrong; but when I used to tell her so sometimes, she

e out of the way; there is none that doeth good, no not one.' But I trust your mother was a true Christian: one who loved God, and tried to serve

e, "aunt Prudence says I am the worst child she ever saw, and I know I'm very naughty; but it's no use to try to b

r heart, and make you hate the evil, and love the good. God alone can do that, and though your mother has been taken away from you,

y good girl when my mother was a

heart then that you have now, and if you behaved well only because you had no temptation to do otherwise, you were not really any better than you are now. God looks not merely at the outward conduct, but at the heart, at the motives, and