Little Prudy

ustered about their aunt

ou know,"

e, and he went right off and whispered to his mother that I was a very wicked lady, for that story wa

a smart boy,"

es since that, for I don't like to

ou s'pose we know they're only play-stori

overing her eyes with her fingers. "On

g on the arm of her auntie's chair, and pe

e little one's hair. "But wait. I'll tell a story Prudy can u

elling a Sto

ed the children. "O

me?" said Prudy, "and was

e Edward's hatchet lying on the meat-block. I knew I had no right to touch it, but it came into my head that I would try to break open the clams. The hatchet, in

auntie," cried Grace, fairly turni

cked with little pools of blood, oozing out of my boot. Sister Maria s

eath, and afraid of being punished for disobedience. You see f

up and down--fib," said

" said Horace, s

my story is done you shall see

len know about it?"

nt Madge, blushing. "He l

wish he hadn't gone to the

u, Prudy?" said Susy. "Aun

y foot was so badly swollen, and bleeding so fast, that it took a great while. I can't te

d make me a good job while you were about it. There's no half-way work about you. Yo

Foster, so I only buried my

a great deal of force,' said the doctor. 'See,

,' I sobbed out. 'I neve

h that the doctor

ur foot still, little one, and we'll talk about the hatchet another ti

I was just coming into the house with those clams, and my foot slipped, and I fell and hit me on so

ve thought that of you

must have known you was a-f

came to see me, he laughed an

, you know,' said I. 'I don't know nothing

er the old saying, A lie well stuck t

et had been found red with blood, and mother looked, O, so sad! but I had told that falsehood so many times that it did seem

'My father's lost his hatche

hile I was sick, but there was

n?" sai

ean I had told a wrong story

the window, though she saw nothing there but gran

Margaret doesn't tell the truth;' and when mother spoke my name qui

hristmas come while I was feeling so. People are so good that day, I thought. That is the time when every body loves you, and spends mon

, 'I will; I'll do it!' First, I asked God to forgive me and help me,

deaf then. I thought I should choke; but I caught hold of o

han a hundred thousand lies. I did tak

?" aske

o! And, O, I can tell you he talked to me in such a way about the awful sin of lyi

, I felt as if I could look people in the face once more, and I had a splendid

to you, auntie; I think it's just as n

Susy, looking confused. "See here,

Madge. "I forgot th

d by the table making bread? and it slipped off

, Su

forget I had it, and some time when you asked for it, I was going to say, 'Ha

" said au

chief, and I said Prudy wiped my boots with it. And so she did, auntie, but I told her to; and

it does make me feel sad, too, for it's too much like my hatchet story. O, d

in came to the door wi

soothe poor little Harry by singing. He is so restles

now, and once in a while Margaret's sweet voice wou