THE YOUTH'’S CABINET.

369

a eer

“Oh ! mother,” said he, “ there are two
beautiful little dogs in the street, and
a little boy running after them. Oh!
how I should like a little dog. Mother,
will you buy me one?” and he ran to his
mother, and looked up in her face.

“What would you do with a dog,”
said his mother, “if you had one?”

“Oh! I should play with him; I would
put some things in my cart, and tie the
dog to it, and let him draw it to mar-
ket, just like the dog in William's pic-
ture.”

“But I am afraid,” said his mother,
“that if your father should buy you a
dog, you would sometimes get out of
humor with him, and then you would say
it was an ugly dog, and you did not want
it any more.”

“No, I would not,” said Charles; “I
should always love my little dog.”

“So you said, if I would buy you a
new cap, you would be a good boy, and
never give me any trouble about it, but
yesterday you forgot your promise, and
did not put it in its place; and to-day
you have made me very unhappy by your
bad temper. And you have displeased
God too, for he was looking directly into
your heart when you said you did not
want to go with Susan, and saw that you
were saying what was not true.”

“But I will remember next time, if you
will only get me a little dog.”

Just then William came into the room
with a large piece of cake in his hand,
which a lady had given him. He went
up to his brother, and breaking it in two
pieces, offered him one of them.

“No, I want the other piece,” said
Charles. |

“But I can’t give it to you,” said Wil-
liam; “I want it myself.”

“Then I won’t have any,” said Charles,
impatiently. |

“Keep all the cake yourself, William,”
said his mother ; “ Charles must not have
any, because he is not a good boy.”

“But I do want some,” said Charles,
beginning te cry very loud. Then his
mother went to the door, and calling
Susan, told her to take Charles into the
other room, and keep him there until he
was perfectly good-humored. » $0 you see
Charles lost a pleasant walk and a nice
piece of cake, and, after all, had to be
sent away from his kind mother, just be-
cause he would be a contrary boy. Do
you think he was happy?

In the afternoon, Charles, and his bro-
thers and sisters, went to play in the
meadows. It was a beaut) day, for
the sun shone very splendidly, and the
birds were singing merrily. After having
amused themselves for some time, so that
they began to feel tired, they sat down to
rest under the shade of an overhanging
tree.

“Here is a beautiful flower, Susan,”
said Charles; “it is prettier by far, than
any which you have gathered ; would
you not like to have it? if you would, I
will give it you. Here, Susan, take it—
I know it will please you.”

“Thank you, my dear brother,” replied
his sister; “it really is very handsome,
and I am sure it will be a great addition
to my nosegay.”

She then stretched out her arm for the
purpose of taking it—but just as she had
hold of it, the contrary boy drew back his
hand with great force, saying, “ No, I
want it myself;” by which means the
flower was destroyed.

The next day, as these two little boys
were playing in the yard, they looked up,