little hand was naughty in this way, but at last Susy's mamma cured it, by always tying a red mitten on it whenever it slapped. It did not like to wear a mitten at all, because then it could not pick up its toys so well.

After Susy had learned not to strike, her little hands began to grow meddlesome, that is, to touch and take things they should not have touched. One day they tore the newspaper all to pieces. Once they cut off all her hair, as far as they could reach it. One of them got into the sugar-bowl and took three lumps of sugar. And once, when they were in the country, and there was a wash-stand in the room, Susy tried to open the drawer, and pulled the wash-stand over, broke the pitcher, spilled the water, and frightened every body very much indeed.

All these things made a deal of trouble. Susy's mamma had to keep all the time teaching her that she must not do so. It took her a great while to teach Susy that there were some things she must not touch.

And when the busy little hands began to learn what they were taught, then the little feet began to get into trouble. One day before Susy was old enough to go up and down stairs by herself, her mamma had visitors, and Susy kept talking and talking at such a rate that at last nobody else could be heard. So her mamma took her into the hall and seated her on the lowest stair, where Susy was fond of sitting, and said to her: "My little Susy must sit here a while because she does not mind mamma and stop talking." Pretty soon she heard a little voice cry out, "Mamma! aren't you afraid your little girl will fall down stairs?" and on running to see what that meant, there was Susy sitting on the top stair, smiling and looking very happy to think she had played such a trick. And not long after, the two truant feet carried Susy out into the street, among the carts and horses, and if God had not taken care of her, she would certainty have been killed. And another time Susy climbed up and was just going to put one foot out of the window, when her mamma caught her by her dress, and pulled her back. I suppose you did just such things when you were a baby, and your mamma might amuse you by telling you about it.

Susy was not so mischievous as some children are, and when she was three years old, and had learned what she might do, and what she must not, her mamma could leave her all alone in the parlor, with a few toys, and be quite sure that she would touch nothing she had been forbidden to touch, nor climb up into dangerous places, nor take any dangerous thing. The scissors might lie on the table, and the sharp knife open by her side; the good little hands would not touch them. Nor would the obedient little feet now take Susy near the fire where she could so easily have been burned. If Susy promised to do a thing, she always did it, and so her mamma often let her play by herself in the parlor, when up in the nursery Robbie had not yet learned not to get away all her toys.

CHAPTER VII.

When Susy first learned to walk, she was so pleased to find that she could run about, that she liked very much to run to get things for her papa or mamma. She felt herself almost a young lady when she found she could lift one of papa's boots and carry it to him; and how pleased she was when her mamma sent her to get her work-basket! When Robbie was dressed she liked to stand by, and hold the pins, and she even thought she could brush his hair, and tie his frocks, if they would let her try.

But as she grew older, and stronger, and wiser, and so better able to run for mamma, or to wait upon her papa, Susy grew selfish. If her mamma said, "Susy bring me my work," Susy would say, "In a minute, mamma!" and go on playing. Or she would ask, "Must I bring it?" or, "Mayn't I wait till I have finis'ed my house?" And if her papa said, "Doesn't my little Susy want to rub papa's head?" she would be likely to give it one or two little rubs, and then run off to play again.

A great many ways were tried to cure Susy of these faults. One of the best was never to allow her to do a little favor after she had objected to do it. When her mamma asked her to run and get a book for her, if Susy looked fretful, or went slowly, or said, "Oh! dear!" then her papa would say, "Stop, Susy, you can not go. Nobody shall wait on dear mamma who looks and speaks so!" and then he would go for the book himself, and Susy would feel so ashamed! And as soon as Robbie was able to use his feet and hands, Susy learned from his behavior to try to obey quickly and cheerfully; for no matter how busy Robbie was, he always smiled when papa called him to get things for him, and if Susy did not jump the very moment she was spoken to, Robbie would get it first, and then he would have a sweet kiss and a loving smile, as his reward.

But you must not think Susy did not try to grow good, or that she never was good. Her papa and mamma often had a great deal of comfort in seeing how hard she tried to do kind, loving things for them. If she saw her papa look tired, she would often go to him and say, "Dear papa! when I am a big girl I mean to work and let you sit still!" and, "May I rub your head? May I get your slippers?" And when her mamma saw her feeling and behaving so sweetly, she did not forget to tell her when she went to bed, how much pleasure it had given her.

"My little hands have been good hands to-day," Susy said one night. "And I wish mamma would kiss them when they've been good." Her mamma smiled, and kissed them, and then Susy folded them together, and knelt down and prayed. And after she had got into bed, she said: "My hands will never be naughty any more. Never strike Robbie, never take away his toys, never touch any body's things."

And then her mamma told her a story about a little girl who stood by her brother's coffin, and taking up the small, cold hand, kissed it, and said: "This little hand never struck me!" Susy lay still, and thought and thought a good while, after hearing this story.

"Mamma!" said she, at last, "I will try to be good. And then perhaps when I am dead, you will 'member me, and you can take hold of my little hand, and say, 'This little hand wasn't always a good little hand, but it tried to be good, and sometimes it patted and loved me.'" Then Susy put up her hand, and caressed her mamma's cheek, and kept saying, "Dear mamma! kind mamma!" till she fell asleep.

CHAPTER VIII.

"Mamma!" said Susy, one day as they were walking home from church, "there is a little girl in my class at Sunday-school, who loves me dearly. She always hugs my hands and hugs them."

Her mamma smiled, and said, "Then I hope you 'hugged' hers too."

"I was afraid to," said Susy.

"Then that little girl was disappointed, I dare say. You should have let her see that you were grateful to her for loving you."

"I turned my head away round—so—" said Susy.

"Instead of that you should have smiled, and looked kindly at her, as much as to say, I like to have you love me, and I love you, too."

Susy looked down, and smiled. "I was afraid to," she said again.

They walked along together in silence for some time. At last Susy quite forgot what they had been talking about, and began to think what a pleasant day it was, and how sweet and fresh the air felt, and how nice it was to walk with her dear papa and mamma, and while she thought thus, she clasped the hand she held, more firmly and lovingly. Her mamma, however, took no notice of this, and turned her head away.

Susy felt hurt.

"Mamma does not love me a bit," thought she, and she was going to draw away her hand.

Her mamma looked down and smiled and said playfully: "Oh! I felt your little, loving squeeze, but I was