cheeks."

"No, dear," said mamma. "I was thinking how kind God was to give me two such dear boys. Then I looked at Frankie's hands, such pretty little fingers and thumbs, and I asked God never to let them do that which was naughty, never to allow them to strike or take what did not belong to them."

Willie gazed a moment at his hands; I suppose he was trying to think whether they had been naughty hands or good hands. Presently he said, "Toes can't do wrong, I think, mamma, as hands can."

"Ah, yes, my dear," said his mother. "Only yesterday I knew a little boy whose feet were very naughty, and walked away where he had been forbidden to go."

Willie's face grew very red. "I forgot about that," he said in a whisper.

"Do you remember," asked his mother, "the lady who visited here with her little girl, and how she used to kick and stamp her feet when she could not do exactly as she wished? Were those good feet, and do you think her heavenly Father was pleased to see how she was using them?"

"O, no, indeed, mamma! But I guess God liked it when I used my feet to carry James Wells's ball home, because he would have lost it if I had not given it to him."

"Yes, dear, your feet and your hands, too, were good then; and beside that, there was a kind feeling in your heart, which made you wish to carry the ball to the poor boy."

"I'm glad I did it," said Willie, smiling in his mother's face. "Did you think any thing about Frankie's mouth?"

"Yes, indeed, I prayed that my darling baby might use his sweet little mouth to praise God, and that never, no, never might a naughty word come out of it. O, how dreadful it is to think that little boys or little girls should use the gifts of the good God to disobey his holy laws!"

CHAPTER V.

When Frankie was a year old, his mamma thought it quite time for him to learn to go to bed by himself. So she took him up in her chamber, and shut the blinds, to keep out all the flies. Then she gave him his luncheon, and laid him on Willie's trundle-bed. This was low; and she thought, if he tried to get off, it would not hurt him as much as if it were higher. "Now," said she, "my darling must be good, and shut his eyes, and go to sleep; and then mamma will come and put on his pretty cap and shoes, and take him to ride in his little wagon." She kissed him, and went into the dressing room, to see what he would do.

But Frankie did not like this at all, and he began to cry as loud as he could, and call for his mamma to come back. When he found this did no good, he stuck up his stomach, and kicked his feet, and at last he held his breath until his mamma was frightened, and ran to hold him up.

"Frankie is naughty," she said; "mamma can't kiss a naughty boy." Then she laid him down again, and started to go away. But he cried as loud as ever, until mamma was obliged to pat his dear little hands until they looked quite red. She went away, and stood where she could look through the crack of the door. He called "mamma," two or three times, and then, tired with his crying, he fell asleep.

"Dear little Frankie!" she said, coming to the bed and kissing the tears off his rosy cheeks. "It made mamma's heart ache to whip him."

In a few days the little fellow had learned this new lesson; and though he missed his mother's arms folded tenderly about him, and the sweet smiles which mingled with