children played with them happily enough. First of all
Tommy kept a jeweller's shop on the old bench, and sold cherry earrings
to Jeannie, who tried to fasten the double cherries on to her fat little
ears. Then she kept shop, and sold cherry boots to Tommy, and then they
got the doll's perambulator and wheeled the cherries to market, and then
Tommy said it was time to eat the cherries, and he divided them fairly,
and soon ate his share up. But what a mess he did make of his hands and
face! they were stained black with cherry juice. "Never mind!" said
Tommy calmly, "I'll soon wipe it all off;" and catching hold of a sheet
which hung on the line near, he first rubbed himself quite clean, and
then gave Jeannie's hands a rub, too, on this most convenient towel. Not
till he had finished, and the sheet was again flapping in the wind, did
thoughtless Tommy reflect on the mischief he had done. But when he saw
the purple stains on the clean sheet he began to cry bitterly, and
running to his mother, he pulled her round and showed her the
cherry-stained sheet.

"Look, mother! look! But I didn't mean to," he sobbed.

"Mothers," says an old writer, "should be all patience," and certainly
Mrs. Jones needed patience that morning. She did look vexed at first, as
she saw her work undone, but the next minute she was able to say gently,
"What a pity, Tommy! You should think a bit, and then you would be able
to help me when I'm busy," and that was all. She took the sheet down and
put it once more in the wash-tub.

Meanwhile Tommy sat quietly sucking his thumb. He always sucked his
thumb when he thought, and just now he had a great deal to think of.
Mother had said he might help her! That was quite a new idea to Tommy,
and he sucked his thumb harder than ever.

That summer's day marked a turning point in Tommy's life. He then
determined--little fellow as he was--to help mother, and it was
wonderful how soon the thoughtless little pickle grew into a helpful
boy.

"It seems as if he couldn't do enough for me," Mrs. Jones would declare,
with honest pride in her tone; "and Jeannie, she copies Tommy, and
between them both they'll fetch and carry and run for me till I seem as
if I had nothing left for me to do. I'm a lucky woman, that I am!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

LITTLE SISTER.

Sleep, little sister, a sweet, sweet sleep,
Dear little sister with eyes so blue,
Daylight is dying