The Project Gutenberg EBook of Conscience, by Eliza Lee Follen

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Title: Conscience

Author: Eliza Lee Follen

Posting Date: June 11, 2009 [EBook #4041]
Release Date: May, 2003
First Posted: October 19, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONSCIENCE ***

Produced by Charles Franks and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team. HTML version by Al Haines.

CONSCIENCE

BY

MRS. FOLLEN

Illustrated with engravings.

CONTENTS

CONSCIENCE
"IT IS ONLY A TRIFLE."

CONSCIENCE.

The short wintry days were beginning to lengthen, the sun rose
earlier and staid up longer. Now and then a bluebird was heard
twittering a welcome to the coming spring. As for the robins, they
were as pert and busy as usual. The little streams were beginning to
find their way out of their icy prison slowly and with trembling, as
if they feared old winter might take a step and catch them, and
pinch them all up again.

Frank and Harry were sorry to see their snow man growing smaller and
smaller every day; from being a large, portly gentleman, he was
shrunk into a thin, shabby, ugly-looking fellow. His strong arms
were about falling to the ground; his fat nose had entirely
disappeared, and his mouth had grown so big that you might look down
his great throat, and see the place where one of the boys used to go
in to make his snowship talk. Frank and Harry loved all their winter
amusements, and were loath to give up skating, sliding, and
coasting, and above all, snowballing. Yet the boys enjoyed the
lengthening twilight---the hour their mother devoted to them.

"Will you please to give me two cents, Mother?" said Frank, one day.

"For what?"

"To buy a piece of chalk."

"And two for me, Mother," said Harry, "for I want a piece as well as
Frank."

"What are you both going to do with chalk?" asked their mother. They
were silent. She asked again, but they made no reply. "I cannot give
you the money till you tell me what you want of the chalk. Why are
you not willing that I should know?"

The boys continued silent for a short time, and then Frank said, "I
am afraid that, if y