in his excitement.

"I never saw such a sight," said the girl who accompanied them.

"It is a spectacle, indeed!" responded Mr. Washington. "It is not often
we see so much fruit in one field as we see here."

It was not so much the enormous crop of apples upon the trees, as it was
the great quantity on the ground beneath them that attracted George. The
winds had relieved the trees of a portion of their burden, and the
ground was literally covered with the luscious fruit. George had never
beheld such a display of apples, and his young heart bounded with
delight over the scene.

They roamed through the orchard for a time, chatting and enjoying the
occasion thoroughly, when Mr. Washington rather disturbed the flow of
animal spirits by saying,--

"Now, George, look here, my son! Don't you remember when this good
cousin of yours (referring to the lad who was with them) brought you
that fine large apple last spring, how hardly I could prevail on you to
divide it with your brothers and sisters, though I promised you that if
you would but do it God would give you plenty of apples this fall."

George made no reply but hung his head in shame. He had not forgotten
his selfishness on that occasion, and he was greatly mortified.

His father continued,--

"Now, look up, my son; look up, George! See how richly the blessed God
has made good my promise to you. Wherever you turn your eyes, you see
the trees loaded with fine fruit; many of them, indeed, breaking down;
while the ground is covered with mellow apples, more than you could eat,
my son, in all your life-time."

George made no reply. His young companions stood in silence, gazing at
him, as if wondering what all this counsel meant. Mr. Washington waited
for his son to speak; and just as he was concluding that George had
nothing to say for himself, the latter turned manfully to his father,
and said:

"_Well, pa, only forgive me this time, and see if I am ever stingy any
more._"

Mr. Washington had a purpose in going to the orchard, and it was well
accomplished. His son got one nobler idea into his head, and one nobler
resolve into his heart. Henceforth the noble boy would treat selfishness
as a foe instead of a friend.

Mr. Washington resorted to the following device to impress his son with
a proper conception of God as the Creator of all things. In the spring
he carefully prepared a bed in the garden, beside the walk, where George
would frequently go for pleasure.