ou plain as could be when you said you never touched the
hatchet. And there he is up in heaven thinking about you, and not
loving you at all! How can he? He don't have many such naughty girls
in his whole world. If he did, there'd come a rain and rain all day,
and all night, for as much as six weeks, and drown 'em all up 'cept
eight good ones, and one of 'em's Fel Allen. But 'twouldn't be you,
for you're a little lie-girl, and you know it yourself."

It is idle to say that children do not suffer. I believe I never
felt keener anguish than that which thrilled my young heart as I lay
on mother's bed, and quailed at the gaze of the little girl on the
clock door.

Still no one seemed to remark my unhappiness, and I have never heard
it alluded to since. Children keep their feelings to themselves much
more than is commonly supposed, especially proud children. And of
course I was not wretched all the time; I often forgot my trouble for
hours together.

But it was not till long after I had left that room that I could bring
my mind to confess my sin. I took it for granted I was ruined for
life, and it was of no use to try to be good. I am afraid of tiring
you, little Fly; but I want you to hear the little verse that grandpa
taught me one evening about this time, as I sat on his knee:

"If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins."

I see you remember it, Dotty. Is it not sweet? "God is faithful and
just." I had always before repeated my verses like a parrot, I think;
but this came home to me. I wondered if my dreadful sin couldn't be
washed out, so I might begin over again. I knew what confess meant; it
meant to tell God you were sorry. I went right off and told him; and
then I went and told father, and I found he'd been waiting all this
time to forgive me. It was just wonderful! My heart danced right up. I
could look people in the face again, and wasn't afraid of the girl on
the clock door, and felt as peaceful and easy as if I'd never told a
lie in my life--only I hated a lie so. I can't tell you how I did hate
it.

"I'll never, never, never tell another as long as I breathe,"
whispered I to the blue hills, and the sky, and the fields, and the
river. And I knew God heard.

I suppose it is a little remarkable, Fly; but I believe this really
was my last deliberate lie. Children's resolves are not always the
firmest things in the world, and my parents did not know how much mine
was good for.