The Allis Family | Page 8

sun, to see how much time there would be. It was almost
setting; and she exclaimed,--
"Jane! I can't go! See; it is almost sundown!"
"It will be light for two hours. There is time enough; we can run, and
get back before dark."
"What if I shouldn't get the bonnets after all? What would mother say?"
"You'll get them fast enough; and, even if you don't, you needn't tell
her. She'll never know it! Come along!"
Jane had said one word too many now. The frightened child had done
the best thing she could have done. The idea of deceiving her mother
had put the matter in an entirely new light, and she ran homeward,
without one word of reply, as fast as her little feet could carry her. As

soon as she reached the house she told the story to Annie and Mary,
through whom it soon reached the mother's ears. She had no more
occasion to caution her little girls to avoid Jane Smith.
"How much our mother knows! Don't she, Susie?" said Annie; "she
told us long ago that Jane was a naughty girl; but we didn't see how it
could be!"
* * * * *

THE COLD DAY
Both Susie and Annie Allis had learned a good lesson, and both of
them profited by it. They found, each for herself, how much safer and
better it was to trust their parents and obey their commands, whether
they understood all about them or not. These kind parents often
reminded their little ones that their good Father in heaven knew just
what kind of parents he had given the children, and that he required
them to yield a willing and cheerful obedience to all their parents' will,
unless their commands involved the breaking of his holy law. That this
would be the case the little girls did not fear, and, taught, as we believe,
by the good Spirit from above, they tried very hard to please God by
honouring their parents.
The winter was quite mild and pleasant, and Mrs. Allis thought best
that Annie and Susie should continue to attend school as long as the
weather would permit. It was a long walk for little girls not quite seven
years old; but when the sky was bright and the path good they did not
mind the cold air, for they were warmly clad and full of health and
animation; they ran gayly along, scarcely heeding the distance they had
to go.
One morning Mr. and Mrs. Allis had occasion to go to a neighbouring
town on business, and Mary was left at home alone with the baby. The
children rode to school with their parents, and, when they got out of the
wagon at the door of the log school-house, Annie said,--
"Will you get back before night, father?"
"Probably not. If we do we will call and take you home."
The morning was somewhat dark and cloudy, and a dense fog settled in
the hollows and ravines. Towards noon, however, there was a change; a
cold north wind began to blow, as it blows nowhere except on the wide
open prairies, unless it be on the sea. The clouds soon disappeared and

the bright sun shone out clear and bright. Every hour the cold increased,
until it became intense. The school-mistress dismissed the children
somewhat earlier than usual and called them all around the huge
fireplace to warm themselves. Then, after she had carefully fastened
their cloaks and tippets and charged them to run home as fast as they
could, they started out.
Poor little Annie and Susie had to go alone. None of the children lived
in the direction of their home; and, worse than all, they had the cold,
fierce wind directly in their faces. But they thought of no danger while
the sun was shining so brightly; and so on they went, running
backwards to keep the wind out of their faces. Somewhat more than
half-way home, a little aside from the road, lived a family by the name
of Staunton. When they were just opposite to the house they found
themselves very cold.
"Oh, Annie! do let's go in and warm, ourselves," said Susie; "I am so
cold!"
"I can't stop, Susie," said Annie; "don't you know mother said we
mustn't stop on the way home from school?"
"Well, I don't think mother would care if we stopped now; I am so very
cold. Do you?"
"I don't know; I guess we had better hurry home as fast as we can. It
would be hard work to start again, you know."
At this juncture the wind tore away Annie's cloak, and the little girls
forgot their cold hands as they chased it away off towards the pile of
rocks where Annie