Madeline Leslie

“ Do you think, Aunt Priscilla, that I can be as good us Emily?"
"In what particular do you mean?"
"Why, as good a Christian. If I was, I'd be neat and kind as she is, of course."
"I hope, Milly, that you already love the Saviour. You know he came to wash and cleanse us from all sin. If you pray to him to help you conquer all your bad habits, he will do it. He always helps those who try to obey his commands; and you are trying now to do all things 'decently and in order.' You must remember that Emily has been taught to be neat from her babyhood." ”

“ I had to take her up stairs, and leave her with Hannah for a time. When I had bathed and bandaged Emily's ancle, I went to Milly, who was sobbing bitterly."
"'Oh, Aunt Priscilla, I wish it had been my ancle! Emily's so good and kind. Oh, dear! I'm so sorry I've vexed her so many times, I never, never will again. I'll let her things alone. Will she get well, aunty? Will she? Oh, I'd rather go back to India! Things are always happening here to make me ache,' putting both hands to her heart." ”

“ Milly's face crimsoned. "Not till I'm grown up," she exclaimed eagerly. "I can't leave Emily for a good while yet."
"I suppose the Hindoos are not very neat."
"Oh, no! I never thought about it till I came here; but the bungalows are awfully dirty. The people have to bathe in the water tanks made for them. That is one of their laws; but they are filthy after all."
"That is true," said grandma, "of all people who do not have the Bible to guide them. One of the first changes which the poor heathen make when they learn about God our heavenly Father, and his Son our Saviour, is cleanliness." ”

“ Yes, one never knows what she will do next. She has always been governed by her own impulses, good or bad. I am glad to say many of them are good. She is capable of the warmest attachments. I never knew until lately, how much she loves Emily. The poor child fell a short distance from home, as they were going together of an errand, and sprained her ancle. Milly actually tried to lift her cousin and bring her home; but finding she had not strength, she rushed back in her furious way, crying as though her heart was broken, to tell me Emily was hurt. ”

“ He never expects from us more than we can do. While you were ignorant of the duty of cleanliness and order, he was not displeased with you for being untidy."
"But now he will be. But what if I forget?"
"No doubt you will occasionally; but every day your habit of neatness will be strengthening until it will never occur to you to throw your hat on one chair, your sack on the hall table, and your books somewhere else. You will hang your sack on this hook, put your hat on the shelf, and your books in the place I gave you for them." ”

“ At last, the small chimney, as Ernest called it, was built. And Milly took her basket and wandered off in search of bright mosses; leaving Emily and Ernest to gather sticks to make the pot boil.
The other children being too young to run round by themselves, played around the carriages, or gathered stones and shells within their reach. Emily and Ernest wandered here and there till they were almost out of sight of the great rock near which the carriages stood. ”

“ If you have a house of your own, you will not be able to find anything. You remember what an inconvenience it is every day not to find your hat, your gloves, your jumping-rope, your hoop-stick; and how much time it takes to hunt for them, when, if you had a place for every thing, and kept every thing in its place if not in use, you would—"
"Oh!" interrupted Milly, "I say, what's the use of learning so many things, when, as soon as I'm grown, I'm going back to India to live with father. ”

“ What she needs is a home, where she can be loved and taught her duty."
"But we know nothing about her habits, and I cannot have our sweet Emily exposed to influences which may corrupt her pure mind."
"Listen a moment, George. Somebody certainly owes a duty to the poor orphan. If it is ours, we will undertake it, trusting in God to preserve our child from harm. We have endeavored to teach her to love her Saviour, and to pray to him to shield her from temptation. Now we must have faith to believe he will answer prayer."
"But, Priscilla, think how Milly has been brought up. ”

“ They came down stairs together, talking in subdued tones, when the ladies heard Milly say:
"Uncle George has come home; and I'm going to ask him now."
"Oh, would you, so quick? He's always tired at first."
"Yes, I am," in Milly's decided voice, "I hate waiting for things."
So into the library Milly went, while Emily sat on the stairs in the hall, waiting and blushing with eagerness.
Mr. Morgan had just entered the library. Seeing his niece with nicely brushed hair, and clean muslin apron, he smiled so pleasantly, that she plunged into her subject at once. ”

“ Don't let any body see you. I'll show them to you when we get home."
Poor Milly was indeed a sight to behold. She had lost the ribbon that tied back her hair. And by constantly putting up her wet hands to push the locks from her face, she had covered her forehead with sand; her boots were saturated with water, and her skirts dripped with wet. Nobody seemed to know what to do with her, till grandma proposed to take off her wet garments, wrap her in a shawl, and let her stay in the carriage till her clothes dried, which they would in a few minutes, if hung in the hot sun. ”

“ To complete her pleasure, grandma and Mrs. Roby came in, on their way to their own chambers, and praised the little girl for her own self-denial in staying to arrange her room rather than to go out for a drive.
Every drawer and shelf were opened for inspection, and received great praise.
The next morning, at the breakfast table, Mr. Morgan, after a roguish glance at Milly, said:
"This afternoon, I propose to take you all to the seashore. We must have dinner at twelve, so that we may have time enough for a ramble on the beach."
"Can we all go in one carriage?" asked mamma. ”

“ I'm sorry I began to be neat to-day."
"Come and ride," suggested Emily, "then I'll help you put away your things."
"Well, I will."
"You must make yourself look nicely, you know," urged Emily, archly. "Where's your brush?"
"I don't believe anything is anywhere," was the mournful reply. "I laid my sack down; but I can't find it, nor my hat either."
"Emily! Milly! Come, now, if you're going with me," called papa from below.
Milly flew about throwing the clothes with which the chairs were covered upon the floor. ”

“ They were thrown on the floor or ground inside the tent. Iwassee herself, her father, mother and all her tribe were savages. They lived from day to day only to eat, sleep and carouse. They knew nothing of the pleasures which Christians enjoy. They quarrelled, stole from each other, told lies to cover their guilt, and broke every one of God's commands. They were filthy, too, filthy in their own persons, in their dress, in their food, and in their tents. They thought it quite too much trouble to wash their clothes often, or to keep their tents in order. ”

“ She knew nothing about this grandma, and could not sympathize with Emily's joy at seeing her once more. Grandmother Morgan was very feeble and often irritable. Milly had never become attached to one who was always lamenting that Ida's child should be exactly like a Hindoo girl, and finding fault with her for not doing things that the poor, neglected Milly had never heard of. ”

“ I wonder what aunt Lydia will say to it."
"The best of it is," added mamma, "that she has made the most of the clothes herself. I used to cut and baste for her; but of late, she has had a pattern and cut them herself. Her father says he hopes she will play with dolls till she is married. He is enthusiastic on the subject. Why, you'd laugh to hear him talk. He believes that, the dressing and undressing of dolls, and disciplining them, as Emily does hers, is the very best preparation for the duties of a mother that a child can possibly have. ”

“ You just bring me all the under clothes, and I'll fold them for you. Seems to me I wouldn't toss everything about so again."
"No, I never shall. I'm beginning to be neat, now. Grandma has been telling us a story about it. You know the Hindoos and the Indians, and everybody who don't have the Bible, are filthy. The Bible says so," she added, earnestly, seeing Hannah smile. "And just as soon as they begin to be good, they clean their houses and wash themselves, and make their hair smooth. ”

“ One of our women went to the sahibs, that means missionaries, and learned to read the Bible. Everybody said she was better than before. She always wore such clean sarrees, that's the kind of dress Hindoo women have. I used to wear them, too. And she kept her hair smooth. I never thought though about its being the Bible that made her so much nicer."
"Yes, Milly, that is always the effect of true godliness."
CHAPTER VIII. THE MISSIONARIES.
"SHALL I tell you a story about an Indian girl, who lived this side of the Rocky Mountains?" ”

“ All the energy and activity they had before displayed in the invention of new pleasures were now employed for the good of those about them. They were indeed a blessing in society; and in blessing others, they received a rich reward in their own hearts. ”

“ Morgan, throwing up her hands when the children were out of hearing, "Isn't she a real Hindoo? Can she ever be civilized?"
Mr. Morgan sighed repeatedly. "Oh, Ida!" he murmured, "How your child reminds me of you! So like, yet so different; impulsive and careless, but with a warm heart!"
They were interrupted by a loud, prolonged laugh from the chamber; and in a few minutes the cousins came down stairs hand in hand, just as the bell in the hall called them to supper.
CHAPTER IV. MILLY AT PRAYERS.
IT was evident that Emily had attempted to improve her cousin's appearance. ”

“ A black silk apron and two or three white ones neatly folded lay at the back part of the drawer.
The next two contained different kinds of under clothes, each variety in a pile by itself.
"She puts everything away herself," explained her mamma. "Hannah lays her clean clothes on the bed, as they come up from the wash; and when she comes home she takes care of them without being reminded to do so. ”

“ Roby, own cousin to Mrs. Morgan, had married young, and gone with her husband to the West. He had been successful in business, and had now come East for a few months, his wife improving the occasion long desired, to revive her acquaintance with those so dear to her. She had only arrived the day before; and every moment that her cousin was at liberty was improved in asking questions about herself and other friends.
Aunt Lydia was Mrs. Morgan's mother who usually passed a part of every year with her, greatly to the delight of Emily.
CHAPTER III. MILLY'S ARRIVAL.
THERE is another member of Mr. ”

“ I knew a girl who did so in Calcutta. Her name was Waroo. She used to worship an idol. It was a little brass thing. She kept it hung on the wall. After she learned of the missionaries about God, she threw away her idol; and then she began to look real nice. Her sarree was clean; and her face washed. Papa asked her what had come over her, and she said 'I'm trying to be like the missionaries and worship their God.'"
CHAPTER XI. A DRIVE TO THE BEACH.
By the time Mr. ”

“ When she had cured herself of these uncouth habits, and learned to eat like a lady, instead of like a dog, she had been promised the reward of going to the table with her uncle.
At first, Milly said she'd rather not eat with him; it would be a great deal jollier to sit down with Hannah and Phebe in the kitchen. She wished she could go there; but when day after day she was sent from the room, and heard outside the pleasant talk, and the merry peals of laughter from Emily, she changed her mind, and really tried to do as her aunt wished.
CHAPTER VI. MILLY'S REQUEST.
WE have left Mrs. ”

“ Ernest will be crazy with delight, when I tell him. We'll meet at Ruggles street, where we turn off for the beach. Whoever gets there first will wait for the other. By the way, I'll send over directly, if William can't go; but I hope he can. Good-by, till afternoon."
Everything turned out in the most satisfactory manner. Mr. Ward declared himself delighted with the project, said it was just the day for the shore and for chowder. The hampers were packed, not forgetting a great iron pot and the potato-cutter. On reaching Ruggles street, Mr. Morgan saw Mr. ”