Oliver Optic

“ The careless use of a lamp [Pg 18] might destroy many lives and much property. If you play with fire, though you do not mean any harm, you may burn the house in which you live, and perhaps destroy the lives of your friends.
A little carelessness may produce dreadful results. The want of thought for a few moments may do more mischief than you can repair in a whole lifetime.
Kate Lamb was not a bad [Pg 19] girl at heart. She loved her parents and her friends as much as any little girl; but she often gave them a great deal of trouble and sadness by her carelessness. ”

“ She now saw that, if she had [Pg 61] returned home and told her mother the truth, she would have excused the fault, and sent another pail of milk to the poor sick woman's hungry children.
She wished she had done so, for it would have been a great deal better to be scolded for her carelessness than to feel as guilty as she now felt. She was sure that it was far better to suffer a great deal than to do even a little wrong. [Pg 62]
She was not satisfied either that her mother would have scolded her, if she had stated the whole truth to her—that Fanny Flynn had made her spill the milk. ”

“ If the man who has the keeping of a powder house should smoke a pipe in it, and twenty persons should be killed by his carelessness, do you think it would be enough for him to say he did not intend to kill them?
When we go on the water in a sailing vessel or a steamer; when we ride on a railroad, in a stage, or wagon, our lives depend on the carefulness with which the vessel, [Pg 17] railroad, or carriage is managed. People don't excuse them, when lives are lost, because they did not mean to kill anybody.
You are liable to lose your life every day by the carelessness of some one. ”

“ Now, this flower was very highly prized by Mrs. Lamb, for she had brought it from [Pg 11] a great distance, and it was the only one of the kind in Riverdale at that time.
Kate was very fond of flowers herself, and when she saw the mischief she had done, she cried with anger and vexation. She would not have spoiled this peony for a great deal, for she had looked forward with much pleasure to the time when it should bud and blossom, and fill the garden with its fragrance. [Pg 12]
"What is the matter with you, Kate?" called her mother, from the house, when she heard Kate crying. ”

“ And the more we do wrong, the easier it becomes to put down the little voice within us. [Pg 49]
It was so with Kate. She had told falsehoods before, or it would not have been so easy for her to do it this time. If we do not take care of our consciences, as we do of our caps and bonnets, they are soon spoiled.
Did you ever notice that one of the wheels on your little wagon, when it becomes loose, soon wears out? The more it sags over on one side, the weaker it grows. [Pg 50] While the wheel stands up straight, it does not seem to wear out at all. ”

“ O'Brien is sick, and has two small children. This milk is for their supper."
"That is the woman whose husband was killed on the railroad last summer—isn't it, mother?" [Pg 23]
"Yes; and she is very poor. She is sick now, and not able to work. The neighbors have all sent milk to her for her children, and a great many other things. Now go just as fast as you can, but be very careful and not spill the milk." [Pg 24]
Mrs. O'Brien and her Children.
[Pg 25]
[Pg 26]
[Pg 27]
II.
Kate put on her bonnet, and taking the pail of milk, hastened towards the house of the poor sick woman. ”

“ Crying for Spilled Milk.
[Pg 45]
[Pg 46]
[Pg 47]
III.
Kate did not think of the poor woman and her hungry children when she made up her mind to tell her mother such a monstrous lie.
She did not think how very wicked it was to deceive her mother, just to escape, perhaps, a severe rebuke for her carelessness.
She felt all the time that [Pg 48] she was doing wrong, but she tried so hard to cover it up, that her conscience was not permitted to do its whole duty.
When we are tempted to do wrong, something within us tells us not to do it ”

“ Suppose the captain of a [Pg 15] ship should run his vessel on the rocks, and lose a dozen lives, by being careless; do you think people would be willing to trust him with another vessel afterwards?
Suppose the engineer should neglect to keep watch of the boiler, and it should burst ”