The Youth's Companion/July 19, 1860/Order
Scraps for Youth.
Order.
“Sister, help me to find my books, and tell me if you have seen my gloves and my veil. It is so strange that every morning I have to hunt all over the house for my things, and that is the reason I am always late at school, and then Miss Brown scolds me, and I get worried and miss my lesson, and every thing goes wrong all day. Oh dear! what shall I do.”
“Come here, Annie,” said her mother, “here are all your things; but I must speak to you again, and if possible, more earnestly than I have hitherto done, about this baneful habit of disorder you are acquiring. Yesterday afternoon when you came in from school, instead of putting your veil and gloves in their proper places, you took them with you to the dining-room, and left them under the table, where just before tea I picked them up. Your slate and Arithmetic you left in the arbor in the garden, where the last night’s rain would inevitably have destroyed your book and washed out your whole afternoon’s work, had not your brother James gone to the arbor on an errand for me, and being more careful than yourself, brought them in and laid them on the hall table. Your Atlas you carelessly threw on the bed in your own room when you were done studying, and this morning never thought of looking for it till the time arrived for starting to school. Bridget, in making up the bed, found it and brought it to me a good deal crumpled, as you perceive, and one leaf badly torn, for which Miss Brown will most probably reprove you, as well as for being late at school, as you so often are, in consequence of having, as you just now said, to hunt all over the house for your things. Now all this trouble to yourself and others, might be avoided, your own temper spared these frequent outbreaks, and your mother and teacher saved the necessity of giving so many reproofs, if you would only learn to put your things in place when you have done using them, instead of leaving them about as you so often do to be injured or destroyed. The loss of your new doll was occasioned by its being left on the bed, buried up under the clothes; from which it was thrown, as you know, to the floor, when the counterpane was removed, and the costly doll broken to pieces in the fall. Your best hat was destroyed by Fido’s dragging it all over the yard, when you left it on the turf while you were swinging, and afterward forgot to bring it in. Various other similar disasters might be mentioned; to say nothing of the peevishness and ill temper thus engendered. Besides, this habit, unless conquered, will ‘grow with your growth, and strengthen with your strength,’ and bring in its destructive train many other sins and sorrows. Begin, I pray you, from this hour to do differently, and remember always that both time and trouble are eventually saved by having a place for everything, and keeping everything in its place.”
And so Annie found it—her books, veil, and gloves had no more to be sought for from every corner of the house—she reached school in good time, avoided the “scold” and subsequent “worry”—knew her lessons, and every thing went right all day.—Reaper.
