A SELFISH little boy was Johnnie May, and no one loved him. If his brothers or sisters wanted to play with any of his toys, he would pull them away rudely and say, “You sha’n’t have them. They are mine. You must go and get your own.”
One morning Johnnie was sitting at the nursery fire, warming himself, when Mary the nurse came to him and said, “If you please, Master Johnnie, will you take this parcel upstairs to your mamma? A man has just left it at the door, and I do not like to leave Charlie until Jane comes back, as he might get into mischief.”
“No, I won’t go; you may go yourself. I want to get warm,” said Johnnie.
“Then please look after your little brother, till I come back,” said Mary.
But Johnnie only thought of his own pleasure, and gave himself no trouble. He sat gazing into the fire, until Charlie’s screams made him look round. The little fellow had climbed upon a high chair, near the window, but his foot had slipped, and he fell heavily against a corner of the table. His poor little face was covered with blood, and he was very much hurt. He was ill for a long time after.
Now all this might have been prevented, if Johnnie had been a kind, obliging little boy. We should pray to be like Jesus, who “pleased not himself.”
