CHAPTER I.
THE CRUEL BOY.
“EDDY! please don’t hurt so. I can’t bear to see you!” sobbed little Susy, wiping her eyes with the back of her fat hand.
“What a baby you are, to cry just for these little fishes,” replied Eddy, in a contemptuous tone. “I don’t believe they can feel anything.”
“They do! they do! See how they kick about.”
Eddy laughed aloud, “ha! ha! ha! who ever heard of fishes kicking? Now here’s a fat fellow, I’ll cut him up, and see him kick.”
Susy, with a fresh burst of tears ran toward the house.
“What’s the matter, my dear?” inquired her aunt, coming to the door.
The child hung her head. She did not like to complain of her cousin, but as the lady insisted, and asked again, “Where is Eddy? What is he doing?” she began,—
“We went down to the brook and a boy was there catching little mite of fishes; and when he had done, he gave us some to fry for our dinner, but Eddy said he didn’t want to eat them, so he put them on a board and chopped ‘em all up with his hatchet.”
The lady gave a scream of horror. “Where is he? Show me quick, Susy.”
“It makes me ache, in here,” sobbed the child, putting her hand to her breast. “I can’t bear to see him hurt them.”
Mrs. Lander did not speak, but her face was very pale, and she hurried on to the place where Eddy was still at his cruel sport.
The boy was so intent upon his wicked employment that he did not hear their steps; but threw his hatchet to the ground quickly when he heard his mother’s voice calling, “Stop, Eddy! Stop at once!”
Oh, what a scene that was! On the top of an old wall lay a piece of board covered with pieces of the fishes. Their pretty, shining scales glistening in the sun. One, the last of the number, lay with a piece chopped off its tail, writhing in its agony.
Tears filled the lady’s eyes, as she turned with a shudder to the boy, and exclaimed,—
“O Eddy! O my son! what will become of you? what a cruel, wicked boy you are!”
“They’re mine,” cried the child, his face growing very red. “A boy at the brook gave them to me.” He glanced angrily at his cousin, because she had, as he thought, called his mother.
Mrs. Lander shook her head. “I couldn’t have believed you would do so,” she said, in a sorrowful tone. “See,” she added, picking up the hatchet, “this is covered with the blood of the poor creatures. You have made such a wicked use of your uncle’s present, that I shall take it away from you.”
“It isn’t yours! you’ve no right to! Uncle said it was to be my own!” shouted the boy, now in a fury of passion. He even tried to snatch it from her hands, and when he found he could not, he threw himself on the ground, kicking and screaming with all his might.
“Eddy, stop this minute, and come with me,” said Mrs. Lander, in a firm, decided tone. She took him by the hand, and though he dared not disobey; yet he showed by his struggles that he went reluctantly. He was a boy of quick passions, but the fit of temper soon passed away; and by the time they reached the house, he looked and felt really ashamed of his conduct.
Mrs. Lander led him away to a room by himself, and then left, after telling him she wanted him to reflect upon his cruelty and bad temper; poor little Susy following her to her chamber, where she seated herself on a low stool, looking very sober indeed.
Mrs. Lander had been cutting work, and now returned to it with a sad countenance. For some time not a word was spoken, but at last, the lady noticed that Susy looked pale, and said, “You had better run out and play, my dear; or get your dollies? and dress them for a walk.”
“Please, aunt,” said the soft voice, “I don’t feel like playing now;” and then, in a minute, she lifted her eyes wistfully to her aunt’s face as she asked, “Wont God forgive Eddy this time? I don’t want him to be naughty any longer.”
Her red lips quivered, and she choked back a sob as she gazed earnestly at her aunt, waiting for a reply, but the lady did not speak for a moment. She drew Susy to her side and kissed her tenderly, and then taking her by the hand led her away to Eddy’s room.
The little fellow was very quiet now. He ran eagerly to his cousin and drew her into the room, and then, in a humble tone, said, “I’m very sorry, mamma, I vexed you. I’ve got over my passion now.”
She put her hand on his head, but she did not smile; indeed her face looked very, very sad.
“Please forgive me?” urged the boy.
“Yes, I will gladly forgive you, Eddy; but your conduct makes me very unhappy. What comfort can I expect from a child, who, on every trifling occasion, gives way to his passionate temper? And then think how displeasing your behavior, this morning, has been to your heavenly Father. Have you asked him to forgive you?”
Eddy blushed as he hung his head.
“No, mamma,” he faltered; “but I will now.”
They knelt together, Mrs. Lander and her boy, with Susy close by his side, her loving face beaming with satisfaction. The lady’ prayed first—that her son might truly repent of his sins and earnestly ask the help of God to become a good boy; then Eddy said his little prayer, begging forgiveness for all that he had done displeasing to his heavenly Father.
After this, Susy kissed him and smiled as she said, “I’m glad you’re good, now, Eddy.”
As his mother left the room, Eddy wondered that she said nothing about the fishes. Usually, after she had forgiven him his heart was light, and he loved to sit near her and watch her smiles; but now she sat busy with her work, and he thought her face was very sober.
CHAPTER II.
EDDY’S RESOLUTION.
WHEN Eddy went to his room for the night, his mother always went with him, and, as he said, they had a fine time together. First he knelt by his low chair and repeated his prayers and hymns, and then she added a few simple petitions, asking the protection of God through the night. After this he loved to call to mind the actions of the past day, to receive praise when he had tried to conquer his quick temper, or encouragement to do better when he confessed his faults. On the evening following this day, Mrs. Lander summoned them earlier than usual, and then said, “I have a story, a true story, to tell you—one which I want you, Eddy, to remember as long as you live.”
“There was once a little boy, whom I will call James. When he was very young he began to show a cruel disposition. He loved to stand near the window and pull the wings off the flies. Then he would laugh and clap his hands to see how they writhed about in their agony.”
“As he grew older he tormented every animal on the place. One day he caught two kittens, and having tied their tails together, hung them over the clothes-line. Then he ran to call his companions, and tried to make them enjoy the cruel sport as much as he did. When his sister came home from school, and found what he was doing, she burst into tears. Instead of soothing her by the promise that he would never do so again, he laughed as he related the torture of the poor kittens.”
“His father had a favorite dog, named Frisk, a faithful creature, to whom all the family were attached; but so dreadfully cruel was this wicked boy, that one day when his parents were absent from home, he found a large piece of board, and nailed Frisk to it by his four legs, each being stretched to its utmost length.”
“The poor dog whined and cried most piteously, but James persevered until the poor creature was firmly fastened to the board. Having done this, he ran to cell his sister, and stood laughing at her distress.”
“’Oh, take him off! take out the nails quick! he’ll die!’ screamed the poor girl. ‘O James, see how the blood runs!’ Finding he would not listen to her entreaties, she ran to the nearest house to call a neighbor; and they had just succeeded in releasing Frisk from his dreadful position, when her parents drove into the yard.”
“’If he were my boy,’ said the neighbor, after he had related in what a situation he found the poor dog, ‘If he were my boy, I should give him a taste of the horsewhip for his cruelty. I’ve heard of his tricks before to-day.’”
“James was whipped most severely, besides being confined to his room for two days; but it did him no good. Only the next week, in a fit of passion, he threw one of the kitties into a boiler of hot water, where it died in dreadful agony.”
“James was a bright boy in his studies, and almost always stood at the head of his class at school, but his schoolmates despised him for his fiery temper and his cruel disposition. He seemed to like nothing so well as to see others suffer. Even the little children at the school were afraid of him, for he often fixed pins in the cracks of their seats, so as to make them scream with pain, or hid their dinner-pails, and then laughed when they cried with hunger.”
“I cannot stop to tell you all the wickedness of James’s early life; but must pass over a great many years, till the time he was a man. He was quite distinguished for his learning, and having sense enough to conceal his wickedness, he had come to occupy an important station in society.”
“One day a man who owed him a bill, entered his office, when, in order to avoid paying it, James struck the man a violent blow which killed him. Then he cut the body into small pieces, burning some of it, and hiding the rest. He was suspected of the crime, tried, condemned, and hung; and this was the end of the cruel boy.”
“O mamma!” cried Eddy, “I’ll never do so again. I’ll never be cruel any more!”
Susy sat wiping away her tears with her dimpled hand, when Mrs. Lander called them both to her side. “Do you wonder, now, my dear, that I was so distressed this morning when I saw you chopping up the little fishes! My heart ached lest you should become like that wicked man.”
“I never will hurt anything again,” urged Eddy, trying to keep back his tears. “I will try to be kind to them, as Susy is.”
“That is right, my dear boy. If ever you feel inclined to be cruel, think of the sad end of James; think of what the Bible tells you, ‘The merciful man regardeth the life of his beast,’ and pray God to help you to be merciful. Remember, too, my dear Eddy, that unless you learn to conquer your hasty temper, you will do many things while, in a passion, which you will afterwards regret. Every time you check yourself and control your temper, it will become easier for you to do so, while every time you give way to it, you make it more difficult to reform.”
“But, mamma,” cried Eddy, “sometimes I’m as pleasant as possible, and cook, or the nurse, worry me, and make me mad. It’s not my fault then. I’d be good enough, if I was let alone.”
“It is wrong in any one to try to vex you, my child,” said his mother; “but that does not excuse you for doing wrong. We must all expect to meet with trials, but we must not give way to them. Ever since your uncle Edward gave you a drum and sword, you have liked to play soldier. Now, I’ll tell you a good game, one which the Bible recommends. Call your quick temper, your impatience, and fretfulness, your enemies, and fight them as much as you please. Be too much of a man and a soldier to let your passion gain the victory over you; but fight till you conquer, then you may beat the drum over every successful battle.”
Eddy’s eyes flashed with a new light. He stood up proudly, gazing first at his mother, then at Susy, and at last exclaimed, “I’ll do it!”
