The Little Girl Who Was Taught by Experience Read online

did, but I willshow her that I can,"--and Lucy began to smile with pleasure at thethought of mortifying Miss Prince.

  "But I would not dress so much just to go out to Mrs. Russel's," saidEmily, "we shall wish to walk out in the grounds, and you will beobliged to take so much care not to hurt your dress, you will not havehalf the pleasure; how can you jump about the grass, and gatherflowers?"

  "I don't care for that," said Lucy, "I will wear the gown and theslippers too. Papa always lets me dress as I like. I shall take careenough."

  Emily did not say any thing more, but she ran away to show her motherher present, and to ask her if she would be so kind as to tell her whatsort of a gown she should get for Nurse Hooper, and to count over allthe silver pieces she hoarded in her purse. Her mother told her she wasmuch pleased to find she remembered the poor friendless old woman, andthat she should have the pleasure of getting the gown the next day,--andshe said she would advise her all about it. Then her mother counted hermoney and found she would have some left after the gown was bought,which she could spend for herself. Emily said she would not determinewhat she should do with it then, but put it away till she wantedsomething very much. Her mother told her that was a very prudent andwise determination.

  The day at last came for their visit to Brookline, the carriage wasordered, and Emily came down with her plain Cambric slip and thickshoes, which looked very proper, and comfortable, and neat. But Lucy puton her trimmed silk dress, and the lilac satin slippers she had boughtto wear with it.

  "Why my little girl," said her aunt, as she came into the room, "whatcould induce you to put on that rich silk to-day? you can have noenjoyment of play in such a dress, and those delicate slippers too,--youcannot _walk_ in them; remember we are going into the country, and shallwish to taste the sweet air of the fields, you had better run andchange your dress now my love, there is quite time enough, and Emilywill go and assist you."

  "O no, aunt," said Lucy, "I had rather not go at all, than do that, Ishall take care, I am big enough to take care I hope;" and she againlooked sullen and sour.

  "I shall not compel you my dear, most certainly, because that would notconvince you that you are wrong, but I advise you once more to go andchange your dress for a more proper one; I warn you that you will nothave half the comfort, but a vast deal more trouble in going as you are;I wish indeed that you could believe, that I must know better thanyourself about such things, because it might save you from muchsuffering, but if you prefer to learn by your own experience, youcertainly shall;--experience is an excellent instructer, but we oftenpay very dearly for her lessons: well what do you say?"

  "I am not at all afraid," said Lucy, impatiently. "Papa always lets medress as I like."

  "Let us go then," said her aunt.

  The day was balmy and mild as possible, and the ride to Brookline waswithout accident, and perfectly pleasant. Lucy forgot all that her aunthad said, she was thinking how all the company would admire her finedress and how mortified, and vexed, and surprised, the proud Miss Princewould be. At last they reached the beautiful seat of Mrs. Russel, andwere received most kindly by that excellent lady. But what can expressLucy's disappointment to find there was to be no one besides themselves,not even Miss Prince, whom she was so sure of meeting, and that afterMrs. Russel had permitted a smile of pity to pass over her face as shelooked at her dress, there was no more notice taken of it in any way.

  Presently a walk in the garden was proposed, and they all proceeded toview the grounds. Emily went skipping about with a heart light withinnocence and peace, smelling the sweet flowers, and eating the richfruit which was ripening in profusion around her;--Lucy also took somefruit for she was very fond of it, and she thought she ate it verycarefully; but presently she felt something wet upon her arm, and whenshe looked to see what it was, she found she had dropped some of thejuice on the front part of her dress, which had already taken out thecolor in several places.

  Now this was her best and her favorite dress, it was a present from herfather when she left New York to visit her aunt, and it was quite new.She felt very uncomfortable at this sad sight, and she already began towish she had not put it on:--however she could do nothing to it, and shecontinued to walk slowly and carefully through the shrubs and flowers,until she saw the party all collected round a fish-pond at the bottom ofthe garden, viewing something very attentively.

  "O the beautiful gold fish," exclaimed Lucy, "I had quite forgotten toask about them, I dare say they are in that pond, and I do long to seethem," and away she ran with all her speed, thinking only of the prettygold fish which Emily had told her about so often; but the wind filledout the light folds of her beautiful silk dress, and as she passed aturning in the walk, the trimming was caught by the briars of arose-bush and torn almost entirely off, before she could stop herself.Lucy stood aghast at this sad rent! the delicate trimming was quite intatters, and the thought of what her aunt had said to her (for she nowremembered it every word) made her ashamed to look her in the face;however, she pinned it on as well as she could, and again she walkedslowly and carefully, quite forgetting the gold fish and every thing buther misfortunes and her shame, and wishing she had not been soself-willed and perverse. But when little children will not be guided bythe experience and judgment of their best and wisest friends, and willtry for themselves, they often learn through much suffering and trouble,and pay dearly for the instruction which they might have had fornothing.

  While Lucy was thus sauntering along, one of Mrs. Russel's little girlscame running up to her full of spirits. "Come with _us_ dear Lucy," saidshe, "we are going to the bottom of the pasture-field to look into Mr.Barrel's beautiful garden, 'tis much handsomer than ours, and there isan opening in the fence so that we can see it all plainly through thecracks. There are a great _many_ images in the garden. In one placethere is an old woman feeding chickens, and she is holding up her apronof corn so naturally, exactly as our Betsey does when she feeds ourlittle ones; and her gown is pinned away behind her, and shews herquilted petticoat and she _does_ look _so_ funny; and then in anotherpart of the garden, there is a man raking hay, he looks as natural as_life_--come--this way, my dear, there is Emily just jumping over thestone-wall."

  The pasture was very large. It was made perfectly dry by a ditch whichwas dug along on one side; this drained off all the water, so it waseasy and dry walking. The girls went on jumping and springing, and Lucyonce more forgot her troubles, and began to enjoy herself, while Emilyfelt _so_ innocent and happy, that she could not express her delight.They came at last to the opening in the fence which gave them a goodview of this fine garden; the flower beds were all laid out in squares,and diamonds, and circles, which were all bordered with beautiful greenbox. And Lucy saw the old man with his rake, who looked exactly as if hecould move and was just going to turn his hay; and she saw the drolllooking old woman holding up her apron of corn; and they were very muchamused, discovering new beauties in this garden for a long time, but atlast they were startled by hearing the snorting of a horse very near tothem. They had not seen that there was any horse in the pasture before,but when they looked up they saw Mr. Russel's great black horsegalloping up to them, rearing and kicking up his hind feet in the air,while John the stable-boy was running after him with a halter to catchhim.

  The little girls were very much frightened when they saw such a greatloose horse so near to them, and they began to run towards the house asfast as their limbs would carry them, for they thought the black horsewas close at their heels, and they did not stop to look behind them.Sarah Russel and Emily got on a great deal faster than Lucy, because herslippers were tight and her dress troublesome, but she used her utmostspeed, and had nearly reached the stone wall over which the girls werejumping, when in attempting to leap across the ditch her foot slippedin, and down came poor Lucy flat upon her face. What a sad situation shewas in! she had lost her shoe in the black muddy ditch,--her unfortunatesilk frock was all covered with green slime, from the slippery grass onthe banks,--she had hurt her ancle so
badly she could scarcelystir,--and she expected every moment that the great black horse would beupon her, and trample her to death,--the other little girls thinking shehad kept up with them had jumped over the wall and were gone out ofsight and hearing, and she could not possibly get up alone.

  "Oh! dear, what shall I do?" cried Lucy, "will nobody come to save me."

  Now it happened that young Mr. Thomas Russel had come out to assistJohn in catching his horse, (because he was a frolicksome andtroublesome horse to catch) and he was already so near that he heardLucy's cries. He came to her, kindly took her up and quieted her fears,and showed her that the horse was a long way distant, and then he feltwith his stick round in the ditch to find her beautiful lilac slipper.Alas! it was beautiful no longer; for when he fished it out of the