'I'M TOO LITTLE." THESE words reached the ears of Mrs. Wilson, as she came into the parlour one afternoon. She found her three children seated on the sofa ; Anna, the eldest, trying to amuse her younger brother and sister. She had been telling them a story in her own wise way, of some good little girl who was a great help to her mother, and was showing the example of this excellent child, for the benefit of Ella, when their mother came in. "Too little for what, Ella?" asked Mrs. Wilson, pausing before the children. "I was telling her," said Anna, "the story of Katie Lee, and when I said she must be good, and do as Katie did, she told me she was too little." "Little girls of four years are rather small," said Mrs. Wilson, "but my Ella isn't too little to be good, I hope." "But Katie was older than I, I'm sure," said Ella: "I can't do such things as she can." "What things?" asked mamma. "Why, bringing in the milk-pitcher. I'm afraid I'd spill the milk, and then Susan would say, 'Oh! you are a plague.' Mrs. Wilson smiled, for poor little Ella was called "a plague" very often. "If you couldn't bring the milk-pitcher, darling, you could be useful in other ways," she said. "Oh no, I can't, I'm too little," persisted Ella. Mrs. Wilson sat down and took the child upon her lap. "Now, listen to me: you can pick up my ball when it rolls on the carpet, and get papa's slippers, and fetch me a book or my work-basket, can't you?" "Yes, I can do those," said Ella. "Well, then, are you too little to be useful?" "Why, is that being useful? I thought it meant real great things," said Ella, opening her eyes very wide in astonishment. "It means that older girls are to do great things, and little girls are to do little things," said her mother. "You are a little girl now, and so your heavenly Father only wishes you to do little things; but then my darling must try to do them willingly and pleasantly. You should always be ready to do what mamma asks, at once, not say, I'm tired,' or 'I don't want to,' because, though you are only four years old, you are not too little to be useful." |