Part 2

“Yes, ma’am. Those rude girls left me alone, when they knew I could not find the way back,” replied Josephine, who wished to make her side of the question appear as well as she could.

“Is that the whole story, my child?” asked Mrs. Lee, with a smile.

“I wanted them to draw me in the wagon, and they wouldn’t.”

“Wasn’t that asking rather too much of them?”

“I don’t know but it was; but they needn’t have left me there all alone.”

“What could they have done?”

“I think they needn’t have left me,” repeated Josephine, not very pleasantly.

“You insisted on going with them, though they told you they were going a long distance, and you would be very tired. I don’t think you can reasonably blame them.”

“They knew I wasn’t used to the woods.”

“You told them that you wouldn’t go with them unless they drew you on the wagon. You might have followed them without any difficulty.”

“I didn’t think they would leave me.”

“I don’t know what else they could do. You would not go with them; and the least they could do was to let you have your own way.”

“I won’t go with them again,” pouted Josephine.

“They did not want you to go with them. It was only at Flora’s request that they consented you should go. Josephine, you have got a bad habit, which I hope you will cure before long.”

“A bad habit, ma’am?” said Josephine, looking up at Mrs. Lee, as though she thought it very strange that she should have a bad habit.

“Yes, my child. I noticed it when you first came here. It has made you very unpopular with your playmates. When I went to the picnic this afternoon, I found that nearly all the girls were glad you had left them. They all said Katy and Jenny had done just right in leaving you.”

“It was very rude of them,” said Josephine, beginning to cry. “I haven’t done any thing to make them hate me so.”

“I hope they don’t _hate_ you, but they don’t like you. I do not wonder that they don’t like you, either. You may call it rude, but the girls can never like you while you try to make servants of them.”

“Why, Mrs. Lee!” exclaimed Josephine.

“You may be surprised, but I have seen you send Flora upon a dozen errands in half an hour.”

“I have asked her to do something for me very often, perhaps; but I only asked it as a favor.”

“One should not ask too many favors. Now let me give you a rule, which I hope you will follow. _Never ask others to do for you what you can just as well do yourself._ You will have to ask many favors of your friends; and they will most cheerfully confer them, if you do not ask too many.”

“The girls said I was always asking them to do something for me. But I am sure I did not mean any thing wrong, and I will try to do better.”

“You are very polite to your playmates,” added Mrs. Lee; “and politeness is a good thing in a little girl; but we should be sure that it is true politeness, for there are two kinds.”

“I never knew there was more than one kind of politeness,” said Josephine.

“There are two kinds: one which comes from a kind heart, and which is a desire to promote the happiness of others. The other kind is nothing but cunning--such as the fox practises when he wants to catch a chicken. It is selfish--put on to make others do as you wish them to do. I am afraid your politeness was somewhat of the latter kind.”

“I am glad to know it, and I will try to do better.”

And she did try to do better. Though she did not at first succeed, her friends saw that she was trying to improve, and they were very kind and very indulgent to her; so that before she returned to New York, she was liked as well as any other little girl in Riverdale.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:

Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.

New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.