CHAPTER II.
GOOD RESOLUTIONS.
Winnie was having a confused dream of a little dwarf, armed with a longcolumn of figures, which he waved threateningly in the air; but as sheadvanced to seize them, thinking to use them for her lessons duringthe day, the dwarf commenced to grow, and, as she stood amazed andhorror-struck, he attained the height of ten feet or so, and wasstill growing when she heard the tinkling of a bell, and a voice said:"Wizard, avaunt!" At this the giant disappeared, and the whole column offigures fell on the floor in a confused heap. She stooped to pick themup, when the bell rang again, this time louder, and she grasped--herbrother Ralph, who was ringing the breakfast bell violently in her ears.
A little vexed, she was going to send him away and turn over for anothernap, when suddenly she remembered her good resolutions of the eveningbefore, and, to Ralph's surprise, sprang up at once.
Having dressed herself, she turned the bedclothes back to air, and, withthe exception of making her bed, which was done by Norah later in theday, put everything in her dainty pink room in nice order. Then she satdown to select her verse, it being the custom of the family for eachto recite some passage from the Bible, about which they afterward had alittle talk. She chose part of the second verse of the sixth chapter of2d Corinthians: "Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation."
When the bell rang for the family to gather, Winnie was ready to go downat once, without hurry or confusion, or being haunted by the thoughtthat she was but half dressed. If she received no other reward, hermother's approving smile as her daughter entered, made her feel quitehappy.
Mr. Burton and Jack were not yet down, but came in almost directly.Her father read for that morning a part of the 107th Psalm, that mostbeautiful psalm of praise and thanksgiving. Then they all recited theirverses. The mother had chosen hers from the chapter just read: "For hesatisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."Jack had chosen: "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Ralph said, "Sufferlittle children," which was his great standby. Mr. Burton had a fewwords to say about all of them, but about Winnie's in particular; hespoke about its spiritual and religions meaning, and went on to say thatit could be applied to all the affairs of life. He spoke of the folly aswell as the sin of procrastination, that great destroyer of so manygood deeds, which become utterly useless if done too late. He saidthat duties are like bricks used in building a house; if the foundationstones were left out, it would be impossible to make any use of thoseremaining. After the talk was finished, the family gathered around thepiano, and sang a morning hymn.
Winnie was in very good spirits that morning; an approving conscience isa great help to cheerfulness and good temper. She cut Ralph's steak forhim, and pleased him very much by begging for one of his dollars, asshe called the tiny cakes which Norah fried for her pet. She amused theothers, also, by giving, in the phraseology of a school-girl of to-day,a graphic account of the way she imagined the redoubtable Captain Mollyacted at the Battle of Monmouth.
Everything seemed to go well with her, and at half past eight she hadher books in her arms, ready to take a leisurely stroll to school,although the unfinished problems still troubled her.
When she entered her room, three or four of the girls rushed up toher with: "Come on into the dressing-room, Win; we're going to have ameeting of the B. S. S."
"Oh, I can't, girls!" said Winnie, it must be confessed very faintly,"I've two more problems to work, and I'll just have time to do thembefore the bell rings, and during the first study bell."
"Oh, bother the problems!" said Miriam Douglass, striking an attitude."Let them go! What are problems, compared with the important business ofthe B. S. S.?"
But Winnie, collecting all her mental strength, and remembering her "I'mbound to" of the night before, resolutely drew back, saying, "I can't,girls; for I've a giant to kill."
The girls looked at her in amaze.
"A giant to kill! You look as if you'd kill a dozen, single-handed, youmidge!" laughed tall Miriam, for Winnie was the youngest and smallestgirl in the class. "Whatever do you mean?"
"I can't stop to tell you now," said Winnie, "for if I do, I'll lose thefirst blow; but I'll tell you about it at recess."
"All right, since you're determined," said Fannie Allen; "and I say,girls, let's postpone our meeting till then."
"Agreed!" said the others; and each one, as they separated, went toher own seat and busied herself at some study, so quickly does a littleleaven leaven the whole.
When recess came, Winnie explained to the three girls, and MiriamDouglass laughed at her and teased her not a little; but somehow no oneminded Miriam's teasing, she was so bright and good-natured with it all.
"I suppose," said Miriam, munching her last piece of butterscotch--forbe it known that the mysterious initials, about which the other girls ofthe class were "dancing crazy with curiosity," as Miriam said, signified"Butter Scotch Society"--"you'll be wanting us to give up the B. S. S.with all its sweet delights, and go about the world with drawn swords,and 'front like Jove, to threaten or command,' neither giving norreceiving quarter. I can see myself now, as I exclaim, 'Base spirit,beware, lest with this trusty sword I hew thee in pieces!'" And sheflourished her ruler with such spirit that the girls all applauded.Just then, however, the bell rang for the close of recess, and they wereobliged to go to their recitations.
Thanks to Winnie's determination, and her vigorous use of the studybells, she received a perfect mark in all her lessons for the day, butshe went home in the afternoon tired and jaded from the hard work.
She found her mother in the sitting-room, sewing, and said, as she threwdown her books, "Now, mamma, I want to make my confession, and alsoto thank you for allowing me to work last night. I know you have oftenspoken to me about my bad habit of putting everything off till the lastminute, and it is almost always because I get hold of a story book andcannot lay it down. Yesterday it was 'The Giant Killer,' and I wasso interested in Fides' battle with Giant Hate, that I forgot I wasneglecting my own faults to watch him conquer his. But now I'm goingto begin killing my own giants, and I'll commence with my worst,procrastination; for indeed, as Miss Brownlow is always telling us,it is the thief of time. And I want you to watch me and help me. Asto-morrow will be Saturday, I want to get every one of my lessons forMonday, so that I can use the Monday study bells for Tuesday's lessons;then I can always get through in the afternoon."
"I think that will be a very good plan, Winnie; you will then feel atease each day about the work for the succeeding one, and an absence ofworry will keep your mental faculties in good condition, so that you cando much more work with less strain of mind or body. And it will leaveyour evenings for reading or such other recreation as may occur fromtime to time, for you know I do not believe in all work and no play. Iwant to run down to Shillito's now to do a little shopping, and I hopeyou will be able, while I am gone, to resist your favorite temptation,for I really believe that many of our temptations are favorites."
As soon as Mrs. Burton, taking Ralph with her, had gone, Winnie settledherself resolutely to work at her problems. She had just become quiteinterested in finding out the "population of a certain village," whichincreased a certain per cent, the first year, etc., when the bell rang,and answering the call, she found Miriam Douglass. Here was a dilemma.But she said:
"Miriam, I'm just at work on my problems for Monday. Come right in, andwe'll work them together."
"Oh, Winnie, we'll have all day to-morrow to get our lessons. Do let'shave a good time to-day."
"I promised mamma that I would do all my lessons before Monday, but,of course, Miriam, if you don't wish to, I'll stop. I do think, though,that we'll enjoy ourselves just as well if we do this work."
"All right, Winnie, go ahead," said Miriam laughing. "I guess my braincan stand it if yours can."
The two girls applied themselves so well, Miriam being particularlybright in arithmetic, that by the time Mrs. Burton returned, they notonly had the whole set of problems
solved, but neatly copied and readyto "hand in."
Mrs. Burton herself helped them with their analysis in grammar, andthat being Miriam's great stumbling block, she was delighted with theassistance. She accepted Mrs. Burton's invitation to stay to supper,after which, Mr. Burton and Jack both being out, Winnie's motherproposed that the girls should take turns reading aloud to her from thebook Winnie had been telling them about.
Both girls had been well taught, and it was a pleasure to listen totheir fresh, well modulated voices. Miriam, though far less imaginativethan Winnifred, enjoyed the book very much, and said, half in fun:
"Why can't we turn our B. S. S. into a club to fight our giants? Wemight then be a help instead of a drawback to each other, as I know weare now, for we're always upsetting each other's attempts to do right."
"I think that is a very good idea," said Mrs. Burton. "Union andorganization are such powers in this world, that I do not see why theyshould not help four little girls to do right. You might have socialmeetings occasionally to report progress, and you could have a good timebeside. Talk it over on Monday with Gretta and Fannie, and if you wanthelp, come to me."
"Oh, Mrs. Burton, you always do think of the nicest things! That's justwhat we will do, and we'll report a week from to-night. But now it istime for me to go."
As Miriam lived only a square away, Mrs. Burton and Winnie walked overwith her, and on their return Winnie went to bed happy and contented.