Welcome to our March entry of Stories of Our Holidays!
This next one is another odd one, just like the August entry was an odd one (and I guess the Betsey Ross one was kind of strange, too, though it was sort of a tie-in to the George Washington thing).
This is because the entry is subtitled ‘For Humane Day’, and there isn’t an official Humane Day! Furthermore, there isn’t a month or a date referenced in this entry. I’ll be using this one as the March post.
A Story of a Kind Deed
For Humane Day
cruel creature reason really hurried spied
If some one were telling a story about you, would you like to have it said that you were cruel and unkind? You think that is a queer question for me to ask, don’t you?
Still I have heard of some little boys and girls who were really very cruel. They did not mean to be cruel, but they just forgot.
Now to-day is a day to talk about being kind to every living creature. Here is a story for you to read and think about.
Once upon a time a boy named Peter found a poor little toad out in the road. He ran to find his playmate and cried, Come, John, come quick! Here is a toad. Let’s throw stones at him and kill him.”
Back they hurried, filling their pockets with stones as the went along and thinking, “What fun we shall have!”
Just as they got back a donkey came along dragging a heavy cart. The load was so heavy that he hung his head down, and that was the reason he spied the little toad.
The little creature lay there in the middle of the road, taking his morning nap in the sunshine.
Do you suppose the donkey saw the boys and knew what they were going to do?
I do not know about that, but this is what that donkey did. He bent his head and gave the toad a shove with his warm nose. The toad awoke, and with a hop and jump was soon out of the road.
The donkey looked at Peter and John, then hung his head and started on.
“Oh, John,” said Peter, “did you see that donkey and what he did? I
am sorry I thought of killing that toad.”
“So am I,” said John. “I am ashamed of myself.”
And the story says that Peter and John tried to show that they were sorry, by helping this donkey with his heavy load as he went up the hill.
When the donkey was out of sight and they had gone back to their play, they made up their minds that to be kind to all animals was really the best fun after all.
Kind hearts are the gardens,
Kind thoughts are the roots,
Kind words are the flowers,
Kind deeds are the fruits.
I liked the story! 🙂