Page:Samantha on Children's Rights.djvu/150

 "I don't," sez Jack; "I don't think anything of her at all."

"Jack, do you come here this minute and kiss Aunt Nabby, or I will punish you severely."

Jack dragged himself towards her as if a heavy weight hung to his feet, and put his cheek up against hers. He didn't kiss her, I don't believe, but his mother thought he did, and so she let him off.

Well, that afternoon Jack told a fib, and his mother ketched him at it. It wuz what they call a white lie, as for me I have always made a practice of thinkin' that lies are never white, that they are never any color but black. But this one of Jack's wuzn't very black, anyway, it wuz a sort of a small light colored one (if they are ever light colored). But you ort to seen the fuss Tamer Ann made over it, and it wuz jest what ort to be done, he ortn't to be allowed to fib. But who learnt him to lie? Who sot him the pattern? Them wuz the two questions that wuz hantin' me as I hearn Tamer Ann whippin' him and heard Jack cryin' over it.

Tamer come downstairs completely exhausted, and sez she, "Oh, what a time I have had! What a job it is to bring up children right! My arms ache as if they would come off, but I will bring my children up right if my arms do come off in the job. Lyin' is sunthin' I won't have in this house."

And Tamer meant what she said, I hain't no idee but what she did, she thought she abominated lyin' and never mistrusted she had been lyin' all the mornin' herself, about three and a half hours of clear, stiddy lie, black as a coal. She didn't mistrust it, but in the cause of duty I reminded her of it, for I loved Jack and