KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



281 



In the following little story, 1 have trusted to 

 very simple material for creating interest ; in the 

 hope that children, whose tastes have not been 

 vitiated by exciting tales, in which the vices and 

 follies of men and women are exposed, may find 

 an interest in the trials and pleasures of children 

 no way differently circumstanced to themselves. 

 I would endeavor to inspire in children a respect 

 for their own age, and would help to inculcate 

 into the very youngest a sense of the holy bond 

 between Life and Duty — showing that the small 

 efforts and victories of the child, on the side^ of 

 virtue, are precisely of the nature of those which 

 make the if eroes and Philanthropists of grown- 

 up life. 



These sentiments are worthy of being re- 

 corded in letters of gold. Unfashionable they 

 are, we admit ; but worthy of admiration by 

 the sensible part of society. 



The subject we now introduce is a pro- 

 jected visit from the Amyotts to the Camp- 

 bells. In this will be shown the difference 

 between pleasure-taking and pleasure-giving. 



Only several little visits had been exchanged 

 between the Amyotts and Campbells, when one 

 day (a Monday morning) there was found in the 

 post-office a very smart little note, with an em- 

 bossed border and colored seal, lying in the lid 

 of an old box to keep it clean. At a glance it 

 was easy to see that the note contained something 

 more than usual in it. It was addressed to Fanny, 

 and was carried to her by Willie, the finder; and 

 great was the pleasure occasioned by its contents. 

 It was a note of invitation, and ran as follows : — 



M My dear Fanny, — Mamma wishes me to 

 ask, if you and your sister and your two brothers 

 will come and take tea with us on Wednesday. 

 We have our cousins staying with us, and shall 

 have besides some other young friends. Please 

 6end an answer as soon as you can, through the 

 post-office. Your affectionate friend, 



" Alice Campbell." 



" Why, it is to be a party ! " exclaimed Mar- 

 garet with delight; and then, after a second 

 thought, she added more gravely, " But will 

 mamma like us to go to a party ? " 



Their mamma was consulted, who had no ob- 

 jection to the invitation being accepted ; and ac- 

 cordingly a note was prepared by Fanny, on as 

 pretty a sheet of paper as she possessed, and 

 sealed with the gayest wafer to be found. It 

 was as follows : — 



11 My dear Alice, — With mamma's permission, 

 I have great pleasure in accepting your kind invi- 

 tation to us all, and we shall be very glad to see 

 you on Wednesday evening. Yours affectionately, 



" Fanny Amyott." 



This note was duly laid on Monday afternoon 

 in the same box-lid in the post-office, and, as after 

 a certain time it was looked for and found gone, 

 they knew that it had been received, and there 

 was nothing left to be done but talk about the 

 engagement until the happy hour arrived. 



The space, however, between Monday and 

 Wednesday, muck as they wished the time to 

 pass quickly, was yet hardly long enough for all 

 the talking that had to be gone through on the 



subject. There were so many guesses to make 

 about what they would see and do, and who would 

 be there. Fanny and Margaret had a little 

 private consultation about what they were to wear 

 on the occasion, and they thought it rather strange 

 that their mother should allow all Monday to pass 

 without alluding to the subject. Tuesday came ; 

 and it was towards the middle of the day, when 

 Fanny, being no longer able to restrain her 

 curiosity on this important point, at last thought 

 it best to ask at once of her mamma what she and 

 Margaret were to wear at the Campbell's party. 



" Well, my dear, I think that nice clean white 

 frocks will be all that is necessary." 



Luckily the last new ones were clean — for 

 young people always like to wear their last new 

 things — so that Fanny and Margaret were satis- 

 fied with the decision ; and, after having inspected 

 their shoes and mittens to see that all was right, 

 there was nothing else to care for on the subject 

 of dress. Once or twice Fanny thought of curling 

 her hair for the occasion, and on the previous 

 night actually made some preparations for the 

 purpose in the way of curl-papers ; but her mamma 

 advised her to go with her hair braided, as she 

 usually wore it, as more likely to be neat than any 

 new experiments. 



Herbert and Willie did not much disturb them- 

 selves about any preparations of this kind, but 

 were only extra busy in getting all their school 

 business done beforehand, so that the visit might 

 not interfere in any way with it. 



The evening came at last. Long before five 

 o'clock Fanny and Margaret decided that it was 

 quite time to prepare ; and, after being shut up 

 in their room for an hour, they came out very 

 neatly dressed, as their mamma found on inspecting 

 them ; and with their thin shoes and mittens in a 

 little basket, ready to put on when they got there. 

 Herbert and Willie were in their nicely-brushed 

 " Sunday clothes," and with faces very shiny with 

 extra soap and water. 



After some few little hints from their mother 

 about manners and behavior, they bade her good 

 evening, and kissed baby, and then all set off with 

 beating hearts — their mother promising to send 

 for them at nine o'clock. Fanny and Margaret 

 walked daintily along, careful not to dirty their 

 nice white stockings or tumble their frocks. The 

 loud-sounding bell at the Campbells' was rung. 

 Alice Campbell's face was seen for a moment at a 

 window, satisfying herself that this important 

 addition to her party was arrived ; and then the 

 door opened, and they were let in, and shown by 

 the servant into a little anteroom, where they 

 changed their shoes, and took off their hats and 

 bonnets, and smoothed their hair. Then came 

 the ushering into the large drawing-room, where 

 a large party of young people were assembled, 

 with Mrs. Campbell and a grown-up young lady, 

 who was to assist her in entertaining the party. 



The numerous new faces were quite bewildering 

 at first ; and if it had not been that Alice and 

 Jessie and Mrs. Campbell came forward to meet 

 and greet them, they would hardly have found 

 them out from the rest of the party. Then seats 

 were found for them, and the names of some of 

 the company told to them. " This is my cousin 

 Emily, and that is my cousin Robert," — " This 

 is Master Smith, and that is little Ellen Smith," 



