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LESSON 6
1. Poor lame Jennie sat at her window, looking out upon the dismal
, narrow street, with a look of pain and weariness on her face. “Oh, dear,” she said with a sigh, “what a long day this is going to be,” and she looked wishfully
up the street.
2. Suddenly she leaned forward and pressed her pale face against the glass, as a rosy-cheeked boy came racing down the street, swinging his schoolbooks by the strap. Looking up to the window, he took off his hat and bowed with a bright, pleasant smile.
3. “What a nice boy he is,” said Jennie to herself, as he ran out of sight. “I am so glad he goes by here on his way to school. When he smiles, it seems like having the sun shine. I wish everybody who goes by would look up and smile.”
4. “Mamma,” said George West, as he came from school, “I can’t help thinking about that poor little girl I told you of the other day. She looks so tired. I took off my hat and bowed to her to-day. I wish I could do something for her.”
5. “Suppose you should carry her a handful of pretty flowers some time
when you go to school,” said Mrs. West. “I’ll do that to-morrow morning,”said George, “if I can find my way into that ricket
old house.”
6. The next morning, as Jennie sat leaning her head wearily against the window, watching the raindrops chasing one another down the glass, shespied George with a handful of beautiful flowers carefully picking his wayacross the street. He stopped in front of her window, and, smiling verypleasantly, said, “How shall I find the way to your room?”
7. Jennie pointed to an alley near by, where he turned in, and with some difficulty found his way to the dingy
staircase. Opening the door to Jennie’s gentle “Come in,” he said, “I have brought you a handful offlowers to look at this rainy day.”
8. “Are they for me?” exclaimed Jennie, clapping her hands in delight. “How kind you are,” she continued, as George laid them in her lap. “I havenot had a flower since we live in the city.”
9. “Did you use to live in the country?” asked George. “Oh, yes,” answered Jennie, “we used to live in a beautiful cottage, and there weretrees and flowers and green grass, and the air was so sweet.”
10. “Well, what made you move here?” “Oh,” said Jennie, softly, “papa died, and mamma was sick so long that the money was all gone. Then mamma had to sell the cottage, and she moved here to try to get work to do.”
11. “Do you have to sit here all day?” asked George, glancing
around the bare room and out into the dismal street. “Yes,” said Jennie, “because I am lame; but I would not care for that, if I could only help mamma.”
12. “I declare, it’s too had!” said George, who dreaded nothing so much as being obliged to stay in the house. “Oh, no, it isn’t,” said Jennie, pleasantly; “mamma says maybe we should forget the Lord if we had everything we wanted, and He never forgets us, you know.”
13. “Well, I must rush for school,” said George, not knowing exactly what to say next; and he was soon out of Jennie’s sight, but had a happy little corner in his heart, because he had tried to do a kind act. He did not know how much good he had done in making a pleasant day out of a dreary
one for a little sick girl.
14. “Mamma,” said George, that evening, after he had told her what Jennie said, “papa must give them some money, so they can go back to their home.”
15. “No,” said his mother; “he can not do that, and they would not wish him to do so; but perhaps he can help us contrive
some way to assist them, so that they can live more comfortably.”
16. “I am going to carry Jennie some of the grapes grandpa sent me, tomorrow,” said George, turning over the leaves of his geography. “I will put
some of my pears into your basket, and go with you,” said his mother; “but there is one thing we can always give, and sometimes it does more good than nice things to eat, or even money.”
17. “What is that, mamma,—smiles?” asked George, looking up. “Yes,” answered his mother; “and it is a good plan to throw in a kind word or two with them, when you can.”
EXERCISES.—What is the subject of this lesson? How did George West make the day pleasant for Jennie? What did his mother suggest? What happened next day? What did Jennie tell George about her life? Relate what happened at George’s home that evening. What does the lesson teach?
【中文阅读】
1. 可怜的跛脚珍妮坐在窗前，望着外面阴沉、狭窄的街道，脸上写满了痛苦和倦意。“哎呀，”她叹口气说道，“这将是多漫长的一天啊。”她眼巴巴地看着街道的尽头。
2. 她忽然探身向前，将苍白的小脸紧贴在窗户玻璃上。这时从街的尽头跑过来一个脸上粉嘟嘟的男孩，手里抓着书包带将书包甩来甩去。他抬头看到窗户，立即摘下帽子，鞠了一躬，脸上挂着阳光般的友好笑容。
3. 当他跑出了珍妮的视线，她自言自语道：“他真是个可爱的孩子！我真高兴他每天上学都从这儿经过。当他微笑时，仿佛让人沐浴在阳光里。我希望每个路过的人都能抬头微笑一下。”
4. “妈妈，”乔治· 威斯特一从学校回到家就叫道，“我总会不由自主地想起那天我和您说过的那个可怜的小女孩。她看上去疲倦极了。今天我摘下帽子朝她鞠躬行礼。我希望能为她做些什么。”
5. “也许什么时候你去学校可以给她带一捧美丽的鲜花，”威斯特夫人说道。“只要能找到进入那栋老旧危房的路，我明天早上就可以按您说的这么做，”乔治说。
6. 第二天清晨，珍妮倦怠地将头靠在窗户上，看着雨点一滴一滴接连不断地沿着玻璃流下去。她忽然注意到乔治手里拿着一捧美丽的鲜花正在小心翼翼地过马路。他在她的窗前停了下来，非常友善地微笑着说：“我怎样才能找到通往你房间的路？”
7. 珍妮指了指附近的一条小路。他拐了进去，颇为费劲地找到了昏暗的楼梯。随着珍妮轻柔的一声“请进”，门开了。他说：“我给你带了鲜花，你在雨天里可以看看的。”
8. “它们是给我的吗？”珍妮惊呼，高兴得拍起手来。“你真是个热心肠。”
乔治将花放在她膝盖上，她继续说道:“自从搬到城里来住，我还没见过花儿呢。”
9. “你原来一直住在乡下吗？”乔治问道。“是的，”珍妮回答，“我们原来住在乡间小屋里，那里有很多树很多花，还有大片大片的绿草，就连空气都散发着香甜的味道。”
10. “是什么原因让你搬到这里来的？”“噢，”珍妮缓缓地柔声说道，“爸爸去世了，妈妈又一直生病，钱都花完了。后来妈妈不得不卖掉房子，搬到这里来想办法找点事做。”
11. 乔治扫了一眼空荡荡的屋子和窗外阴郁的街道，问道：“你必须整天都坐在这儿吗？”“是的，”珍妮回答，“因为我的腿有残疾；但其实我不太在意这个，只希望能给妈妈帮点忙。”
12. “我敢说你已经做到了！”乔治说道。
13. 乔治不知下面该说些什么，只好说：“好了，我得赶快跑去上学了。”随后他就一溜烟儿跑出了珍妮的视线。但他内心深处感到非常愉快，因为他在努力做一件好事。但他不知道把一个生病小女孩面对的沉闷的一天变成了快乐的一天是多大的一个善举。
14. 那天晚上，在把珍妮的话告诉了他母亲之后，乔治说：“妈妈，爸爸应该给她们些钱，这样她们就能回原来的家啦。”
15. “不，”他母亲说道，“爸爸他没法这么做。而且她们也不希望他这么做。但或许他能帮我们想些援助她们母女的方法，这样她们就能生活得更舒适些。”
16. “明天我打算给珍妮拿些奶奶给我的葡萄，”乔治边翻着他的地理书边说。“我会给你的篮子里放些梨，和你一起去。”他母亲说道，“但有一样东西我们总能给予她们，而且有时候它比好吃的或是金钱更好。”
17. “那是什么呀，妈妈，——是微笑吗？”乔治抬头看着妈妈问。“是啊，”他母亲回答，“而且尽可能地在微笑时说一两句友好的话是个好方法。”