An Argument | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Aug 10, 1882

An Argument.

"But, mamma," said Minnie, looking grave but determined, "I shall have to wear this dress, because my only other white one that is clean is too tight for anything; it hurts me so that I can hardly breathe."

"I'm sorry, daughter," mamma said, with an equally determined face. "But you surely see that such a delicate muslin as that you have on is not suitable to wear to a lawn party. It will tear as easily as lace."

"But I've got to wear it, you see!" said Minnie, with a touch of impatience in her voice. "You don't want me to wear tight clothes, you know."

"And what reason have you for wearing that broad, blue sash?"

"Well, mamma, you know it's the only one that matches nicely with this dress and these stockings; and things ought to match."

"Yes, and why must the stockings be worn?"

"Oh well," said Minnie, catching an end of the sash and twisting it, "I suppose I could wear other stockings, but I thought with my nice, new slippers these would look the prettiest, and I didn't think that you would care."

"Does it seem to you that those slippers that were bought only to wear in the house, are the proper thing for lawn parties?"

"No'm; but I had to put them on. My boots have the ugliest great nails sticking into my toes; I could hardly walk around last night; so of course I had to put my slippers on."

Very grave looked the mamma. It was a sad fact that she had not heard of the dress that was too tight, or of the nails in the high buttoned kid boots, until this morning. Could it be possible that her little daughter had been tempted by her desire to appear in fine, new clothes at the party?

"There is nothing for you to wear, my daughter. I suppose you would not like to go in your every-day clothes, and you say your other white dress is too tight, and the nails in your kid boots hurt your feet. So, of course, you will have to stay at home. If I had heard of this before, I could have altered the dress, and had the boots put in order; but you know you have never said anything about it before."

Then was Minnie's face very red. "I can wear them, mamma," she said, turning away. "They are not very comfortable, but I can stand it."

"No, daughter, I cannot allow you to stand it. You know I do not wish you to dress so that you can hardly breathe, nor wear shoes in which you can hardly walk around. I see nothing for you to do but to remain at home."

Then did poor Minnie burst into a flood of tears. She poured the words out very fast. Her dress was not too tight; she did not have any trouble to breathe, and her shoes did not hurt her but just a speck, and she could wear them just as well as not.

"Minnie!" said her mother, breaking into the midst of the storm of words, "then what have you been telling your mother?"

Poor little Minnie! It was a hard lesson. She went to no lawn party that afternoon; she sat on the back piazza in her dark calico dress and thick boots, and sobbed. She had grown so used to making little bits of things into great ones, when it suited her convenience to do so, that she actually did not realize that she was telling what was untrue. I know some other little people who have the same bad habit.—The Pansy.