and women. If Kate had thought of it, perhaps
she would have saved herself and her mother a great deal of
trouble.

She did not mind where she stepped, and put her foot upon a
beautiful, sweet-scented peony, which had just come out of the
ground. She broke the stem short off, and crushed the root all in
pieces.

Now, this flower was very highly prized by Mrs. Lamb, for she had
brought it from a great distance, and it was the only one of the
kind in Riverdale at that time.

Kate was very fond of flowers herself, and when she saw the
mischief she had done, she cried with anger and vexation. She would
not have spoiled this peony for a great deal, for she had looked
forward with much pleasure to the time when it should bud and
blossom, and fill the garden with its fragrance.

"What is the matter with you, Kate?" called her mother, from the
house, when she heard Kate crying.

"I did not mean to do it, mother," sobbed the poor girl.

"Didn't mean to do what, Kate?" said her mother, rushing into the
garden to find out what mischief had been done.

Mrs. Lamb was very angry when she saw that the peony was spoiled;
and she took Kate by the arm, and shook her. I don't think this
shaking did any good; but it was a great trial to her to see her
favorite flower destroyed.

"You careless girl!" said Mrs. Lamb.

"I didn't mean to, mother," replied Kate.

"But you were careless, as you always are. Will you never learn to
be careful? You walk about the flower beds as though they were
solid rocks."

"I did not mean to tread upon it," was all that poor Kate could
say.

It was very true that she did not mean to spoil the peony; but it
was almost as bad to ruin it by being careless. Children ought to
understand that not meaning to do wrong is not a good excuse, when
the wrong might have been prevented by being careful.

Suppose the captain of a ship should run his vessel on the rocks,
and lose a dozen lives, by being careless; do you think people
would be willing to trust him with another vessel afterwards?

Suppose the engineer should neglect to keep watch of the boiler,
and it should burst; would not people blame him? Would they think
it a good excuse if he said he did not mean to let it burst?

If the man who has the keeping of a powder house should smoke a
pipe in it, and twenty persons should be killed by his carelessness,
do you think it would be enough for him to say he did not intend
to kill them?

When we go