LITTLE DANIEL was particularly fond of having his own way, and though not on the whole disobedient, he had a habit of not doing what he was told at once. Thus if he were looking at pictures in it book, and his mother called him, he would answer, “Yes, Mamma,’’ but would not go until he had finished looking over the pictures. He did what he wanted first, and afterward what his mamma wanted. Daniel had been told many times that this was wrong, and at last he began to try to leave it off, and to obey immediately; and it was well for him that he did, as you shall hear.
While staying at the sea-shore, one day he went with a kind friend to pretty little bay where the sea runs into a hollow in the land, and where all around the water, there are high cliffs. The flowers and the grass grow on top of the cliffs, and you may walk almost to the very edge before seeing the water underneath.
When Daniel came to this place, and saw the smooth, green grass sloping down like a beautiful lawn, he thought it would be a nice place for a run, and off he set, skipping amid racing, and in a few minutes more he would have run right over the edge of the cliff and have fallen into the sea.
The lady he was with called loudly to him to stop, which he did at once, and waited for her to come to him. She then gently led him to the edge of the precipice, and little Daniel was amazed and terrified when he saw the deep water far below. where they were standing.
“Now,” said he, “if this had happened six months ago I should have been killed, because, instead of stopping at once when you called, I would have said, ‘I will just have my little run first and then come back.’” —Selected.
ML 12/17/1899