McGuffey's Second Reader Grades 1 and 2馃摉 Stories

The Quarrel

McGuffey's Second Reader 路 1 min read
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Sunset; lake in foreground, town in background.

THE QUARREL.

  • Under a great tree in the woods, two boys saw a fine, large nut, and both ran to get it.
  • James got to it first, and picked it up.
  • "It is mine," said John, "for I was the first to see it."
  • "No, it is mine" said James, "for I was the first to pick it up."
Three boys standing by a fence, one older than the others.
  • Thus, they at once began to quarrel about the nut.
  • As they could not agree whose it should be, they called an older boy, and asked him.
  • The older boy said, "I will settle this quarrel."
  • He took the nut, and broke the shell. He then took out the kernel, and divided the shell into two parts, as nearly equal as he could.
  • "This half of the shell," said he, "belongs to the boy who first saw the nut.
  • "And this half belongs to the boy who picked it up.
  • "The kernel of the nut, I shall keep as my pay for settling the quarrel.
  • "This is the way," said he, laughing, "in which quarrels are very apt to end."