"I FORGOT"

 Inside of little Jean there lived a naughty imp¹. His name was "I Forgot." One time this imp made Jean do a very wicked thing.

 

Jean owned a canary, named Goldie because of his golden feathers. Whenever Jean came into the room where his cage hung, Goldie would pour out a flood of song.

 

But one morning when Jean came in there was no flood of song from the yellow throat. The tiny singer lay still on the bottom of his cage. Jean slipped in her hand in alarm and drew out her little pet.

 

"Mamma, mamma," she cried, "something's the matter with Goldie!"

 

The imp "I Forgot" laughed as he heard her, but Jean's mamma did not laugh. She knew about "I Forgot," and she laid her hand tenderly on Goldie's little body, all thin under the fluff of feathers.

 

"Goldie has starved to death, Jean," she said sadly. "Why didn't you feed him?"

 

"I f-forgot!" sobbed² the little girl.

 

"Forgot! Poor Goldie!" Jean's mamma stroked the golden feathers. "It's too bad, Jean, that you couldn't remember to do that one small thing for Goldie when he did so much for you, with his songs and his cheer."

 

Jean's tears fell fast. Her mamma looked thoughtfully at the bird. "We can do nothing more for Goldie," she said at last, "but I have thought of a way you can help other birds for his sake, Jean."

 

Jean wiped her eyes. "How?" she asked.

 

Jean felt happier when her mamma had explained the way to her.

 

And if you should pass Jean's house some morning before breakfast, you could see the way for yourself. For every day Jean scatters³ crumbs⁴ and grain on the lawn for the birds and puts fresh water in their drinking bowl.

 

"For Goldie's sake," she whispers to herself, as the birds fly down for their breakfast.

 

As for the naughty imp "I Forgot," he is fast turning into the lovely fairy "I Remember."

1 imp   

n.顽童

参考例句：

• What a little imp you are!你这个淘气包！
• There's a little imp always running with him.他总有一个小鬼跟着。

2 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

3 scatters   

v.（使）散开， （使）分散，驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 )；撒

参考例句：

• He scatters money about as if he were rich. 他四处挥霍，好像很有钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Truth raises against itself the storm that scatters its seeds broadcast. 真理引起了反对它自己的狂风骤雨，那场风雨吹散了真理的广播的种子。 来自辞典例句

4 crumbs   

int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式

参考例句：

• She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her sweater. 她站起身掸掉了毛衣上的面包屑。
• Oh crumbs! Is that the time? 啊，天哪！都这会儿啦？