CAN AND COULD.
overtook a tribe of little children who were scattering it very freely; they had been bargaining for oranges at an open fruit stall, and were eating them as they went along. 'Well, it's little enough that I have in my power,' thought Can, 'but certainly I can speak to these children, and try to persuade them to leave off strewing orange peel.
Can stopped. 'That's a pretty baby that you have in your arms,' she said to one of them; 'how old is he.'
'He's fourteen months old,' answered the small nurse, 'and he begins to walk; I teach him, he's my brother.'
'Poor little fellow,' said Can, 'I hope you are kind to him; you know if you were to let him fall he might never be able to walk any more.' 'I never let him drop,' replied the child, 'I always take care of my baby.'
'And so do I;' 'And so do I,' repeated other shrill voices, and two more babies were thrust up for Can's inspection.
'But if you were to slip down yourselves on this hard pavement you would be hurt, and the baby would be hurt in your arms. Look! how can you be so careless as to throw all this peel about; don't you know how slippery it is?'
'We always fling it down,' said one.
'And I never slipped down but once on a piece,' remarked another.
'But was not that once too often?'
'Yes; I grazed my arm very badly, and broke a cup that I was carrying.'
