One day, as two little boys were walking along the road, they passed a woman carrying a large basket of apples.
The boys thought the woman looked very pale and tired, so they said, "Are you going to town? If you are, we will carry your basket." "Thank you," replied the woman, Then she told them that she had a disabled son. She lived in a small house three miles away, and was now going to the market to sell the apples which grew on the only tree in her little garden. She needed the money for their living.
"We are going the same way you are," said the boys and they took hold of the basket, one on each side, and trudged along with merry hearts. The poor woman looked glad, and said that she hoped their mother would not be angry with them. "Oh, no," they replied, "our mother has taught us to be kind to others, and to be useful in any way that we can."
The woman then offered to give them a few apples for their help. "No, thank you. We want nothing for what we have done," said the boys. When the woman got home, she told her son what had happened on the road, and they were both made happier that day by the kindness of the two boys.
Another day, the woman saw his son stop and pick up a piece of orange peel, which he threw into the dustbin. "I wish people would not throw orange peel on the sidewalk," said the son. ＂Someone may walk upon it, and fall.＂ ＂That is right, my dear,＂ she said. "It is a little thing for you to do what you have done, but it shows that you’re thoughtful and considerate."