The Purple Jar - Rosamond's Story

The Purple Jar-1

Rosamond a little girl about seven years old was walking with her mother in the streets of London.

As she passed along she looked in at the windows of several shops and saw a great variety of things. She wanted to stop to look at them and buy them all, without knowing their uses or even without knowing their names.

At first, they stopped at a milliner's shop. the windows of the shop were decorated with ribbons, lace, and festoons of artificial flowers.

"Oh, Mamma, what beautiful roses! Won't you buy some of them?"

"No, my dear."

"Why?"

" Because I don't want them. They are not real flowers."

They went further and came to a jeweler's shop. In it were a great many pretty, bright ornaments of little value, set beautifully behind the glass.

" Mamma, will you buy some of these?"

" Which of them, Rosamond?"

" Which? I don't know which. Look at those earrings, that necklace, those pendants! Any of them will do, they are so pretty."

" Yes, they are all pretty, but of what use would they are to me?"

" I am sure, Mamma you could find some use if you only bought them first."

Though a little disheartened, Rosamond kept on looking at the shops and tried to persuade her mother to buy this or that.

" Mamma, buckles are very useful things. please buy some."

"I have a pair of buckles. I don't need any now."

So saying her mother walked on.

Her mother said, " We should always buy those things that we need." 

The Purple Jar-2

This time Rosamond was really disappointed as her mother wanted nothing. 

However, while they were passing by a chemist's shop, she saw some jars--blue, green, red, yellow, and purple---and she seemed to have a fascination for the purple jar. But her mother answered as before, "Of what use would they be to me, Rosamond"

"Oh, Mamma, would use it for a flower pot."

" But you have a plower pot and the jar you are dying for buying is not a flowerpot."

"Yet, Mamma I like it so much...!"

Then suddenly she cried," Ouch! A stone, mamma, s stone has got in my shoes. It hurts!"

"Oh! How did it get there?"

"See, there is a hole in my shoe, Mamma. In fact, my shoes are quite worn out. Would you be so good as to buy a new shoe for me?"

"But, Rosamond, I haven't got money enough to shoes, jars,jewellary.buckles, and all that you wish to buy." 

Rosamond became sad again. Her mind flashed back to all those beautiful things she had been that morning. 

" But, Mamma, I like the purple jar very much. And my foot hurts. Could you buy me these two things -- the jar and a pair of shoes, please?"

"No, Rosamond, you can buy only one thing. However, you can buy the other thing next month. And you have to decide which one you would like to buy now."

" I need the shoes badly," Rosamond began to argue with herself.

Then looking at her shoes, she told her mother " These shoes are not so bad, except for the hole in one. I think I can make them last till the end of the month, can't I? Don't you think so, Mamma?"

" I want you to think for yourself, dear."

"Okay, if you please, I would like to have the purple jar."

"Very well you will have it."

The Purple Jar-3

Rosamond and her mother were going back to the chemist's shop. As they were walking, Rosamond had to stop once again to take another stone out of the broken shoe, and she often limped with pain.

When they got back to the shop, Rosamond's mother asked her to carefully examine the jar before she bought it.

But Rosamond was so excited that she bought it even without what was inside the jar.

Happily, she came back home with her mother. Then Rosamond quickly bought some flowers from the garden and was to put them into the jar. But as soon as she took the top off, She saw something dark inside, Which gave of an unpleasant smell.

" What is it, Mamma? I didn't want this black thing and the terrible smell."

"Nor did I my dear."

" But what shall I do with it?"

"That, I can't tell.

"Okay mamma, I must pour it out and fill the jar with fresh water."

Then she made the jar empty. But to her great disappointment, she found that it was no longer a purple jar-- it was a plain white glass jar. 

With its colored water gone, the jar did no longer look beautiful.

Rosamond cried with tears of disappointment in her eyes. She also cried for her folly. Every day her shoes grew worse and worse, She could neither run, dance, jamp, nor go shopping with her mother.

Thus, Rosamond suffered for a whole month and learned a lesson the hard way. She hoped that she would be wiser in the future.