Short Stories » The Bad Girl

The Bad Girl

SHE was always called the bad girl, for she had once, when she was very little, put out her tongue at the postman. She lived alone with her grandmother and her three brothers in the cottage beyond the field, and the girls in the village took no notice of her. The bad girl did not mind this, for she was always thinking of the cuckoo clock. The clock stood in one corner of the cottage, and every hour a door opened at the top of its face, and a little cuckoo came out and called its name just the same number of times that the clock ought to have struck, and called it so loudly and in so much haste that the clock was afraid to strike at all. The bad girl was always wondering whether it was worse for the clock to have a cupboard in its forehead, and a bird that was always hopping in and out, or for the poor cuckoo to spend so much time in a dark little prison. "If it could only get away to the woods," she said to herself, " who knows but its voice might grow sweet, and even life itself might come to it!

"She thought of the clock so much that her grandmother used to say--

"Ah, lassie, if you would only think of me sometimes! " But the bad girl would answer--

"You are not in prison, granny dear, and you have not even a bee in your bonnet, let alone a bird in your head. Why should I think of you?”

One day, close by the farm, she saw the big girls from the school gathering flowers.

“Give me one," she said; "perhaps the cuckoo would like it." But they all cried, "No, no!" and tried to frighten her away. "They are for the little one's birthday. To-morrow she will be seven years old," they said,” and she is to have a crown of flowers and a cake, and all the afternoon we shall play merry games with her."

“Is she unhappy, that you are taking so much trouble for her?“ asked the bad girl.

"Oh, no; she is very happy: but it will be her birthday, and we want to make her happier.”

"Why?"

“Because we love her," said one;

“Because she is so little," said another;

“Because she is alive," said a third.

“Are all things that live to be loved and cared for? " the bad girl asked, but they were too busy to listen, so she went on her way thinking; and it seemed as if all things round the birds, and bees, and the rustling leave*, and the little tender wild flowers, half hidden in the grass answered, as she went along

"Yes, they are all to be cared for and made happier, if it be possible."

“The cuckoo clock is not alive," she thought.

"Oh, no; it is not alive," the trees answered; "but many things that do not live have voices, and many others are just sign-posts, pointing the way."

“The way ! The way to what, and where?”

“We find out for ourselves; we must all find out for ourselves," the trees sighed and whispered to each other.

As the bad girl entered the cottage, the cuckoo called out its name eleven times, but she did not even look up. She walked straight across to the chair by the fireside, and kneeling down, kissed her granny's hands.

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Bad Girl - Takeaway for Class 1,2,3

It's important to be kind and respectful to others, because that's how you make true friends and become a better person.

Bad Girl - Takeaway for Class 4,5,6

It's important to treat others with kindness and respect, because our actions can affect the feelings of those around us.

Bad Girl - Takeaway for Class 7,8,9

It's important to listen to others, be open-minded, and be willing to change our behavior to become better individuals.

3 Fun Facts

• Jenny was a very naughty girl who loved to trouble animals and didn’t listen to her parents.
• One day, after being mean to a monkey, a wise old man taught her a lesson that made her change her ways.
• Jenny became kind to all creatures and listened to her parents, making her family very happy.

Quiz for Class 1,2,3

• What was the little girl's name who often did things differently from the other kids?
• How did the little girl's classmates feel about her because she didn’t follow the rules?
• What did the girl decide to do at the end of the story?

Quiz for Class 4,5,6

• What did Mary usually do to the birds and squirrels in her garden?
• How did Mary feel when the new family with the friendly dog moved in next door?
• What did Mary's parents hope she would learn from making new friends?

Quiz for Class 7,8,9

• What caused Sheela to initially be labeled as a "bad girl" by her classmates and teachers?
• How did Sheela's teacher help change her behavior and improve her relationship with her classmates?
• What significant lesson did Sheela learn by the end of the story that led to a positive change in her life?