One day Anson and his five friends were on their way to play a match game of tennis, when Anson, through carelessness, as they were pushing one another and joking, fell into a half-filled well, whose top was insecurely covered. Then it was that Anson found out what kind of friends he had.
One of them, whose name was Sam Selfish, satisfied himself with simply calling over the top at Anson. “Can’t you get out?” he cried. “You’ll be too late for the game, and our club will be beaten.” And then, when Anson struggled in vain to climb the slippery sides of the well, Sam Selfish turned and ran away, lest he himself might be too late for the sport.
Another friend was John Jolly, who looked over the side of the well and laughed heartily and long. “Keep up your courage,” he cried in a comforting tone; “ you’ll get out all right. I’ll come back after the game is over and help you out, if no one comes before.” And with that, John Jolly also was off to the tournament.
A third friend was Peter Porcupine, who was always sour and faultfinding. “What carelessness!” he cried, looking over the well at poor Anson. “You might have known that that board wouldn’t bear your weight. You are always getting into some such fix.” And having satisfied his conscience with this sharp remark, Peter also went away to join his comrades.
Silas Softy was Anson’s best friend, or so Anson thought him, and Silas was greatly troubled. He was as on the point of jumping down to help Anson up, or at least to stay with him until some help could come; but just as he was about to do this silly thing, he found himself seized by the remaining boy, whose name was Simeon Sensible.
“That would do no good,” cried Simeon. “You could not help him, and there would be two of you to get out instead of one.” So Simeon went for a rope, and he and Silas together managed, by dint of hard pulling and a great deal of perseverance, to get Anson out of the well, though the poor fellow was too muddy and dirty and bruised to take part in the game.
Anson’s five friends represent, children, five different classes of people, and you probably have one of each class, if not more, among your own friends. Sam Selfish is the friend that thinks only of himself. When his friend gets into trouble he runs away and leaves him alone. John Jolly is good-natured, but careless. He wishes all people well, but it never occurs to him that he can help to make them any better or happier. Peter Porcupine is the friend who sees all the bad points in others and is not at all afraid to make mention of them, but thinks he has done his duty then, without trying to improve them. Silas Softy imitates his friends in their faults. He would be willing to jump into a well if they jumped into a well, or do anything else that was wrong and foolish if they did it. The only friend of the five that you would want, my boys and girls, is Simeon Sensible, the kind that, when his friend gets into a difficulty, helps him out; if his friend has a fault, tells him about it, and tries to help him to get rid of it. Which kind of friend will you be?