Avni, a seven years old little girl, was walking with her mother in the streets of Delhi. As she passed along, she looked at the windows of several shops, and saw a great variety of different sort of things, of which she didn't know the use, or even the names. She wanted to stop to have a look at them, but there were great number of people in the street, a lot many carriages, so many carts, and wheelbarrows that she was afraid to let go her mother's hand.
"Oh! mother, how happy I should be if I had all these pretty things!" she asked instantly as she passed a toy shop. "What, all! Do you wish them all, Avni?" "yes, mummy, all" she replied.
As she spoke, they came to a small shop where beautiful ribbons and laces were hanging, alongwith placed a lot of artificial flowers. "Oh, mummy, what beautiful roses! Won't you buy some of them?" She said again. "No, dear" replied Aarti. "Why?" Avni got curious. "Because I don't want them, my dear." Aarti said.
They went on a little farther, and there came another shop which caught Avni's eye. It was a jewellery shop with great many pretty and glittering decorative bags, placed behind the glass. Avni asked, "mummy, will you buy some of these?" "Which of them you want, Avni?" replied Aarti. "Which one, I really don't know, but any of them, for they are all pretty." said innocent faced Avni. "Yes, they are pretty; but what use they would be of me?" asked Aarti. "Use! Oh I am sure you could find some use or the other, if you would only buy them first." said Avni curiously. "But I would rather find out the use first, dear." replied Aarti.
Well, then mummy, there are buckles and you know buckles are useful things." said Avni again.
"I have a pair of buckles, I don't want another pair," said her mother and walked on.
Avni got very sad that her mother wanted nothing. Apparently, they came to a shop which appeared to her far more beautiful than the rest. It was a chemist shop, but she did not know that. Pulling her mother's hand she cried, "oh! mummy, look at those blue, green, yellow, and purple jars! These are so beautiful, won't you buy some of these?" Still Aarti answered as before, "What use would they be of to me, Avni?"
"You might put flowers in them, mumma, and they would look so pretty on the chimney-piece, I wish I had one of them." said Avni. "You already have a flower pot, dear and this isn't a flower-pot either" said Aarti.
"But I could use it for my flowers, mumma." Avni insisted. "Perhaps if you were to see from nearer and examine it before buying, you might be disappointed." Aarti said. "No, indeed, I am sure I should not." said Avni and kept her head turned to look at the purple vase till she could see it no longer.
"Then perhaps, mommy, you have no money." asked Avni. "Yes, I have, dear and if I had money, I would buy roses, and buckles, purple flower-pots, and everything." Avni was obliged to pause in the midst of her speech. "Oh, mumma, would you stop a minute for me,I have got a stone in my shoe and it is hurting me very much." "How comes there to be a stone in your shoe?" asked Aarti. "Because of this great hole, mumma. My shoes are quite worn out, I wish you would be so very good to buy me another pair."
"No, Avni, I have not enough money to buy you shoes, and flower-pots, buckles, and everything." said her mother. Avni thought that was a great pity, but now as her foot which had been hurt by the stone began giving her so much pain that she was obliged to hop every other step, and could think of nothing else. They came to a shoemaker's shop soon afterwards. "There mummy, there are those little shoes that would just fit me and you know shoes would be really of use to me." cried Avni. "Yes, they would. Come in, let's see some good pair for you." Aarti said. Avni followed her mother into the shop. The shop was full with lots of customers at that time so they were obliged to wait.
Well, Avni didn't find this shop as pretty as the rest. Because it is black and dark, and there were nothing but shoes all around and besides there's a very disagreeable smell too which her mother explained to be the smell of new leather. There is a pair of little shoes that Avni liked and thought it would just fit her.
Her mother advised that perhaps they might fit her, but she can't be sure till she have tried them on, because Avni was quite sure that she should like the purple vase exceedingly, till she have examined it more attentively.
But Avni was adamant that she would like the flower-pot for sure, however, though she doesn't know about the shoes certainly, till she has tried. But she was quite sure that she would like the flower-pot.
"Well, Avni," said Aarti, "then which would you rather have, that jar, or a pair of shoes? I can't buy both for you."
"Dear mommy, couldn't you buy me both?" said Avni.
"No, not both." Aarti replied.
"Then I would love to have the jar, please! Avni said.
"But then I shall not give you another pair of shoes this month." said Aarti.
"Oh! That's a very long time indeed and I know how these shoes hurt me, I believe I'd better have the shoes but yet, that purple jar!" Avni found herself perplexed then said, "oh, indeed, mommy, these shoes aren't so very bad, I think I might wear them a little longer and the month will be soon over, I can make them last till the end of the month, can't I?"
No, my dear, I want you to think for yourself. You will have time enough to consider about it while I speak to the shoemaker about my clogs." replied Aarti. The shoemaker was by this time at leisure, and while Aarti was speaking to him, Avni stood in profound meditation with one shoe on and the other in her hand. "Well, my dear, have you decided?" Aarti said.
"Yes, mommy! If you please, I would like the jar, mumma. And that is if you won't think me very silly." said Avni.
"Why, as to that, I can't promise you Avni. But when you are to judge for yourself, you should choose what will make you the happiest and then it would not signify who thought you silly." said Aarti.
"Then if that's all, mummy, I am sure the jar would make me the happiest, said Avni, putting on her old shoe again. "So I choose the jar."
"Very well, you shall have it." said Aarti
Avni clasped her shoe, and ran after her mother. It was not long before the shoe came down at the heel, and many times often she was obliged to hop with pain but still the thought of the purple flower-pot prevailed in her mind, feeling happy of her choice.
When they came to the shop with the large window, Avni felt her joy redouble upon hearing her mother, placing the order for the jar and instructing the service boy to bring it home. As soon as Avni got in the house, she ran to the garden to fetch the flowers for the purple jar.
Aarti said, "I am afraid they'll be dead before the flower-pot comes, Avni."
"No, indeed, mumma, it will come home very soon, I dare say." replied Avni excitingly. "And shouldn't I be very happy putting them into the purple jar?"
"I hope so, my dear." replied Aarti. The service delivery boy came much longer Avni had expected but at length he came, and brought with him the long-wished jar. The moment it was set down upon the table, Avni ran up, with an exclamation of joy, "I may have it now, mommy?"
"Yes dear, It is all yours." replied Aarti. And Avni poured the flowers in her purple jar.
But as soon as Avni had taken off the top, there she saw something dark in it that smells very disagreeably. "What is it? and I didn't want this black stuff." cried Avni "What shall I do with it, mumma? And it will be of no use to me now, mumma."
"That I can't help." replied Aarti.
"I must pour the flowers out and fill the jar with water." thought Avni. But that was her surprise and disappointment, when it was entirely empty she find that it was no longer a purple vase. It came out to be a plain white glass jar. Little Avni burst into tears.
"Why should you cry, my dear?" said Aarti, "It will be of as much use to you now, as ever, for a flower-pot."
"But it won't look so pretty on the chimney-piece now, if I had known that it was not really purple, I should not wished to have it so much." cried Avni.
"Bud didn't I tell you had not examined it, and that perhaps you should be disappointed?" said Aarti.
"And so I am disappointed, I wish I had believed you before hand. Now I had much rather have the shoes as I shall not be able to walk all this month, even walking home that little way hurt me exceedingly, mumma, I will give you back the jar again, if you will only give me the shoes." Avni said apologetically.
"No, Avni, you must abide by your own choice dear, and now the best thing you can possibly do is, to bear your disappointment with good humour." said Aarti.
"I will bear it as well as I can," said Avni, wiping her eyes, and began slowly and sorrowfully to fill the vase with flowers. But Avni's disappointment did not end here. She faced many difficulties and distresses which her imprudent choice brought her, before the end of the month. Every day her shoe grew worse and worse, till at last she could neither run, dance, jump, or walk in them. Whenever her mother was going out to walk, she could not take Avni with her, for she had no soles to her shoes. And the worst happened on the very last day of the month, that her father proposed to take her and her brother to a glass-house, which she had long-wished to see. She was very happy but when she got all dressed-up with her hat and gloves on and was running downstairs where her father and brother were waiting for her, the shoe dropped off.
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Her father turned around and looking at her walking like a slip-shod said, "no one must walk slip-shod with me, why, Avni, I thought that you were always neat but now, seeing you walking like this, I can't take you with me."
Avni was embarrassed and retired back to her room and as she took off her hat she said, "how I wish that I had chosen the shoes, they would have been of so much more use to me than that jar, however, I am sure, not quite sure but I hope I shall be wiser another time."
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