L. A. Holdich

“ Just think, Alfred, how happy little Johnny would have been, running with his bare feet through the fields, looking at the golden and speckled butterflies, filling his cap with wild-flowers, and listening to the song of the birds, and the busy hum of the honey-bee! ”

“ Penrose sent Ann out to bring Flora into the house. 29When Mr. Penrose came home to dinner, he asked Alfred how he had enjoyed the morning.
“O, father,” said Alfred, “I have been so happy! How much I thank you for my new sled! I will be a very good boy for it.”
“I hope you will be a good boy, Alfred,” said his papa. “You must ask God to keep you from doing wrong; for you know, I suppose, that it is only through his help that we can do a right action. I am always afraid when I hear people boast of what they intend to do.” ”

“ But if you had not wanted me to get well, I know that you would have drawn up your little face, and said, ‘O, mamma! must I go?’ especially as you were very happy, playing with your blocks and your toy-sled, 88when she asked you if you thought you could take such a long, cold walk for dear papa.
“Just so it becomes easy for us to keep God’s commandments when we learn to love him. When we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus we feel as the loving child does toward his dear father and mother. You know that a child who loves his parents cannot bear to do anything to displease them. ”

“ When we sing we should feel as much devotion as when we pray. How can we do this when we stand gazing at the choir, instead of feeling the solemn words that we are repeating?
As soon as the benediction was over, Rupert caught his cap, and, leaning over to Alfred, said,
“By jingo! what a noble pair of horses John Strong drives! 67I have had such a capital ride!”
Alfred’s father took hold of his hand, and did not let it go until he got to the house; and Henry Penrose walked beside Rupert ”

“ Jesus here compares himself to a rock. When we learn to love the Saviour as we ought, then we are set upon this rock; and God will not let sorrow, or even death, remove us from that safe resting-place. ”

“ When he was four years old, Alfred said,
“O, father, I do wish that I had a sled of my own!”
“Why do you wish to have a sled of your own, my son?” said his father. “The boys are so kind as to give you a ride every day.”
“Yes, I know it, papa,” said Alfred; “but I am afraid they take me sometimes when they want to ride themselves. And 25then you know I can only go to ride when their school is out.”
“Indeed,” said Alfred’s mother, “I have thought lately that I would like Alfred to have a sled of his own. He gets his lessons quickly now, so that he is quite through them by eleven o’clock. ”

“ Then the Lord told him that he was going to punish Eli’s wicked sons. Eli had wicked children, although he was a good man. He did not punish his children when they were naughty; so they grew up sinners against God, and were destroyed for their wickedness.
“Samuel lived to be a very old man. When he died the whole nation mourned for him; for he was a great prophet in Israel. We do not read of his having ever done one wrong thing during his whole life.
60“Now, my children,” added Mrs. Penrose, “perhaps you may think that Samuel was very highly favored to have God talk with him. ”

“ Alfred’s mamma showed him the words in the Bible; and he remembered them, and told them to his papa, who was ill that day, and could not go to church. Mr. 130Penrose talked to Alfred about the words he had repeated to him, and the next day told him about a family which rejoiced over the lost ones who wandered from their home.
“I had two little cousins who lived in New-York,” said Alfred’s papa. “Harry was six years old, and little Ann five. They had two brothers, and one sister. They were never allowed to go into the street without some person with them. ”

“ Alfred had never yet been to school.
Rupert’s mother sent Flora a large doll. She said,
35“O, thank you, cousin! I will name her Miriam.” “Who is Miriam?” said Rupert; for he had not heard of her.
“O, cousin,” said Flora, “Miriam was the dear little sister who watched Moses when he lay in the ark by the river’s side. And it was Miriam who played beautiful music on the timbrel, after the children of Israel had crossed the Red Sea.”
Rupert managed to amuse himself pretty well, for the first few days, with skating, and riding down hill on Alfred’s sled. ”

“ GOD’S CALL TO THE LITTLE PROPHET.
When little Samuel woke,
And heard his Maker’s voice.
At every word he spoke
How much did he rejoice!
O blessed, happy child, to find
The God of heaven so near and kind!
Sunday-school Hymns. “Hannah used to go up to the tabernacle, once a year, to see her dear boy. She always took him a little coat. O, how much pleasure she must have taken in making that little coat! It was of linen, and made very much like the tunic aprons which children wear now, only that it was long.
57“Samuel must have enjoyed his dear mother’s yearly visit very much. ”

“ While Alfred’s brothers helped their father to fish, the little boy would steal away from them to a small brook which ran through the meadow where his father allowed him to go by himself, because 11there was no danger. Mr. Penrose did not like to have Alfred too near him when he was fishing. The little fellow’s merry laugh and loud voice frightened away the fish. So, as we have said, Alfred would steal away to the little brook, and launch the shingle boat, with its paper sails, which his brother Harry had made for him ”

“ Alfred knew enough of the Bible to apply this story. He saw in Harry and Ann’s kind father a picture of our dear heavenly Parent, who sent his Son to call us back to him; and who 142kindly receives and freely forgives us when we return. The rejoicing household, who forgot the other little ones for joy that Harry and Ann were safe, reminded him of the holy angels, who are so glad when a wicked person becomes good. ”

“ He has given him a kind papa, who loves him dearly. Little boys 15cannot be thankful enough to God for that great blessing. There are many little children who have very unkind fathers. Some of them are wicked enough to spend all their money for rum, and do not get anything for their poor little children to eat.”
Alfred’s little sister Flora had run up to her mamma, to listen to her as she talked with Alfred. ”

“ And now that he is in heaven, at the right hand of God the Father, he yet pities the poor sinner who will not come unto him and obtain eternal life.
“O, Alfred! I hope that you will not make Jesus sorry, as the Jews did! You must love him, my dear child. You must think of all his goodness. You must pray to him very often, and try to please him in all things. Then you will be his dear little boy. He will take care of you as long as you live; and, when you die, he will take you to heaven, to dwell with him for ever and ever.”
“O, mamma!” said little Alfred, “I do want to be God’s 105dear child. ”

“ A very few days after Alfred’s talk with his papa about obeying immediately, Mr. Penrose met a gentleman who told him about a little son of his, whose life was probably saved by his quickly obeying his father. The story was as follows:—
The little boy, and his father and mother, were sailing upon a canal. A canal is a very deep and wide ditch, full of water, on 109which boats sail. Many bridges are built over these canals. Persons have been killed by not lying down flat upon the deck of the canal-boat in time to prevent their being struck by the bridges. ”

“ Penrose took little Flora upon her lap, and went on talking to Alfred. She said,
“And my little Alfred’s papa 16takes him in the pleasant woods, and in the fields, and lets him gather the sweet flowers which grow there. And he and little Flora can hear the happy birds sing all day long. Now, there are some little children who never see a flower grow, or hear a bird sing, and they scarcely even see the pretty blue sky which is over their heads.”
“O, mamma!” said Alfred, “are they blind and deaf?” ”

“ Penrose. “Then I very much fear that your company was the temptation to John to take that ride, which ended in his telling a falsehood to his father. When we are, in any way, knowingly the cause of another person’s committing sin, it is the same as if we had committed the sin ourselves. So, my dear Rupert, I fear you are not quite guiltless upon the ninth commandment. ”

“ And lately, when I have told you to go to bed, you draw up your face, and behave as if you went because you must, and not because you loved to do what your mother desires. Now that is not the way that God would have little children behave. He tells them to honor their parents. Children should always obey willingly, and not stop to ask for a reason, when they are commanded to do anything.”
Then Alfred’s papa, who had been reading in the room, but who had heard what mamma had said to Alfred, said,
94“I will tell you a story, Alfred, which I read when I was a very little boy.” ”

“ Sometimes he does pay us, even in this world, for being good to his people. I will tell you, Alfred, how he once rewarded a man because he was kind to one of his ministers.
“Many years, a great many years ago, some wicked men took one of God’s good ministers, and put him in a dungeon. A dungeon is a dark prison. The 183dungeon in which this good minister, or prophet, was put was a doleful place under ground. ”

“ Little Samuel loved God. Very young children can love God. They need not wait to do 47that until they have grown large, or until they have learned a great deal.
“At last Samuel became old enough to live away from his mother; so she took him up to the tabernacle at Shiloh. The tabernacle was the church in which the Jews worshiped. In the tabernacle lived a very good old man. His name was Eli. It was Eli who was to take care of Samuel. ”

“ Alfred and Flora felt sorry for poor Johnny; but they were glad to hear that his mother got well, and that little Johnny had been put with a farmer, where he could hear the birds sing, and see the brooks and the trees, and pick wild-flowers in the fields.
22When they went to bed they thanked God for many mercies which they had not thought of before.
23 CHAPTER III
THE SNOW.
How beautiful the earth is now! ”

“ Alfred brought the flower to his mamma, and put the moss around her flower-pots. Then, when they had rested, he sat down to read his chapter with his father.
They read the seventh chapter of Matthew, which tells of the man whose house the floods 126swept away, because it was built upon the sand.
“Who is meant by the foolish man, Alfred?” said his papa.
“Is it the wicked man, papa?” asked the little boy.
“Yes, it is the sinner, who does not love the Saviour. Jesus Christ is the only hope of the soul. I know I often tell you this ”

“ No doubt Jeremiah, for that was the prophet’s name, prayed to God from that dark dungeon. Daniel cried to him from the lions’ den, and Jonah prayed to him when the darkness wrapped him about. Man could not hear 184Jonah’s voice from the midst of the seas; but God heard both Daniel and Jonah. And he also heard the voice of his faithful Jeremiah from the deep, damp dungeon.
“God put it in the heart of a man, who lived in the king’s house, to remember Jeremiah, and to pity him. This good man went to the king, and said,
“‘Those are wicked people who have cast Jeremiah into the dungeon. ”

“ They looked up into a wild cherry-tree, that stood at a short distance from the window, and saw so many robins that they could not count them. The little thieves were stealing all the cherries. O, how fast they picked and ate! ”

“ Olive-trees, with their pale green leaves, and dark cedars, may have shaded the house, for they both grew in that country; and grape-vines, bearing sunny grapes, may have grown over the pleasant porch.
“But I must not indulge my fancy too much: so I will go on with my little story.
“Hannah was a good woman. She had no children: so she prayed to God to give her a child. She said if God would 45do so, her child should be his as long as he lived.
“God heard Hannah’s prayer. He sent her a little son, and then she was very happy.
“Some people make promises to God, and then forget them. ”

“ To rest upon my nice soft bed;
Lord, let thy holy angels keep
Thy watch around me while I sleep.” After this Alfred got his lessons well, even without sugar-plums. He began to think, too, that he was too large to eat them, and gave them all away; although he still kept the box with the picture of the boy and the kite on it. But it became quite a saying among the children, when any one wanted something that they had not earned, “O, you must not have the sugar-plums, when you have not got your lesson.”
177 CHAPTER XXVI
THE ROBINS.
O, they are sweet, pretty things! ”

“ All the way home he could talk of nothing else: but he was glad when his papa told him that William’s father had promised 191to let his little boy come over, on the next week, and spend several days with them.
William came; and soon felt quite at home. Mrs. Penrose liked to hear him talk of his good mother; and all the family loved him, for he was a good-tempered and interesting little fellow.
The evening after Alfred’s first visit to William, he told his sister Jane about him. ”

“ As he said this, a little ground-squirrel, with two young ones, came out of a hole under the green well-curb, by the school-house door. At first they seemed a little afraid; but the boys were still, and the squirrels became bolder. After that they would pay Alfred and Walter a daily visit.
170They were wise little squirrels to come and live with such good people. They need not fear mischievous boys, or cruel guns, in that sweet, quiet place. ”

“ So he determined to trust in God for the morrow; in the gracious Father who feeds the little birds that cannot do anything toward making food grow for themselves.
“God did not forget his child. He saw Merlin in the hay-stack just as plainly as he saw Elijah in the wilderness.
“The second day came; and the old hen came too, laid her egg in the hay-stack, and walked off. Merlin thus got his breakfast on the second day. ”