Martha Finley

“ Some silly little folks think they know a great deal more than they do."
Ned seemed highly amused. "Oh, it's good fun, Cousin Ronald, so please keep on," he begged, looking up into the kindly face of the old gentleman.
"Well, now," Mr. Lilburn exclaimed, as if much surprised, "I don't live in that bit of sponge."
"No," laughed Ned; "it's much too little for anybody to live in; but I think your voice can get in it, and it's real fun to hear it talk, so please make it say something more." ”

“ Grandma Elsie paused, her eyes filled with tears, her lips trembling with emotion.
"Oh, how wonderful it was that Jesus bore it all, when even without a word He could have made every one of those dreadful persecutors die," said Elsie Dinsmore.
"Yes," said her aunt; "His love and compassion for us sinners was wonderfully great. Oh, how we should love Him, how carefully obey all His commands! Ah, how sweet it is [Pg 93] to belong to Him! 'Since He is mine and I am His, what can I want beside.'"
"Grandma, I want to belong to Him," said Alie Leland; "how shall I get to be His, and know that I am?" ”

“ The Bible tells us, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.' The dear Saviour, who died that awful death for us, invites us all to come to Him and be saved. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Those are His own words, spoken to Nicodemus."
"Grandma, couldn't Jesus have hindered those wicked men from treating Him so? Couldn't He have made them all die that minute if He had chosen to?" asked Ned. ”

“ She is and has always been such a dear, kind mother to me."
"Yes, she is certainly one of the dearest and sweetest of women," responded Lucilla heartily; "but there are so many Elsies that it really seems a little confusing. I believe I should rather like to have one myself if that were not the case," she added laughingly, "for I do dearly love Grandma Elsie, as I have been used to calling her. My, what a mixed-up set we are becoming! For, as you know, she is mother now to my sister Grace." ”

“ I love my dear grandma and uncle and Sister Elsie—the cousins, too—but I'll miss you and papa."
"Then you must try to be patient and happy thinking it will be only a few days before we may hope to be together again," returned his mother, repeating her caresses.
"And show yourself a manly little man of whom we can all be proud as well as fond," added his father, standing by his side, smoothing his hair and looking down smilingly into his face. ”

“ Our country has grown very much since then."
"And in more ways than one, hasn't it, grandma?" remarked Elsie Raymond with a look of joy and pride.
"Yes, dear; it is many times as large, as wealthy and full of comforts and conveniences. Indeed, I think we may safely say that we are the richest and most powerful nation in the world. God has been wonderfully good to us, and to Him be all the glory and the praise. ”

“ The words were accompanied by an ardent embrace each to the other, then Lucilla drew Grace to the side of the crib, the captain and Violet making room for her there, and bending over it she exclaimed, "Oh, Lu, what a darling, beautiful little fellow! As pretty, as lovely and sweet looking as Max and Eva's little Mary, whom we all love so dearly." ”

“ I should think you youngsters might be ashamed to keep that poor captain talking and telling stories so long, just for your amusement," remarked a strange voice, coming apparently from the half open doorway of a nearby stateroom. "Can't you let him have a little rest now?"
"Of course," replied Ned. "He tells splendid stories, and we like to listen to them; but we don't want him to go on if he feels tired, for he is our own dear, kind, good papa, whom we love ever so much."
"Huh!" returned the voice; "actions speak louder than words. ”

“ There is no place better than home, anyhow; at least, not if grandma and you, uncle, are here with us."
"Just what I think," said Elsie; "and you will be here, won't you, grandma and uncle?"
"Part of the time," replied Mrs. Travilla; "and I think it likely that most of your other relatives will make a call on you some time during the day."
"And you will stay with us between this time and that, and tell us your nice true stories, won't you, grandma?" entreated Ned. ”

“ There is a quiet kind of happiness that would be better as a steady diet, I think, than constant frolic and fun. I hope she will be a contented little body, for there is much truth and wisdom in that other old adage, 'Contentment is better than wealth.'"
Both Violet and the captain expressed warm approval of her sentiments, as did Lucilla, Chester and Dr. Harold also.
"But I'd like to have some fun now with our tee-tees," said Ned, stroking and patting his as he held it in his arms. "I wish we had Max or Cousin Ronald here to make them talk." ”

“ Violet, my dear, will you begin?"
"Yes," she replied. "Matthew, Mark and Luke each tell us of Jesus' words in giving His disciples the cup of wine at His last supper on earth; He said to them, 'This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.'"
It was now Harold's turn, and he read: "'Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. ”

“ And let us strive to make it so, earnestly doing all in our power to win souls to Christ, telling them of the great love wherewith He has loved us, bleeding and dying that we might live; and that all we have to do is simply to come, to believe, to take this offered salvation. 'Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' We have only to call upon His name with real desire for His help, and in an instant He is with us, offering us full and free salvation, purchased for us by His suffering and death, so that we may have it without money and without price. ”

“ Harold, looking smilingly at Ned, who was partaking of the good fare provided with an appetite such as he had not shown before since the beginning of his illness.
"Yes, uncle doctor, I'm hungry this morning, and everything tastes good," laughed Ned. "But Viamede victuals always were ever so nice."
"And home victuals poor and tasteless?" queried the lad's mother, feigning a look of grieved surprise.
"Oh, no, mamma; home victuals are good—very good—when one is well, so as to have a good appetite," returned Ned reassuringly. ”

“ Harold, "I am always in favor of timely, innocent fun as a great promoter of health."
"Yes," said Lucilla, "'laugh and grow fat' is an old adage, and we'll try to have our babies do it, won't we, Eva?"
"I certainly intend to do all I can to make my darling bit lassie both healthy and happy," [Pg 251] returned Evelyn, looking down with a tender, loving smile at the little one on her knee. "But fun and frolic need not fill up all the time. ”

“ Sponge has talked enough now?" asked Cousin Ronald in his own natural voice. "I am really afraid our good friends here must be tired of the very sound of his voice."
"Perhaps they are," replied Ned; "and I'm afraid you are tired making him talk. But it has been good fun, and I am very much obliged to you for it, Cousin Ronald."
"You are very welcome," replied Mr. Lilburn; "and I am very glad to be able to give a bit of amusement to a young cousin who has been so ill."
"Thank you, sir; you are ever so kind," returned Ned in grateful tones. ”

“ The children sat very still, listening attentively—Elsie Raymond with almost breathless interest—while her grandmother read.
"'It seemed to me that the shadow of death was everywhere. I had endless visions of black funeral parades accompanied by mournful music. It was as if the whole city were mined, and I know now that it was figuratively true. A single yell of defiance would have inflamed a mob. A shot would have started a conflict. ”

“ Don't let them neglect you, daughter," he added earnestly. "Don't fail to summon them promptly, Chester, should any one of you be at all ill."
"Rest assured I will not, sir," returned Chester with prompt decision. "Trust me to do my very best for the health and happiness of the two dear ladies left in my charge; the little newcomer also."
"Thank you, Brother Chester," said Max. "It is a great comfort to me that I can leave my dear ones in your care."
"It seems hard to give our dear ones into the care of others," sighed Violet. ”

“ Everybody was glad, for those cousins were esteemed good company by one and all, and Ned was known to be always greatly entertained by Cousin Ronald's use of his ventriloquial powers.
"The fun he will make for our Neddie boy will do the little chap a world of good, no doubt," said Max with satisfaction.
"Surely it will," said Lucilla; "and I am so glad that Dr. Harold still has him in his charge, for certainly Harold is a skilful physician, even though related to us," she added with a little laugh. ”

“ And we can safely trust our darling Ronald for an hour or two to the care of his nurse."
"With perfect safety. She is his devoted slave," laughed the doctor.
So the two set off at once on their errand of mercy and loving kindness.
They found Chester at home, Dr. Herbert Travilla already there, Lucilla in bed, suffering but patient, Zoe from Ion and Ella from Beechwood already there to do what they could for her, and Eva passing in and out, anxious to do all in her power, yet not willing to neglect Baby Mary. ”

“ There were exclamations of regret from [Pg 4] several of those present, Grandma Elsie among them.
"But Sister Lu can go, can't she?" asked Elsie Raymond.
"Go and leave my husband!" exclaimed Lucilla in mock indignation. "Who could suspect me of being so unfeeling a wife?"
"Oh, no, Lu dear, I didn't mean that," Elsie hastened to say. "I know you and Brother Chester are very fond of each other, but so are you and papa; and all the rest of us love you dearly; and we won't any of us like to do without you, even for a few weeks. ”

“ Harold won't approve of so much fun for his young patient," suggested a voice that seemed to come from somewhere in Ned's rear.
"Oh, who are you now?" queried the little fellow, turning half round in his chair to look behind him.
"Somebody that knows a thing or two," replied the same voice, now apparently coming from a distant part of the room.
"Oh, you do, do you?" laughed Ned. "Well, I think I begin to know who you are," he added, turning a half-convinced, half-inquiring look upon Cousin Ronald. ”

“ Harold and Grace, who had been taking their morning exercise upon the deck, returned to the saloon and joined the group of listeners just in time to hear their mother's story of Nast's Christmas pictures.
"Nast certainly did a great deal for the Union cause," said Harold. "Do you remember, mother, what Grant said of him when asked, 'Who is the greatest single figure in civil life developed by the Civil War?'"
"Yes. He answered without hesitation, 'Thomas Nast. He did as much as any one man to bring the war to an end.' And many of the Northern generals and statesmen held the same opinion." ”

“ It sounds as if you were old, and you are not at all old."
"Well, dear child, you needn't mind. It won't make me a day older," laughed Violet.
"Nor me, although it would seem to make me a great-grandmother," added Grandma Elsie pleasantly.
[Pg 223]
"While no one would suspect you from your looks of being even a grandmother," remarked the captain gallantly.
"No," said Dr. Percival; "I have seen many much younger women who looked a great deal older." ”

“ In the meantime, plans for the wedding and the honeymoon were discussed. Some one spoke of a trip to the North, but Harold vetoed that promptly. "It was too late in the season now for Grace to try that. He must take her to a warmer climate."
"Then let us all go to Viamede for the winter," suggested his mother. "Would not that suit you, Gracie dear?"
"Yes, indeed, Grandma Elsie; I think there is no sweeter spot upon earth," was the pleased response. ”