# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1894_S47 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) The Lutheran Pioneer. 47 Farmer Brown’s Christmas Gift. The north-east storm was still raging, and the snow falling and drifting fast, but on, on went the stout, well-fed team with its Christ- mas gift, while the occupants of the sleigh, wrapped up in blankets and extra buffalo robes, urged the horses through the drifts and in face of the storm. That ten miles’ ride, which required in the summer hardly an hour or two, was not finished until the farmer’s watch showed that five hours had passed. upon them, for His dear son’s sake who was born that night. The tramps seemed strangely touched by this simple and earnest prayer, and ate their portion in silence. Supper over, the old man, pushing his plate slowly from him, said: ‘‘I have a good barn with plenty of hay, and you can stay there to- night.’’ ‘‘Father,’’ said the wife gently, ‘‘it is a holy night, and a bitter cold one; we have room in the house, let them stay.’’ He said nothing. ‘Then, taking one of the wax candles the lady bade them follow her. She took them to a dainty, warm room, and giving them the light bade them good night. Early next morning the maid servant came down to her mistress and gave her a note, saying: ‘‘This morning I found both the door and window of the spare room opened, I went in and found this; the bed was not touched.’’ The note read: ‘‘Kind Mistress of this house. We came here last night intending to rob you; but your kindness to us and your prayer for all, saved both you and us as well.’’ Gratefully your friends, L. & K. Selected. On the summit of Washington mountain, overlooking the Housatonic valley, stood a hut, the home of John Barry, a poor charcoal ' burner, whose family consisted of his wife and 4 himself. His occupation brought him in but | a few dollars, and when cold weather came he managed to get together only a small provision | for the winter. One fall, after a summer of t hard work, he fell sick and was unable to keep his fires going. So, when the snow of Decem- ber, 1874, fell, and the drifts had shut off com- munication with the village at the foot of the mountain, John and his wife were in great ! straits. i} Their entire stock of food consisted of a few t pounds of salt pork and a bushel of potatoes. | Sugar, coffee, flour, and tea had, early in De- | cember, given out, and the chances to get 1} {] At last they drew up in front of the hut where the poor trusting Christian man and woman were on their knees praying for help to Him who is the ‘‘hearer and answerer of prayer,’? and as Farmer Brown reached the door, he heard the voice of prayer, and then he knew that God had moved him to bring his Christmas gift up the mountain‘to John Barry’s hut. He knocked at the door; it was opened, and we can imagine the joy of the old couple when the large supply of food was carried in, and the thanksgivings that were uttered by the starving tenants of that mountain hut. anything were slim indeed. ‘The snow-drifts deepened. All the roads, even in the valley were impassable, and no one thought of trying ii to open the mountain highways, which even » in summer were only occasionally traveled, so hi none gave the old man and his wife a thought. i Christmas week came, and with it the heay- iest fall of snow experienced in Berkshire t county in many years. ‘The food of the old iN couple was soon reduced to a day’s supply, but John did not despair. He was a Christian and a God-fearing man, and God’s promises Were remembered, and so, when evening came, and the north-east gale was blowing, and the fierce snow-storm was raging, John and his wife were praying for help. In the village, ten miles away, lived Mr. Brown, 2 well-to-do farmer, who was noted for his piety. On the day before Christmas he was at the village store and heard the mer- chant speak of John Barry, the charcoal bur- ner on the mountain. The merchant said: ‘‘I wonder if the old man is alive, for it is six weeks since I saw him, and he has not yet laid in his winter stock of groceries. It must be old John is sick and wanting food.’’ That night Farmer Brown did not sleep well. The thought of John Barry’s need troubled him. He thought he heard a voice, saying, *tSend food to John.’’ At last he arose and proceeded to dress himself. **Come,’’ said he to his wife, ‘‘waken our’boy Willie and tell him © feed the horses and get ready to go with me, and do go pack up in the two largest baskets you have, a good supply of food, and get us an early breakfast, for I am going up the mountain to carry the food I know John Barry needs.’”, Mrs. Brown cheerfully complied, and, after a hot breakfast, Rarmer Brown and his son Willie, a boy of nineteen, hitched up the horses to the double sleigh, and then, with a month’s supply of food, and a ‘‘Good-bye, mother,” started at five o’clock on that cold December morning’ for a journey that almost any other than Farmer Brown and his son Willie would not have dared to undertake. —_—> - e=<= eo How True Christmas Kindness was rewarded. ——_- oo Faith in the Saviour. It is not sufficient to believe that Christ has come, but we must believe also that He was sent from God, that He is the Son of God, and also very man, that He was born of a virgin, that He alone has fulfilled the law, and that. not for Himself, but for us, that is for our salvation. — Luther. —~ 0