The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1881, Page 47

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‘The Lutheran Pioneer. 47

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A Christmas Day in Nancy’s Cabin.

Old Nancy was a poor colored woman and
Jived in a cabin on an alley, all alone, without
chick or child, kith or kin. Her home, though
poor and small, was always neat and tidy, and
from what she earned many a dollar was given
to the mission work of the Church. She was
an honest, Christian woman, full of joy and
faith in her Saviour, and therefore the wealthy
judge, at whose house she often found work to
do, respected her very highly.

At last Old Nancy was taken sick, and for
many weary months before her death she was
helpless, ‘alone, and bed-ridden. During this
time the judge’s ‘ample table had sent its full
share to the comforts of the poor woman, and
when the merry Christmas day came, the Christ-
mas cheer and joys made the judge think of the
Joneliness of poor Nancy’s cabin. So, taking
a well-filled basket, he started on his way to
visit the sick woman. As he entered the poor,
lonely cabin, he thought of his own beautiful
mansion, where the voices of merry children

and of music made all cheerful and happy on

that Christmas day. And seating himself on
the stool at the side of the poor woman’s cot,
he said in words of sympathy,—

“Tt must be hard for you, Nancy, to be shut
up here alone so many days and weeks?’’

“Oh, no! thank God! massa judge, the
good Lord keeps me from feelin’ bad. I’se
happy now as ever I was in all my days.”

“ But,-Naney,_lying- here from-morniug_till
night and from night till morning, all alone,
and racked with pain, dependent upon others
for every thing, do you not get tired and down-
hearted, and think your lot a hard one to bear?’’

‘‘Well, I’se ‘pendent on others, dat’s sure,
*deed I is; an’ I was allers used to have some-
thing to give to de poor, an’ to de missionary
too, an’ to de minister. But, den, I’se no
poorer dan my good Lord was when He came
to dis world. You know, He was laid as a
poor child on straw an’ hay in a miseble stable.
I’se bery happy when I think of dese Christ-
mas tings.’’

‘But, Nancy, you are all alone here?’’

“Yes, massa, Tse all alone, dat’s true; but
den Jesus is here, too, all de time. I’m nebber
alone, nohow; and He’s good company.’’

“But, Nancy, how do you feel when you
think about death? What if you should die
here all alone some night?”

‘©O massa judge! I’spect so. I ’spect noth-
ing else but jis’ to go off all alone here some
night, as you say, or some day; but it’s all one,
night or day, to poor Nancy. And den, massa,
L’spec’ I'll not go all alone, after all, for Jesus
says, in de blessed book, ‘I'll come an’ take you
to myself, dat where I am, dare you may be
also’: an’I believe Him. I’se not afraid to die
alone.’’

“But, Nancy, sometimes when J think of
dying, I am filled with trouble. I think how
badIam. Are you not afraid to die and go

into the presence of a holy God?”’

‘*Oh, no! massa, ’deed I’se not.”’ several dollars at the grocery, the deacon sent

‘‘Why not, Nancy?” in his hill, There was no money in the house

‘©O massa! the debbil made me think of my | to pay the bill with, but there was a fine new
sins dis mornin’; an’ I thought how can such | carpet which the lady had received as a wed-
a sinner as I is ebber go into such a holy place | ding present from some of her friends at home,
as de New Jerusalem is? An’ I was miseble. | but which she had not dared to make any use
But den, when the Christmas bells were ringin’| of for fear that the members of the congrega-
I jis’ thought of the sweet Christmas story. |tion might consider her very rich. She now
You know, when the Saviour was born, the|took this carpet over to the deacon, saying to
angel said to de poor shepherds in de field dat | herself on the way: ‘‘He will surely not be so
dis Saviour belongs to dem an’ to all de folks. | hard as to take this carpet for the payment of
So He is my Saviour, ’deed, sure, He is poor} the bill, no, he will not.’’ But the deacon did
Nancy's Saviour. He says in de blessed book | take it, yes, he did take that carpet.
dat His blood washes away all my sins. An’I|} But what about the Christmas turkey? Well,
believe Him, ’deed Ido. So I find rest for my|the day before Christmas, when the pastor’s
poor soul in Jesus. I know now He has made | wife looked rather sad, not knowing what to
me all ready, pure an’ white for de New Jeru-| get for the Christmas table, she received a let-
salem above. An’ now I love to think about|ter with some money from her former home.
de time when I shall come to ’pear befo’ de| Wishing to provide a good Christmas dinner
Father's throne, wid Him in glory, all starry, | for her dear husband, she took some of the
spangly white.” money and bought a turkey. When the pastor

For a moment the judge sat in silence, ad-| came to his Christmas dinner he looked rather
miring the power of God’s grace. Then he | pleased, and when he said grace he also thanked
said, ‘‘Well, Nancy, one thing more let me ask | God for filling the hearts of his dear people
you: do you not still complain?”’ with true charity towards their pastor. His

“Complain? Oh! now, massa judge, com-| wife wondered how he could think any member
plain, do you say, massa? Why, massa! who|so charitable as to send a Christmas turkey. It
should such a one as I is complain ob? The| made her think of the deacon and the carpet.
Good Lord, He knows best what’s best for poor | But she did not correct her husband’s prayer,
Nancy! His will be done! It mus’ all turn|and when he passed down the road, in the
out for my own good. He sent His own Son | afternoon, he met the deacon and thanked him
to be my Saviour. An’ so I know He loves me} very heartily for that turkey. The deacon
wid an’ ebberlastin’ love.’’ looked rather astonished; for the idea of send-

The judge bowed his head in silence a mo-|ing the pastor a present on Christmas day had
ment, and then rose and bade Nancy good-by. |never entered his mind. And the minister's
All the way home through the Christmas snow | wife, who watched her husband from the kitchen
he kept thinking of the poor colored woman, | window, smiled as she saw the astonished dea-
so helpless, bed-ridden, miserable in body, and|con. Her husband, however, seemed so de-
yet so happy as a child of God! ‘There is a}lighted at the charity of his ‘‘good people,’
power in God’s Word which I never felt,’’ said} that she feared he would publicly thank his
he, as he came home and sat down to read the | congregation for that turkey at the evening
sweet Christmas story in the Bible. And the|service. And so, when he came home, she told
judge never forgot that Christmas Day in Old | him that it was bought with her own money.
Nancy’s cabin. No! It was to him the begin-] All the members of the congregation soon
ning of a new life. heard about the minister’s Christmas turkey,

Old Nancy lingered but a very short time.}and they learned a good lesson from it. On
When the new year came, she had gone to her] New Years morning, when the pastor's wife
glorious Saviour in heaven, in whose finished | opened the kitchen door, she found a large fine
work of redemption she trusted so fully upon | turkey hanging on the knob outside. ‘‘And it
earth. was the hardest thing for me,’’ she said, ‘‘to

ap ap eae ST make my husband believe that that turkey
really was a present from some member of the
congregation.”

We heard of it many years ago from a pas-} We have told the story as we heard it from
tor’s widow. The aged Christian lady spoke|the good old Christian lady some years ago,
of the many hardships through which the Lord | down in Old Virginia. And we do not fear
had Jed her during her long life. In the first | that our congregation will take it as‘a hint for
years of her marriage her husband had charge | them to send usa turkey or anything else on
of a country congregation. The members were | Christmas day. No! The editor of this paper
wealthy, yes. But they were rather ‘‘close-| has no congregation that could think anything
fisted.’’ Many a month passed by without any |of the kind. We only hope that, as the merry
salary being paid. The pastor was expected to| Christmas day comes on, Christians will not
make his living from the few acres that were | forget their hard-working pastor, whose work
connected with the parsonage. The deacon | for them and their families is marked by toils,
who kept the grocery and who exerted a great | trials, and tears of which they know very little,
influence in the congregation, was the stingiest |and whom they can cheer by some token of
of all. When the pastor’s debt had run up to| confidence and love.

The Christmas Turkey.