The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1890, Page 23

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

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A Story to our Picture.

She was knitting as hard as she could.
Grandma could knit about as fast as she could
think. Little Nell was fidgeting about the
room, asking questions. She could ask ques-
tions faster than grandma could think.

‘Oh, come!”’ she said at last; ‘‘you’ve
asked questions enough to last all day; get the
book and read a little to grandma; I've had
no reading since morning.”

‘‘Well,’’ said Nell, with a very bright face,

“*T will,” and she scampered after ‘the book’?
—she knew very well what book she meant.

‘“Now, grandma, where shall I read?”

‘Well, dear, your brother commenced on
the fourteenth chapter of Matthew, and he
read to where Jesus sent His disciples away in
a ship and He went up into a mountain
to pray; then the bell rang and he had

- to run.”’

“Tee the place, grandma,” and Nellie’s
clear little voice read: ‘“ ‘But the ship
was now in the midst of the sea, tossed
with waves, for the wind was contrary:
And in the fourth watch of the night—’

“What time was
that, grandma?’’

‘‘A bout four o'clock,
I think, dear.”

‘«« Jesus went unto
them walking on the
sea,”

“Oh, my! just to
think, walking right on the water; I
don’t see how He could have done it.””

““*And when the disciples saw Him
walking on the sea they were troubled—’

“T should have thought they would
be. Wouldn’t you have been afraid,
grandma? — ‘saying, It is a spirit, and
they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus

is I; be not afraid.’
‘Oh, mustn’t they have been glad to hear
His voice? But I think after all they were

| “How did heact? Oh, Isee! Why, grandma, |
he was afraid after Jesus had called him! How
silly to be afraid!
would have walked right straight on.’ |

23

“Didn't I tell you? ‘Immediately’ He took

| care of him, just the minute Peter wanted Him
I wouldn’t have been; Ij to

; that’s always the Wway.””
“‘Grandma,’’ said Nell, soberly, ‘‘I should

| ‘Yes, that’s just exactly the way Peter used like to have Jesus speak to me.’’

to talk; he never was afraid of anything until |
|he had to go through it.”’
“But, grandma, do you think I could be so}
|foolish, if Jesus had really told me I might |
| walk on the water to Him?” |
“Did you ever hear of a little girl who|

was so foolish as to be afraid to go up stairs | I

in the dark to bed, after Jesus had told her|
that He had given His angels charge over |
her?”

Nell blushed, and kicked one of her kid toes |
| against the hearth as she said:
| Oh, well, that is different!’

“Yes,” said grandma, quietly; ‘‘it isn’t the
spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it|sea in a storm; it’s only your nice pleasant

room; that might make a difference.’’
Miss Nell read on: ‘‘‘But when he saw the
wind boisterous he was afraid; and, beginning

very stupid people. I should think they might to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.’”?

have known that it was Jesus. Grandma, the
next is about Peter.’’

‘©* And Peter answered Him and said, Lord,
if it be thou, -bid me come unto thee on- the
water.’”’ .

‘How like Peter that is,’’ grandma said,
knitting away. ‘He always wanted to do some
queer thing or other; he never was content to
act like other people. Well, let’s hear what
Jesus said to him.’?

‘*¢ And He said, Come.

“That's sensible in Peter anyhow,” said
grandma, beginning to ‘‘toe off’’ her stocking.
“TI think much better of him than I did; it
isn’t every one who has brains to cry to the
Lord to come and take care of him; if he
couldn’t possibly have sense enough to trust
Jesus in the first place, why, the next best
thing to do was to cry to Him for help. I sup-
pose he got it without any doubt?”

‘Grandma, what if the next verse should

And when Peter} read: ‘But Jesus walked right on and let Peter

was come down of the ship he walked on the | sink—,”

water to go to Jesus.’

“Grandma, wasn’t it nice in Jesus to call
him and Jet him go walking on the water like
what nobody else could do? I would just have
’ liked that.’ 5

“I dare say you would,’’ grandma said,
smiling. ‘‘And I think it’s very likely you
would have acted just as Peter did.’

“Tt won't read so,”’ said grandma decidedly;
‘because you see nobody ever cried, ‘Lord,
save me,’ really wanted to be saved, that Jesus
didn’t attend to him right away.”

‘Well, He did this time. It says: ‘And
immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and
caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt??”’ —

|in a very few days!
He will hold out his hand and say,
blessed of my father,’
| ‘Depart from me.’ Don’t you let it be that

“Why?” said grandma. “It makes me smile

| to see how like Peter you are; he had dreadful
little faith, you know. To think of the times
and times that Jesus has spoken to you. Why
you couldn’t begin to count them.’

“Oh, but, grandma, I don’t mean that way!
mean real truly speak to me, so I can hear

Him with my ears, just as Peter did.”

“Oh, well, He will one of these days; maybe
I don’t know how soon.
‘Come, ye
or else He will say:

last, Nellie. Grandma wants her little
girl with her up there.”— 7. P.

—s-——- o-oo
George’s Prayer.

A poor widow was once anxious about
her rent. She had no money to pay.
While she was one day
sitting thinking what
was to be done, she
heard a low voice com-
ing from the next room.
She went to the door
to listen. Lo, it was her
dear little son George.
He was engaged in prayer. He loved
Jesus. He spoke to God about his mother.
He thanked God for giving him such a
dear, good mother. , Then he told the
Lord how much his mother was troubled
because she had no money to pay her
rent; then he finished his prayer in this
simple way: —‘‘O Lord, pay mother’s rent.
Please do for Jesus’ sake. Amen.’

This prayer touched his mother. She went
away and said nothing. The prayer was heard
in heaven. The next day a lady came, who
had heard of her troubles, and gave her enough
money to pay the rent. God hears prayer.

Children should be diligent in prayer.

Olive Leaf.

How Girls in India study.

Mrs. Andrews, the returned missionary from
India, in her reference to the mission schools
there, said in Buffalo recently that a stranger
on approaching one of these schools would im-
agine from the racket that they were disorderly.
But this is not the case. It is due to the fact
that a girl in India when studying screams at _
the top of her voice and rocks back and forth,
and the more interested she becomes in her
lesson the louder she screams and the harder

she rocks.
+ oo

Curist is nct valued at all unless he is valued
above all.— Augustine. ;

.