The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1894, Page 31

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‘The Lutheran Pioneer.

- 31

A Bible in a Log Cabin.

It was a dark and stormy night. The mis-
sionary’s horse was tired, and he was wet and
weary. For some time he had looked in vain
for a cheerful light in the lonely woods. At
length he saw a faint glimmer through the
trees. But when he had fastened his horse,
and gone into the cabin, he thought he had
never seen so wretched a place—cold and
dirty, and almost without furniture. In the
corner of the room was a ragged bed, on which
lay a pale little girl. The missionary saw that
the little girl’s face was pale, and her hands
thin. -She was ill and a great sufferer. She
smiled with a smile that showed peace was in
her heart, while her body was suffering with
disease. From under her pillow peeped a little
book. It was the New Testament. Some agent
from the Bible Society had
dropped it in that deso-
late place. The missionary
asked the little girl—

**Can you read?”’

‘Yes, sir.’’

“Can you understand
it?’

““A great deal of it,
sir. Isee there how Jesus
came into the world to save
sinners. He said, ‘Suffer
little children to come unto
me, and forbid them not,
for of such is the kingdom
of God.’ And when I think
of that lam happy. And

in the dark night when I lie
here, and can not sleep for
pain, I think of my Saviour
and heaven, and He seems
to be saying, ‘Suffer that
little child to come unto

when, having finished one boot, he suddenly
dropped the foot, and returned his brushes to
the box in which he carried them.

‘What now?’’ asked the young dandy.

“T would rather not finish that boot, sir,’’
answered the boy.

‘*Not finish them!’’ exclaimed the swell-
head, with an oath; ‘‘then you don’t see the
color of my money.”’

‘*T don’t want your money,”’ said the boy,
‘and I will not stay here and listen to your
swearing.’’

‘*Let the boy alone,’’ interrupted the other
young man, ‘‘and let him finish his job.’’

‘‘Well and good,’’ said the first speaker,
‘“‘but it is really a rare joke that a boot-black
should be afraid of swearing.’’

boot-black, with a significant glance upward.

Water Carriers in Japan.

“‘T can’t afford to swear,’’ answered the|

So he went; and as he knew that his time
must be short, he tried to spend every moment
of it in serving God. :

| Even before he sailed away for India his
| friends used to call him ‘‘the man who never
jlost an hour,’’ because he was so careful not
|to waste any of his precious time; but now
|he felt it to be still more precious.

In those seven years he did a great work
| for God indeed.

| He preached to the poor heathen people,
jand taught them about the Lord Jesus; and
|he wrote a Prayer Book and the New Testa-
|ment in their language, so that they could
read and understand it.

; People wondered that he could do so much.
|It was because his heart was full of love to
God and love to the poor heathen; and he
|remembered that ‘‘the time is short.’?

Let us pray God to-day
**to stir up the wills of His
faithful people,’’ that we
may all‘‘plenteously bring
forth the fruit of good
works,’”’ now, while we
have time.

Young Christian Soldier.

———~> + oe -

Found Out.

On the top of a hill was
an orchard, and in one of
the trees was a boy steal-
ing apples; another boy
was at the bottom of the
tree, on the watch to see
that nobody found them
out. Nobody was near that
they could see; but that
did not prove that no one
saw them ; for seven miles
off, Prof. Mitchel, the as-

me, and forbid her not.’
I am soon going to be with Him forever.’’
Thus that gift brought peace to the heart of
the poor little girl—that peace which Jesus
promised to His disciples when He said, ‘‘Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give unto you;
not as the world giveth, give I unto you.”’

—_—_> +o

‘Swearing.

A little boot-black was standing very pa-
tiently at the entrance of a city hotel, waiting
for a ‘‘job,’’ when two young men, dressed in
the extreme of the fashion and puffing away
at their Spanish cigars, stopped before him.

‘*Here, boots,’ said one of them, in a tone
of lofty superiority, ‘‘let me see if you are
master of your trade!’’ placing his foot on
the boy’s knee as he spoke.

The boot-black plied his brush with skill,
and the boot soon brightened under his ready
touch; the young bloods amusing themselves,
meanwhile, by trying to frighten the boy to
make more haste, by swearing at him.

Phe little fellow stood it as long as he could,

“Do you mean that it costs anything to
swear?’’ asked the young man, in astonish-
ment.

‘«Yes,’’ replied the boot-black, with solemn
earnestness, ‘‘it will cost me my soul.’’

“While We Have Time.”

Once there was a man who had been made
a minister, and he wanted to go as a missionary
to a far-off country, that he might teach poor
heathen people about the Lord Jesus Christ.

But this young man was not very strong,
and his friends were afraid he might soon die
in the heathen land, which was hot and un-
healthy, so they tried to persuade him to stay
at home. ;

The young minister asked his physician how
long he thought he might live in India.

‘‘Perhaps,”’ said the doctor, ‘‘you may live
seven years.”

«Then I will go,’’ said he, ‘‘for in seven
years, by God’s help, I may do much work
for Him!”’ 5

tronomer, was examining
the setting sun with his telescope, and the hill
happened to come within its range; the actions
of the boys, the very tell tale look on their
faces, attracted his notice. He saw what they
were up to. He found them out. There was
no escaping the great eye of his telescope look-
ing full upon them. They little thought of
such a thing. : :

But there was another eye upon them, a
greater eye and a sharper eye, and the eye
followed them. It was God’s eye, and His
eye is onus. It sees near, it sees afar off.
It sees in the day, it sees in the night. It sees
out of doors, it sees in doors. It sees our
actions, it sees our hearts. It sees us, too,
by name. Prof. Mitchel did not know the
boys. God knows.

Ss :

Give thanks for your dear Christian friends
who, though they have been separated from
you, are now beyond the reach of shipwreck—
home at last, and at home forever.

DanGER past, God is too often forgotten. -