The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1894, Page 43

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‘The Lutheran Pioneer. 43

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Dinah’s Lesson.

The dining-room was strewn with coats,
dresses, trousers, undergarments and second-
best shoes. They were trying to plan what
should go into the mission box which was to
be packed at the chapel. Dinah, with one
hand on her side, and the other on the door-
knob, waited to see what would be done.
Dinah knew about the box; she belonged to
the same church.

*“’Spect Missis will send her ole gray dress
that she can’t wear no mo’, and Miss Carrie
will send the hat that got its feathers scoched,
and the shoes that got a hole cut in the side,
and such things. Dinah ain’t got nothin’ to
send. I takes care of my things, I does, an’
don’ let ’em get scoched and cut and streaks
of paint on’em. Hi!’’

The exclamation was caused by a word from
her mistress.

“‘T think, Carrie, I will put in this black
cashmere.’’

‘*Why, Mamma, can you spare that?’’

I think so. ‘The other black one is in good
order, and I can get along without two second-
best black dresses when there are people who
have none. It looks very nice since I sponged
and pressed it, and the woman is so exactly
my size that it seems like providence.’’

Miss Carrie laughed.

“Then, Mamma, according to that reason-
ing, I ought to send my gray coat; it will fit
that ‘Maria’ they wrote about as well as though
it was made for her. I thought I should like
to wear it to school, but my other will answer
every purpose ; and it seems, as you say, a pity
to keep two second-best when other people are
cold. I’ll send it, Mamma.”

“All right, dear,’’ the mother said, with a
smile.

Then Dinah went out and shut the door
hard. She did some hard thinking while she
was paring the turnips for dinner.

‘*Jest to think of Missis sendin’ off that
black dress jes’ as good as new, and Miss
Carrie givin’ her gray coat that she said that

~ she liked so much, an’ that she looks as purty

as a pictur’ in; and the ole dress I thought
would go ain’t no ’count, it seems. Reckin
Dinah better find somethin’ to sen’ if she be-
longs to this yere fam’ly.’’

When Dinah went into set the table for
dinner, she had a bundle under her arm.

‘*Here, Miss Webber,’’ she said, ‘‘I done
foun’ dis yere for de barrel.’’

“‘Why, Dinah, are you going to send your
new Calico dress?’”

“Yas’m; reckin I kin spar it for dat ar’
brak woman what de letter tole bout. I-don’

' need three; I got two good second-han’ ones,

and I kin wash ’em week about, and let her
have this one.*” :

*‘Dingh has taught us alesson,’’ said her
mistress, as the door closed after the cook.
But Dinah knew it was just the other way.

; 6 Selected.

What a New Zealand Slave Girl did.

You have often read that most interesting
story in the Second Book of Kings about the
little Hebrew maiden who was a captive in
Syria, and who told her mistress of the wonder-
ful prophet who could heal her master, Naa-
man, of his ieprosy. Naaman took the coun-
sel of the- little maid and went to Elisha and
was healed. A very similar story comes to us
from New Zealand, written by Miss Symonds
for the Children’s World. We give it here in
her own words:

‘“‘A New Zealand chief whose name was
Pana became a Christian, and putting away
his gun and spear with which he had delighted
in making war he took for his companion the

Chinese Girl.

Bible, which he called his ‘new weapon of
war.’ With this ‘sword of the Spirit’ he
fought against his three great enemies—the
devil, the world and the flesh. But with his
fellow-men he now desired to be at peace.
Before his conversion he had a great enemy
in another chief, named Tawai. One Sunday
this man suddenly appeared, to the alarm of
Pana and of his friend, the missionary.

They thought, of course, that Tawai had
come to fight. But it was not so. No, God’s
Spirit had been at work in his heart also, and
he had come ‘to tell them that he was now
a Christian, and that they must no longer call
him Tawai, but ‘Moses,’ his new’ Christian
name. Then he told them how this wonderful
change had been brought about. He had at
home a slave girl who had been taken by him
from one of the mission stations. He had tried
to make her forget all her Christian teaching,
and had threatened to shoot her if she did not
give up praying to God; but the brave girl

still prayed on, and repeated to herself the
lessons she had been taught. Her master was
so surprised at her courage that at last he
asked her to teach him the truths she loved
somuch. This she did; and God so blessed
the girl’s teaching and example that her mas-
ter became a new man, and was baptized as
a Christian. Then he went, as I have told
you, to visit his former enemy, and found to
his surprise and joy that Pana, too, was a
Christian. That day was very happy to them
and also to their friend, Mr. Matthews, the
missionary, who rejoiced to see them wor-
shiping together in the house of God, and
the next day standing together in the same
class at school, reading the first chapter of
St. John’s Gospel.’’

Their Faith.

It was in the days when both armies, the
Northern and the Southern, were marching
up and down through the Border States. Two
little children were left alone one night while
their mother went to sit up with a sick neigh-
bor. There was great excitement all through
that mountain village, for the people had news
of a raid that might be made at any hour. It
was a cold, dark night, and snow was falling

‘| fast. ‘*What shall we do if the soldiers come

while mother is gone, sister?’’ asked the boy. :

“T know what I willdo,’’ said she; ‘I will
kneel right down and pray to God to build”
a wall about our house, as He did in Bible
times, so that the soldiers can not find us.’’

*‘And do you believe He will do it?’’ asked
the brother, who was younger, and a little
timid.

“Of course He will. Doesn’t He always
keep His promise, and didn’t He say that if
we asked in faith He would give us our de-
sires? Let us commence right now, before
we get too sleepy.’’

They knelt down and prayed, and then with
peaceful hearts fell sound asleep and woke no
more until morning.

- And lo! in the night every other house in
the little town was stripped or burnt, but this

little cottage, which stood under a steep hill, $

had been covered by a great snow-drift and
completely hidden from the soldiers.

And now, although long years have passed
since those troubled days, they still tell the
story of how the children prayed in faith, and
their heavenly Father gladly answered them.

' The Churchman.
—s + oo oe

Sickness.

‘Sickness takes us aside and sets us alone
with God. We are taken into His private
chamber, and there He converses with us face
to face. The world is afar off, our relish for
it is gone,-and we are alone with God. Many
are the words of grace and truth which He
speaks tous. All our former props are struck
away, and now we must lean on God alone.’