The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1932, Page 21

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

21

ness and in the shadow of death. She did not know
that she needed a Savior; she had not even so much
as heard the Savior’s name. How could she? No
one had ever told her about Him. But what she
did not know she quickly learned. In school she
eagerly listened to the Bible History stories. At
first, it is true, those stories were nothing more to
her than beautiful tales like those which her grand-
mother had often told her. In a few days, however,
she began to love “that kind and good man,” as she
called Jesus, and at last her inward eye was opened
by God’s grace, and she began to see that “that kind
and good man” is Jesus, who saved also her from
the devil, from hell, and from sin. Better and
better she learned this truth, and the better she
learned it, the more she loved Jesus. Little Eliza
had become wise now, really wise. She had received
a treasure in the Lutheran school to which she clung
with all her heart. If she would have realized the
treasure she had gained and had known the words
- of the poet as we do, she would have cheerily sung:
“Wisdom’s highest, noblest treasure, Jesus, lies con-
cealed in Thee.”

About three years later little Eliza one day came
to the missionary and requested that he go to see her
sick grandmother. “Granny is not so sick,” she said
in her childlike way, “but she is sick all the time.
She told me to ask you to come to her some time.”

That same afternoon found the missionary at the
“forgotten house.” Through the large arched en-
trance he stepped and came into the barren court-
yard, back of the massive old house, where two
poorly clad and hungry children, with thin legs and
haggard faces, were playing in the dust. Seeing the
missionary, they abruptly quit playing and ran up
to him, and with begging look and voice they said,
“Mister, do you want us to show you where the
people live in this house for whom you are looking?
And will you give us a penny, please, for a little
cookie?” The missionary knew where the people
lived and needed not to be shown, but his heart
melted at the sight of these children, so that he was
exceedingly glad that he had a nickel with him. To
this day he often.thinks of it how happy he was that
he had given that nickel when he saw those two
youngsters run with a shout of joy to get the desired
cookies. How much greater joy the pennies and
nickels given for our missions by the youngsters
throughout the country and the larger contributions
offered for this purpose by the older supporters of
our missions will bring to them when they will see
the fruit of their love, when they will see how many

starving souls it was possible to feed with the Bread
of Life because of their offerings.

As soon as the two children had hastened away,
the missionary walked the whole length of the “‘for-
gotten house” to the extreme left of it and mounted
a spiral stairway. Round and round he walked on
the creaking old staircase, and-higher and higher he
came until, somewhat dizzy, he stood in a long, dim
hall, at the farther end of which was the door lead-
ing into the room of little Eliza’s granny. Reaching
the door, he found it open. Granny’s bed, he knew,
stood behind the open door, hidden from view by the
door which opened to the inside and by the dark-
ness of the little room which Granny and little
Eliza called their home.

He was just ready to knock when from the bed-
side he heard words which fell from a little child’s

-An Old House in the French Quarter
of New Orleans.

lips. Slowly, yet distinctly the words came to his
ears: “Then — came — she — and — worshiped —
Him, — saying, — ‘Lord, — help — me.’ — But —
He — answered — and said, — ‘It is not — meet
— to take — the children’s bread — and to cast
it — to the dogs.”? — And she said, — ‘Truth, Lord;
yet the dogs — eat of the crumbs — which fall —
from their masters’ table.’ ”

Here was a pause, but soon the little girl was
heard saying, “See, Granny, this mother went to
Jesus for help.”

“Yes, yes,” came the assuring words, spoken in ©
a raspy voice by granny, “Read on, child, read on!
I want to see whether Jesus helped her.”

And again little Eliza’s voice was heard: “Then
Jesus — answered — and said — unto her, —
‘O woman, — great is thy faith. — Be it unto thee
— even as thou wilt”

“OQ Granny,” the child now joyfully exclaimed,
“Jesus helped her all right. He always helps those