Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1856-08-02
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tossed and tumbled about her bed,
up her pillow one moment 10
make it higher, and then throwing it |
aside, in her vain efforts to find an easy
position. ssPm sure [ didn ssteal; TIE
done no harm" She generally dropped
asleep soon after lying down, and slept
so soundly, thatif she chanced to wake
when her father and mother retired in
the next room, it seemed morning -
How now, she had listened to the foot
steps of her brothers and sisters as they
went to their rooms, had heard her
father wind up the old clock il the hall,
and her mothers voice hushing the
baby-all was still in the house except
the ever-ticking clock, and yet she
could not sleep. Shall [ tell you what
troubled the little girl, SO that the sound
Of the good old clock, whose face she
had looked up to from infancy was so
distressing to her ears?
Ruth had been committing a very
great sin. The little boy who satnext
to her in school, had couple of new
story books which he was too disoblig-
ing to show. She had looked at the
beautiful blue covers, and bright gild-
ing many times, and wandered what
was between them, and what the pictures
were about, till she broke the Tenth
Commandment, and coveted her neigh
boris goods. After the children went
home, and the teacher had locked the
school-house door, and passed out of
sight, Ruth fingered talking with Kitty
Waters, a lively romping girl, who
feared no one. She was urging Kitty
to climb in the back window with her.
"Pd just as soon do it as not" said
Kitty; 'Ebut what do you want?'' 'I'll
show you when we are in" said Ruth;
and raising the window she helped
Kitty; and climbed in after her. Ruth
then led the way to Charley's desk,
and opening it, said, "Look, Kitty, /
want one of those books. Now, you
can take it and give it to me, and we
can both say, 4 didn't do it. when the
teacher finds it out, and makes fuss
about it. )"
Kitty stood still a moment, as if not
comprehending Ruth's meaning, and
then touching the gilded letters with
her fore-fnger, she stopped and read
the titles; and said, ''Now, Ruth, if
you wanted to play a trick on Charley,
I'd like the fun of hiding one of them
little while; but | dare not steal, for
the world"
"No one would ever know it, Kitty,
and we would have fine times reading
it in our barn after school; besides,
Charley is so mean he deserves to lose
his books"
20 Ruth" said Kitty, as she looked
shudderingly around the empty school
room, "God will know it. It scares
me to think Of being thief Do let
us go out again.
Ruth shut the desk, after giving the
books another longing look; and while
Kitty bounded out Of the window, and
ran down the hill with light merry
laugh, she walked with slow guilty
step, and calling Kitty, begged her
"never to tell"
EENo, 1 shan't think of it again"
said Kitty, as she hurried into her
fathers house, close by the school
room. Ruth could not say the same;
she thought of it again and again, and
so often said, 81 don't see why I feel
bad. I didn't steal. I have done no
harm. Charley's books are safe in his
desk" The old clock ticked on, and
seemed to say, "Ruth, what have you
done? what have you done?'' ''Noth-
ing," replied Ruth over and over again,
and just before midnight sunk into an
uneasy slumber.
Ruth was a thief, although Charley 5
books were safe in his desk. The
Bible says, GAS he thinketh in his heart,
so is he" She frstcoveted the books,
and then tried to make her little friend
steal; and nothing but the fear of being
found out, kept her from taking them
from the desk. God saw her heart,
and in his eyes she was a thief. No
wonder she tossed and groaned upon
her bed, and could find no rest. No
rest can be found for her, but in repent
ing of her sin, and asking God to for
give her, and keep her in future from
wishing for thinus that do not belong
to her. God looks through the OUT
ward conduct at the heart, and the boy
or girl who partakes of any thing
which has been stolen, or makes up his
mind to deny something he has done,
in case he is accused, or tempts his
companions to sin, may try to comfort
himself by saying, s'I did not steal;"
81 did not lie;s' give done no harm" ]"
yet the solemn words, Gas he thinketh
in his heart, sois he,' will be spoken
in his ears by the voice of guilty con
science.
Z