The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-12-10

leading in family PRAYER, when jean
mic, who had hitherto stoutly refused
to repeat any form Of prayer, concluded
that something required special effort.
Going to her mother with that look Of
baby wisdom which, on the faces Of
thoughtful children, so often appears to
say that all our tough problems wero
solved in the country from which they
came, the said:
.Mc pay, Nudgy! Me p'ay"'
Without waiting for an answer she
knclt' composed her face to Devotion
" expression, clasped her dimpled
hands and appeared to consider. Her
mother began the usual form. "Our
Father" but she shook her head, say
lug:
"Ne pay" then closing her eyes,
continued: fOh, bod, bress fadger, an
mad2er. DDd brcss ,1adgey an Willy.
Dcd bress pussy an' u:er chillens.
bod bress eve'body, an INC sLum too !;
an Its enough-p'enty!" :"
Nodding her head With an air Of
SELF congratulAtion, size arose aud 9oiay
to Margaret said:
"Now, me 90 bed ~
Margaret slept that night with this
little philosopher, this stray beam Of
heavens sunshine resin. % her heart,
On her future life; and to all the sad
ness Of the last night under the old
roof was 80 broken in upon by the sur
prise and pleasure created by Jcannie's
fret prayer that there was no bitter
ness or dependency 10 their tears.
Next day the hustle of moving lef: lit
tie time for sorrow.
There is no balm for sorrow to be
compared to the necessity Of labor for
the comfort of those We love, and as
the new home was srall w,oden
house Of four rooms, sadly out IF re-
pair, and in yard where fruit trees,
shrubbery and walks spoke Of neglect,
and the season spring, there was plen-
ty OF work for willing hands.
The former owner had converted the
three acres Of ground into a miniature
farm. and the small house and its out
buildings had had all the conyenieuces
Of New England home. A good deal
of labor was necessary to restore The
premises to anything like their origi-
nal eoziness, and to the new occupant,
this labor was one Of love and b!es-
sing without disguise.
When the 1ors ii ;!,c frst dav was
done, prayers over and the family sat
around the FIRE, Margaret held Jeanpie
and repeated over and over the old
story Of that celebrated pig family, of
that blacksmith who is called upon to
shoe the pony, &C., &C., and after Jeapnie
had considered that unequal distribu-
tion Of bread aud butt:r, and laughed
at the pe'ple1ity of the little eqaea'er
who never can find bis way home, :n-
til weary, she began to rub her eyelids,
saying:
"'Mokc e shi, Madg5; 'moke =
shi," which being understood to mean
that there was smoke in her eyes, and
that she wanted to go to sleep, Mrs.
Merlyn put down her knitting and hold.
ing out her hands, said:
"Come, darling, and say prayer.!'
JEANNE went and held up her cher
~ lips for her good night kiss, and her
mother, taking the little d;mpled hand
in hers, placed the palms together say
ing:
"Jeannie kneel, on the cushion here,
and say prayers FIRST"
Jeannie thought an instant, then
shaking her head, gravely replied:
"No, no, muddy! Me did pay
'But Jeannie must pray again. She
must say her prayers every nighs.'
The little one thought seriously Of
this, to her, new rule, and concluding
it was made to be be broken held her
ground, saying, with a look of puzzled
wonder:
"Me did pay, mudgy! Ne did
p'ay!"
Here was dilemma for the widow.
All her other children had been able
to repeat the Lords Prayer when three
years old, and Jeannie had never yet
said it once, having steadily refused to
make the attempt. She and her hus.
band had been troubled about it, as
probably a special manifestation Of orig
inal sin; but, as her health forbade
punishment, they had concluded to
wait. As she had volunteered an ex-
ternal form Of devotion on the previous
evening, her mother wished to main
tain this vantage ground, and gently
insisted. Jeanuic listened thought
fully, then drawing her hands away an
swered:
"Me tell 'ou, muddy, me did pay,
'nough, p'enty y and turned to Marsa-
ret to be taken to bed, repeating:
"'Nloke shi, Madgy! 'moks shi!'
Tue mother took up the little rebel,
kissed the smoky eyes, the waxen FORE
head and shining .curls, with heart
overdowiug with that kind Of payer
which holds the angel fast, and will not
let him 60 until he leave the blessing.
As Margaret started to carry the lit lie
one to bed, repeating the kisses an
covering the bright head With the