Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-08-09

Little Bob, the Cabin Boy.

There is not one of us, however young,
says the YOUTHS VISitOr, but he may do
some good. Every little child can be
useful. l Will tell you how useful little
/ cabin-bOy was, who was sailing on a
| large ship over the wide sea.
It happened that on the VOYAGE the
| sailors quarreled with the captain, who
was so proud and overbearing that none
would submit to him. This gave the
captain so much trouble, and preyed so
much on his spirits, that he became very
| i'll; so i'll as to be confined to his bed.
None of the sailors cared for him; so
there he lay very i'll, and all alone. No
one thought of speaking kind word to
the poor sick captain but Little Bob. His
Bible had taught him q lesson which the
sailors knew nothing about. 1t had
| taught him to be kind to everybody,
even those who had used him i'll; so he
stole softly to the captains door, and
| knocked. "Who's thereP asked the
/ captain in a very gruff voice. 'Its Lit
tie Bob, sir; can 1 do anything for your"
| "Go to your work, you scoundrel," cried
the captain, in an angry tone. "Don't
come plaguing me-"
Little Bob stole away even more soft
" than he came, but his heart was not
| filed with an angry feeling. He pitied
the captain even more than he had done
| before.
The next day he resolved to try again.
He saw that the poor captain was not on
deck, and again he went and knocked at
the door. 'Who's thereP' Captain,
can do anything foryou to-dayP asked
Little Bob. mo, no; 60 away" said the
captain. Bob was pleased that the cap
tam did not speak in so harsh a voice as
he did the dav before, and he made up
| his mind to try again. Meantime the
captains heart grew warm toward the
| little fellow. He thought how different
ly he had acted from the unfeeling sail
ors, who had not once inquired for him
all the time of his illness, and he de-
termined, that if he came again, he
would let him in.
When Bob came next day, the cap
tain said, "Come in" Bob walked in on
tlptoe, and said, very tenderly, please,
sir, can l do anything for you? Shall l
make your bed, or get you a cup of cof-
fee? I'll do it in a minute" "Well, Bob,
you may, if you like, said the captain.
Away ran Bob, and in few minutes
everything was ready, the coffee, and
the hot toast, and he brought it on a
tray to the captains bedside. Bob always
carried with him the Bible in his pock-
ct; and as he came in the room, the cap
tain observed it.
"What book is that% said he. at is
the book my mother gave me-" said Bob /;
"the incest book you ever saw" "Can
you read it, BobT "Oh, yes, SIR" said
the boy, "and I should like to read it to
you" "Aye, you may" said the captain /;
"as soon as / have finished my coffee
you may begin" Bob cleared away the
coffee, and set himself down on a box
beside the captains bed, and opened on
the history of Jesus, and read how He
went about doing good; how He pitied
the wretched, how He healed the sick
and forgave their sins. The captain
listened very attentively, and asked the
boy.to come again the next Gay.
From this time he came every day
and instructed the poor captain in the
knowledge of Jesus the Saviour. He
asked him many questions, and Bob
knew how to answer them-thanks to
his mother and to his Sunday-school.
One evening the captain said, leave
me that book of yours, Bob; should
like to look at it myself" Bob willingly
left it. The next morning ne went as
usual, and tapped at the cabin door. No
answer came. Again he tapped, and
louder. Still no answer. He opened
the door and walked in. The captain
was on his knees, and the Bible was ly-
ing open on the chair before him. Bob
spoke; still there was no answer. He
came nearer; the captain never stirred.
He looked; the captain was dead. He
had died on his knees, praying over the
Bible. We trust that through the in
structions of little Bob he had sought
and found mercy at the hands of the
Saviour of sinners. Is there little boy
or little girl, now reading this, who can
not do as much as this poor cabin-boy2
3Go and do likewise"