The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-04-03
TENDER, TRUSTY AND TRUE.

was no match for him, or take his jack
knife, or split his top, or spoil his kite.
But look out for tender-hearted lad.
l tell you he can flash, and strike, too,
when the right time comes. Why,
just look at this very David! One day,
when he had grown big enough to stay
with his sheep, there came along a
bear, and another day lion; and each
OF them seized lamb. and was making
off with it. What did David doP I
will tell you. He had a staff. you
know, made out of good sound wood,
with crook at one end and spike at
the other, and both times he made after
the wild beast; gave him, suppose,
the hardest knock he knew how to give
with the crook, and then fought him
| with the pike. There was a soldier
living only six miles from our house,
when l was boy, who fought a Bengal
tiger once in India with nothing but
bayonet, and killed him after a ire
mendous struggle. l guess David had
hard time with the lion and the bear,
but he says the Lord helped him, and [
have no doubt He did. believe the
Lord helped little Charming to fight
that big bad boy in Rhode Island be-
cause Charming was on the Lords side,
and you know that the hymn that we
sing so often after sermon says:
He always wins who sides with God;
Which is just as true as Gospel.
Well, then, there is another thing I
want to say. These men mentioned
were not only good and kind and true
as steel, but when they said a thing
you might be as sure it was true as If
you had seen it twenty times over. I
think David sometimes did get into
mischief. suppose he spilled the milk
once, but l am sure # he did he did
not blame the cat. l guess he tore his
jacket rambling after olives, but if he
did I know he did not say big boy
tore it as ne came home from school.
, 1 think he had to take a whipping now
and then; if he had, believe he Just
stood up and took it like man. This,
children, this being true is o great
thing. If you ask me which is worse,
to be cruel to small boys and kittens
and birds or tell a lie, really could
not tell you. Now l think it is this,
and then 1 think it is that; they are
both as bad as bad can be. And now
want to tell you little story of little
boy who was all three-tender, trusty
and true and then l will be through
with my sermon.
Away off, I believe, in Edinburgh,
two gentlemen were standing at the
door of a hotel, one very cold day,
when a little boy with a poor, thin, blue
face, his feet bare and red with the
cold, and with nothing to cover him
but bundle of rags, came and said,
" Please, sir, buy some matches?''
"No; don't want any," the gentleman
said. "But they are only a penny a
box" the little fellow pleaded. Eyes;
but you see we do not want a box" the
gentleman said again. ''Then 1 will
gle ye twa boxes for penny" the boy
said at last. "And so TO get rid of
him." the gentleman, who tells the
story in an English paper says, 81
bought box. But then / found had
no change, so 1 said, Il will buy a box
tomorrow %, do buy them the
NIGHT, if you please the boy pleaded
again. Il will rim and get ye the
change, for am vera hun gry.' So l
gave him the shilling, and he started
away, and waited for him, but no boy
came. Then 1 thought l had lost my
shilling, but still there was that in the
boys face trusted, and I did not like
to think bad of him. Well, late in the
evening q servant came and said q
little boy wanted to see me. When he
was brought in found it was a smaller
brother Of the boy that got my shilling,
but, if possible, still more ragged and
poor and thin. He stood q moment
diving into his rags, as if he was seek
ing something, and then said, Are you
the gentleman that bought the matches
frae Sander 'Yes.' 'Weel, then,
here's fourpence DOT O. yer shillin'.
Sandie Gamma come; he's no weel. A
cart run over him and knocked him
doom, and he lost his bonnet and his
matches, and your sevenpence; and
both his legs are broken; and he's no
weel at a., and the doctor says I'll dee.
And that's a. he can Civ ye the noo.'
putting fourpence down on the table,
and then the poor child broke down
into great sobs. So 1 fed the little
man." the gentleman goes on to say,
"and then I went with him to see
Sandie. l found that the two little
things lived with a wretched, drunken
step-mother; their own father and
mother were both dead. l found poor
Sandie lying on bundle of shavings;
he knew me as soon as l came in, and
said. I got the change, sir, and was
coming back, and then the horse
knocked me doom, and both my legs
are broken. And, 0 Reuby, little
Reuby! l am sure I am dee'in! and
who will take care o. We, Reuby, when
l am ganep What will We do, Reubyp'
Then / took the poor little sufferers
hand and told him would always take
care of Reuby. He understood me,
and had just strength to look at me as
if he would thank me; then the light
went out of his blue eyes, and, in q
moment,
IS He lay within the light of God,
Like babe upon the breast;
And the weary are at rest.
Come, children, listen to me, and l
will teach you there is but one way; it
is to be tender and trusty and true.
Whenever you are tempted to tell what
is not true, or to be hard on other lit
tie boys or girls, or 10 take what moth
er has said you must not take, l want
you to remember little Sandie. This
poor little man lying on a bundle of
shavings, dying and starving, was ten
der and trusty and true; and SO God
told the gentleman to take poor little
friendless Reuby and be friend to
him. And Sandie heard him say he
would do it-just the last thing he ever
did hear, and then before l could tell
you, the dark room, the bad step-moth-
or, the bundle Of shavings, the weary:
broken little limbs all faded away, and
Sandie was among the angels. And l
think the angels would take him, and
hold him until One came with the
sweetest, kindest face you ever saw,
and that was Jesus, who said. Suffer
the little child to come unto Me-" and
He took him in His arms and blessed
him. And then Sandie's own father
II = -. world oo,Oo on6 hoor him