The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-05-24
SAMANTHA JJR'B PRAYER.
BY JOSIAH ALIENS WIFE.

lrZan fnE Nltle STi, StaE1u a
night with us last Tuesday night.
She is beautiful child. OF course,
BEN entirely onprejudiced. we see
clear; some grand parents are preju'
diced-we haint.
Well, she enjoyed herself dretluI
well all day, and when it come night
she knelt down and said Ler little
prayers before she went 10 bed. And
0! how sweet she did look as she
knelt there in her little white night,
gown, with her golden hair a 1allin'
round her face and shoulders some
like a halo.
Ct don't know as | ever heard Oi
a shoulder halo before, but it stands
to reason that they have EN- } Her
dimpled hands wuz clasped on my
knees, and her great, big, innocent
eyes wuz lookin' up into my face,
and through It, a searchIn' for the
Eternal God she was a addressin'
| wuz awaitin' to hear her commence,
my Josiah a-Iookin' on admirin ly,
and almost worshipfully, from the
other side of the hearth, when ali OF
a sudden she broke out kinder cX-
cited like, and says she:
O! before | forget it, Lord, | want
to tell you-
Josiah made horrowful exclama
ton, as if he WIZ shocked beyond all
account, and would have stopped
her; but Gin him warnin' look,
and let the babe 90 on, and says she:
Before | say my prayers, dear
Lord, l just want to tell you that |
was a selfish little girl, and want
you, l want you special, to help me
to be a generous little girl, and l
will help you to, or .nebbe won t
Here Josiah fairly throwed up his
hands in horror, and Says he:
Samantha Allen! that is going too
far. | won't set still and see such
irreverence a goin' on 1t must not
so in my house. This is the house
of a deacon.
Say he: She must not be encour-
aged or allowed to say such things
speak as a deacon Of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, says he,
lookin' some big.
And it WAS, to think ont a dretful
speech to make. tellin' the Lord
that mebby she would help him, and
mebby she wouldn't. 1t sounded
strange and bad.
And if l had let it go on, and just
hushed up, and rebuked her chill
in'ly, and not let her explain, why
we should always have thought the
babe had acted irreverent and bad.
But felt that there was sumthin'
more to the bottom of it. | felt that
the babe meant somethin' moIe than
she could with her small stock O
language made known at once.
So | give my companion a deer
warnin' look, as much as to say
Keep still. Josiah Allen. And ther
l bent over babe, and says: What
do you mean babe, by that me5by
won't? That don't sound jest right
sweetheart? You know you are
talkin' to the One highest and best,
who made you and keeps you alive
and all them you love: One who
loves you better even than grandma
does. You must be very true and
lovin' and humble when you talk tc
Him.
Well, that is what mean; if | too
a wroung story to you. it wouldn't
be so bad, would it, as if | told orc
to God?
No, says | cardidly; l don't know
as it would
Well, l w@s SO afraid l would tel
one to Him If | said light out that
would help Him.
| see there was suthin' in It llIrchei
than Josiah and me had seen, anC
50, says |, tell ne all about i, babe
Well, this morning | took the big
gest pear on The table, d papa SAX
was getting to be a selfish, littI,
girl, and he felt bad about it; and
told him l would tell the Lord al
about it, and guessed He woulc
make NE better-ld d ask Him 4
special, and | said would help Him
But then | thought mebby | woull
forget and do something just as bad
and that would be telling wrong
story to the Lord, wouldn't it! Anc
so | thought I'd say, perhaps
wouldn't. SO he wouldn't be 5 pris
ed if | forgot, and wasn't just good
don't you see?
Yes, says |; grandma sees just how
twas, and | cast a triumphant lool
at my partner, but he too was
lookin' perfectly happy and con
tented.
And so babe told her little pray
ers, Our Father, and Now lay me
and ended up with God bless pap
and mamma, and grandpa ano
grandma, and. Uncle Tom and Aun
Maegy, and little Snow; and con
forget, please, please, please, dea
Lord, don't forge. to make me good
and don't let me forget it. Don't le
me forget that / acaRIh0 be good wheI
| get to playin' with Jack, and h
pinches me; and bless Jack Amen
And | took her up in my arms ant
carried her to bed, after | had rele
he down to kiss her grandpa. Bles
her sweet face!
And l tucked her little crib by Gu
bed, and kissed her mole'n a dozel
times, and she me.
And when | went back | says t.