The Tupelo journal., 1903-06-26

III diSStln Who OOlC thC SdllC ld III
as this boy, and let the name be called
and all would respond and come for
ward, but call for the boy with the
loaves and fishes and just one boy APP
pears, the lad of our text. No boy or
girl can claim exclusive right to the
name they bear and forbid any other
person being similarly named, but
every boy and girl may so live and do
that some deed will mark them as diff
ferent and distinct from every other
boy and girl. You may become known
to God, if not to your companions and
friends, as the lad or lassie who spoke
the kindly word or did the helpful
deed, who had something that Jesus
could use and freely gave it to Him
that it might bless all those about.
REMEMBER reading the story a
L goodmany years ago of the little girl
whose waking thought in the morn
ing was what she might do that would
really count towards helping others.
Instead of waiting for some great and
noble thing to do, and idly dreaming
the morning away, she thought of
something which every girl, and boy,
too, can do, wear a bright smile and
speak the CHEEKY word. You see she
was a very practical miss and began
with the thing nearest at hand, and
that which she could do. So she
thought of all the good pure things she
could, she caught the beam of the sun
light in her eyes, she wreathed her face
in smiles, she pitched her voice to the
tune of the birds singing without her
window, and then wen tripping down
stairs, her light heart giving wings to
her little feet. The first one she met
was Bridget in the kitchen. She had
a cloud on her face that betokened a
storm. The dishes ratified and banged
an impatient discord. 1t was enough
to make our little girl forget her
good resolution and run off and leave
Bridget to her unhappy mood. 1t was
a hard place to begin. But Jesus likes
to have US begin in the hard places.
n you will see before u story is
done that it was just where this little
girl eeded to begin. When our little
girl came dancing in she did not give
the Immature of Bridget a chance to
chill her heart. She did O say:
well. if Bridget is going to be SO cross
and mean, l will be cross and mean,
too, to pay her back" No, she just let
that smile shine out. Her bright eyes
put to shame the downcast eyes and
frowning brow of Bridget. Her CHEEKY
voice called out a happy: "Good morn
ing" and AVA she fitted with her sum
shine and her merry laugh, without
waiting to hear the surly grunt of
Bridget which she meant for a Good
morning"
RUT that smile and that CHEEKY word
braved the frown and growl of IN
happy Bridget and somehow, as they
always will, got away down into her
heart, bringing light and a new
warmth there. 1t set her to thinking.
The little girl had preached her a bet
ter and stronger ermon than the par
o could have done. She felt sorry
and concluded she would be bright
and happy, too. So, instead of letting
the meat get as dry and brown as the
frown had been upon her face, and in
stead of swimming it in grease, she
cooked it just to a turn. The mullins
in the oven felt the change of atmos-
phere and came out of the oven light
and just tinged with that appetizing
brown, instead of the usual deep brown
and burnt bottoms. As she brought in
the well-prepared meal, the master
heard her coming and ill-naturedly
muttered to himself hat he supposed
the meat was as tough as leather and
swimming in the black gravy as usual.
But Bridget came in with a CHEEKY air,
she forgot to set the dishes down with
a bang, and everything looked so I'M
usually good that the ill-humor of the |
master of the house was driven away.
The other members of the family
caught the brightness and cheer, and
the little girl found she was not alone
with her smile and merry voice. And
the day so well begun ran all the dayon
that little girls smile and CHEEKY
Good morning" The ripples went dir
cling out until they touched the office
and store and business world of the |
merchant, the social sphere of the
mother, the. schoolroom and play
ground of the children. Sister, who
was generally SO unobliging because
SO full of her W plans, had time to
help brother with the hard parts of |
his lesson, and SEM him off to the knot |
of playmates with new impulses at
work in his heart which made it, easy
for him to be unselfish in his play and
more thoughtful towards others. How
that smile vas multiplied! How that
CHEEKY "Good morning" went ringing
down all through the day like the
words spoken in the grand canyons
of the west go bounding from rock to
rock as the echoes increase and null
tiply, seemingly indefinitely, in the
distance! That little girls may
have been Mary, or Jane, or Clara, or
any one of the thousand and one names
borne by girls, but it's what hat little
girl did and not her name, that lives for |
us and interests us. So it is with the |
lad with the 1oaves and fishes. So it
may be with you, my boy, and you, my
girl. You may be one of the boys or
girls to carry the loaves and fishes
which Jesus will Use to bless the ever
widening circle of those about.