Year: 1860

| sell.


ayes, Miss, gather them to bu.
bread"


"Will you sell them to me?"


"Oh, yes, but your mamma said she hat
enough for to-day"


$50 she has, but l would like these; how
much are theyi"


Eighteen pence"


Quietly she put her hand beneath her pill
low, and drew out a little silken purse
Counting out six shillings, she put the mo
ney into the cbild's hand. "There, l know
you will make good use of it; land now
take the strawberries to your sister, witt
my love-"


Marianne looked at her and burst into
tears. "Don't cry, because that would
make mamma and me unhappy"


"Oh, you are so good"


"No, not good, only very happy ard
grateful when 1 can do little good. You
see, papa is rich enough to give me every.
thing l want, but this money is my own
to do with as will so it is no great sac
rifice that l make; you must not be toe
grateful. Come and see me again. What
shall l call your


Marianne"


"Lillie is not always as sick as she is
now," said Mrs. Bradford; sometimes she
can sit up three or four hours a day, and
then she earns this money to give away
1t is her greatest pleasure"


A blush, like rose-tint passed over the
cheek of the young sufferer, as she said,
at would be no pleasure for me to give
away that which cost me nothing. l have
been sick ever since was born, but papa
and mamma have spared no trouble or ex-
pense in obtaining teachers for ME, and it is
privilege TO use my best efforts to the lit
tie good can. l earn in my own way
this money and give it away, because the
only way in which can show my gratitude
to God for His mercies to me, and especial
ly for giving me such parents. You see l
cannot go about doing good as others can
-as you can Marianne, and every other
little girl, even though she has no money.
There are thousand ways of doing good,
and even though they may be small, they
are all acceptable to God. You have be-
gun by earning bread for your little sick
sister, and that is pleasing in his sight"


A look of satisfaction passed over Mari
anne's face; she had acted from the prompt
ings of natural affection without thinking
that it would be acceptable to God, but
henceforth she would act from the two-fold
motive of doing good and pleasing her
heavenly Father. That night the poor or
phan knelt down and prayed for strength
to keep her resolution and live to Him.


And thus it was, that from that little ST.
lent chamber, which parental love had fill
ed with all pleasant images of beauty, there
went forth an influence which bad drawn
many little lamb into the fold of the
Great Shepherd, many little child to bow
before the cross of bleeding Saviour.


Lille did not know, and she will not
know until she reads the record of her
good deeds in Heaven, that many young
sufferer in distant parts of our land watch
ed eagerly for the columns which appeared
over her simple signature, and when they
had read her words of sympathy, the
words which led them in holy trust to the
great comforter, many little weak and
trembling hands had been unconsciously
outstretched, as if over the wide barrier of
land and lake, and mountain, they would
grasp her hands and embrace her with
loving tenderness.


They were childish, sweet and simple
tales, but they led young children to Him
who said,


"Of such is the Kingdom Of Heaven."


But now, as Marianne stood and looked
upon the beauty of these large, spiritual
eyse,which seemed already to be gazing
far beyond the mists and vapors of earth
into the clear depths of the unseen and
eternal, she felt kind of childish awe
steal over her, and when Lille, extended
her little white hand and laid it upon her
own, she sunk down irresistibly upon her
knees beside the couch and wept from her
inmost heart.


"Don't cry, Marianne, only think of the
good God who permits you to go out into
His lands, to ramble in green fields, and
gather flowers and listen to the song of
birds and waterfalls. l have all these in
my dreams, and l will not murmur that l
cannot see them now; it may be that when
this frail body crumbles away, l shall look
down from the beautiful heaven and see
for the first time the glory of the lower
world. But 60 now, and come again to-
morrow"


And on the morrow Marianne did come;
again she brought Strawberries, covered,
with their own fresh leaves, and wild flow
ers twined around the basket. She was
leaving them at the door "for the dear
young lady who had been so kind to her,"
wher Lille heard her voice, and she was
compelled to 60 in. The strawberries were
accepted much 10 Marianne's satisfaction,
who would have been wounded by any 9TH
er offer of payment, and this time pretty
little volume was bestowed upon each of
the sisters by Lille.


Mrs. Bradford visited the motherless
children, and administered to them until
the little sick Lizzie was restored to health,
and then the two were daily visitors at
Lilies bedside, bringing fresh flowers and
beautiful shells, which they gathered from
the sea shore, while they received from her
unnumbered lessons of trust and love-
Admission was obtained for them into
the free school and then into the Sunday