Year: 1871

" Tell us story, grandfather said on,
Of group Of boys, aud all the others Joined
in; Yes, grandfather, tell us story"


u" Shall it be about the four words" ask.
ed grandfather.


" Yes they all cried with one accord
But they did not know what the four word.
were. Grandfather told them as you will
now read


d" My father grated pear tree it was O
very choice graft, and he watched it with great
care. The second year it blossomed, but il
bore but one pear. As there were no more
that year, my father was the more anxiou.
about it. He hoped that no rough wind
would blow it off; he looked at it every MORN
ing and evening, and was glad to find it all
safe. He told all the children on no account
to touch it, for the fruit was tender and must
not be handled. do not believe the thought
ever struck him that any one of his children
could wish to steal it.


Every one that came to see my father
was asked to look at that pear and they all
agreed that it was likely to ripen into a first
rate fruit they also said that the tree would
bear many more next year, and that he had
made a capital graft.


" never touched the pear with my fingers;
but my eyes were often fixed upon it., and my
heart coveted the taste of it. | did not keep
my heart from this wicked coveting, and
therefore | became a slave to it. The desire
Of that pear was my master.


Zone night after we were in bed, that
master would not let me sleep. crept W
and went to the window My father aud
mother were not at home, but the back door
was left open for them to get in, if they came
late put my head out of the window and
saw the tree after while | saw the pear.
thought my mouth was parched, and must
have something juicy to moisten it, crept
down the back stairs on my naked feet out at
the door, and to the tree. 4 thought came to
my mind; What will father say3 and an
swered, He will not know So had already
settled it in myselfthat | would take the pear
and eat it. | stood under the tree | looked
up with my hand stretched out and saw a
star looking down upon me through the leaves.
All at once it was as if | heard the four
words Thou God, seest me. | put my
hands before my eyes, and ran as fast as |
could to the opened door, up the back stairs.
and to my bed. There | stood trembling. |
knew that God had seen me, and thought my
father and mother and the servants aud the
neighbors must know it, and that everybody
would call me thief. But | crept into my
bed, and after while felt so glad that did
not take the pear; and | fell asleep and slept
sweetly. As soon as | saw my father, on the
following morning | marked his face, it was
so pleasant he said the pear was ripe; it
might be taken down and eaten; who was to
have II? cried out, hardly knowing what
did, God was to have itr This was so
strange an answer, that my father and mother
looked wondering; and father said very
gravely, what put that into your headP |
felt that my cheeks were burning hot, tears
came into my eyes, and trembling came over
me again. | began to sob, and to tell all
about it; how | was tempted to steal the pear.
and how | was kept from it. My mother
cried aloud father himself wiped his eyes
took me very tenderly to his breast, and said,
Then it shall be as you say God shall have
the pear and it shall be a treat to one OF
Gods dear children. Are you willing, he
asked mother, that we should give it TO poor
little Annie, who has been so long on her sick g.
bed, often with parched lips, and rarely with
anything to refresh her but cold water p
Mother consented willingly enough. She
herself went with me to carry the pear to the
dear, patient sufferer; and oh how she ioyed
and thanked us 1t did me more good than
IT l had really had dozen such pears given
me freely, to eat without fear or trembling.


Since that day, | have had the four words
on my mind more times than | can count up
Ask of God, my boys. to write them into your
hearts that you may never forget, in the time
Of temptation or of want, of sorrow or of
peril, this truth which warns, restrains, and
comforts Thou, God, seest me-"