were happy, their hearts were full of expectation,--and Susan had got
herself quite ready, and, wrapping the two pieces of silver in a piece
of paper, she kissed Johnny, and set off on her way to the teacher's
house.
But when Susan came among the children there, somehow they all shunned
her. In their plays, if they had occasion to speak to her, they passed
on quickly, with a suppressed smile and hurried glance on each other.
If, by any means, she spoke to them, they looked upon her in
astonishment, without answering her words. They often whispered one to
another, casting curious looks upon her; so she knew easily they spoke
of her. What could it mean? What had she done?
I cannot answer this well. She had a gentle, sweet face; her manners
were neither rude nor obtrusive, and when she spoke, though her tones
were low, half fearful and trembling, still were her words as kind and
polite, if not kinder and politer, than those of the other children.
Poor Susan! and she had thought to be so happy that afternoon; she had
anticipated only kindly faces, and loving glances, and kind hands
stretched out to her in the plays. For once she had thought to mingle
with those pretty children as if they had been her sisters, and, when
she went back to dear Johnny, to tell him of their loving words. But
now--what! could she tell Johnny, to grieve him, of the sad afternoon
she was passing? She looked upon them more closely, trying to find out
what it was that separated her from them. 'Tis true she wore no bright
plaid dress and delicate cloth boots; she wore no bracelets on her arm;
she had not found them in her stocking that morning. There was no
necklace about her neck; her hair was not bright and curling; yet,
still, what could be the reason they shunned her so?
Susan tremblingly looked over her own dress. Her gown was scanty and of
cotton, her pantalets were long and narrow, but they were the best she
had; her mother had made them long ago, and Susan had so carefully
preserved them. On her feet she wore thick leather shoes; but she knew
how the money had been saved, little by little, from week to week, that
they might be bought. If they were thick, it was that they might last
the longer; and her hair was combed smoothly over her brow and braided
on her neck. Her hands, it is true, were not delicate, like theirs--they
were hard and red; but they had become so in working for the home, to
keep it clean, and working early and late, that the mother might not be
detained from her work out, and that the lame, sick brother should have
no little want unsupplied.
And was it that her hands were red and her clothes coarse that the
children shunned her--even, too, before they looked into her little
home, and saw what she did there, how she comforted Johnny, and swept
clean the floor, and even found some time to read out of her books?
Could they, with their bright frocks and rosy cheeks, have such very
weak and wicked causes for their displeasure against this poor child?
Could they so willingly hurt her heart, when she had come from so many
days of toil to what she had thought would be a day of pleasure, so that
she must often turn her head to wipe off the tears with her little red
hand? And these children, had they come to honor the Christ-child?
Their teacher had watched their games, and saw how they played among
themselves, and cast out the little Susan from their play; and she
thought that not only did they dishonor the Christ-child, but her who
had brought them all together.
But Susan still thought of the Christmas-tree, the present it should
bear for her, and how she should take hers home for Johnny; and she
thought, too, of the two little sixpences done up in the paper in her
pocket. Helen, too, was not unmindful of her bright gold-piece, and had
taken good care to show it before the eyes of all the children; and
Susan had seen it, and thought of Johnny,--how he had said he wished he
had still more to send to the children so far away,--and she thought the
little girl with the gold-piece must be happy enough to send it; and she
began to feel half ashamed that she had no more money, and, as their
unkind looks continued, she asked herself if she had any right to be
there.
But the Christmas-tree was ready. A servant came in and closed tightly
the shutters, so the room was all dark, and then the parlor-doors were
thrown open, and there stood the tall, beautiful tree, with candles of
all colors, which were burning like so many stars, and above it hung
the Christ-child, with a smile as of love, and his arms stretched out as
he would call them to him. And on the tree were nice gifts, books and
toys, pictures, and lace bags, tied with gay ribbons, filled with
candies. But Helen, and all the children who had found rich gifts in
their stockings that morning, turned indifferently from these, admiring
the novelty of the Christmas-tree.
But to the child they had neglected,--the little girl in the cotton gown
and coarse, thick shoes, the little Susan,--these gifts, as well as the
tree, were very precious; for she had not jumped eagerly from her bed
that morning to find rich presents in her stockings, for she did not
expect them to be there; she had awoke early to think of the visit to
the teacher's house, the sight at the tree, and the gifts it should bear
for her and Johnny.
So she prized her gift more than all!
When the children saw how carefully she put the little bags of
sweetmeats in her pocket, instead of eating them as they did, they
laughed among themselves, and said something about her which was _so
cruel_ and so unjust, that I shall not even tell you what it was. They
did not know she was saving the candy to eat with Johnny. Then, when she
pondered over her little book, in admiration, and held it carefully in
her hands, as though she was fearful of stretching it, they said to
themselves, she must be very ignorant to care for such a thing. But
Susan only shrank off by herself, thankful to have her portion in these
things.
After this, came the time when they would bring their offerings for
those children who live in the far-off lands, where there is no
Christmas; and the children began to wonder if Susan had any money, and
to show each other what they had. Then their teacher drew her chair
among them, and began to tell them what it really was to wish that
others might enjoy what we did; what it was to help them to do so, and
be careful not to rob them of one smile.
"This money which you would send to those children, that they may be
happy as you are, if it does not tell them of your love, is useless to
them. And if, to obtain it, you have, in any way, denied yourself of one
little thing, be sure God will look very lovingly upon you; and those
children, when you meet them in heaven, will put their arms about you,
and tell you of their gratitude."
When the teacher said these last words, Susan's lip quivered, and her
eye sparkled, for they were words of meaning to her; but they did not
affect the other children, for they were words of no meaning to them.
But Susan saw those children in heaven, in her fancy, and Johnny was
there, no longer lame and sick; they ran and played over bright fields,
and no one laughed at them, or repulsed them, or wore brighter clothes
than they. They threw garlands of flowers to each other, and when they
laughed the tones of their voices were like music.
Then the teacher called Susan to her side, and Susan put in her hand the
two little pieces of silver; and the children, when they saw how
carefully they had been wrapped in the bit of paper, exchanged glances,
and they who had the most money in their pockets smiled scornfully, as
children can, upon one another. The teacher asks Susan how the little
money was got, and the child answers in a low tone:
"Please, ma'am, they are Johnny's and mine; we saved them since you told
us so long ago."
And the teacher, as she thinks of the lame, sick Johnny, and what those
pennies might have bought him--how he had denied himself--feels the
tears come into her eyes, and she speaks to the children of Johnny, and
tells Susan that when she comes into heaven, she shall certainly see the
children she blesses now. But when she calls the others to her, and they
show her the money so easily obtained, the teacher will not take it.
"Since you denied yourself not one thing for it, how do I know _love_
made you bring it. And if love did not send it, how could it make the
far-off children happy? And how can you love those so far off, when you
have all helped to make this Christmas afternoon so unhappy a one to one
of the children I invited here with you? If you love not those close by
you, you cannot love those at a distance."
She told them how Susan nursed her sick brother; how she read to him,
watched over him with cheerful smile and kind love; what she did for her
brother's comfort, and she showed them that the two pieces of silver
from Johnny and Susan were really worth more in the sight of God than
their silver dollars and gold pieces.
Then she told them a story. When Christ was one day sitting in the
temple, he looked upon all those who came to put money in the treasury.
Many rich people, with proud airs and haughty hearts, threw in large
sums of money; people called them benevolent, and sang loud praises to
them.
But Jesus did not call them benevolent, neither did he praise them.
At last came a poor widow, bringing with her two mites, which made one
penny. She had saved them of all she had, and humbly, with love in her
heart, she threw them into the treasury. What a little, in comparison
with what the others had thrown there! and yet Jesus, who before had not
spoken, said of her:
"I say unto you, this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which
have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their
abundance, but _she_, of her want, did cast in all that she had, even
her living!"
And the teacher was careful to tell them, it was the spirit of love in
which the two mites were brought, not simply that they were two mites,
which made Christ bless the woman; for if, in the same spirit, she had
brought twenty mites, her blessing would have been the same.
The children saw, then, how shameful had been their conduct, and it
seemed just to them that the Christ-child should refuse their offerings.
But they asked if they might not give their money to Susan and Johnny?
"No," replied the teacher; "she does not need your money; she could give
you nothing in return for it. But, instead, you may give her your
love;--that she would like, and can return;--and, by-and-by, when you
have learned well your lessons of kindness, give the money where love
prompts you."
And, from that time, they began to learn these lessons; they saw how
Susan, if her clothes _were_ coarse, had in her heart what was worth
more than fine clothes, and all the riches which are in the world; and
if they would have their gifts acceptable to the Christ-child, they
must have such in their hearts!
* * * *
Susan went home happy--bearing on her arm a basket of grapes and oranges
for Johnny, to tell him how the teacher had sent them to him, and that
they must be more and more loving and self-denying, since their God
would love them.
The only Original Illustrated Juvenile Magazine published Once a Week.
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