OSCAR'S SORROW.
IT was a long time before either Mrs. Monson or Charley could quiet the
lad. The lady saw that he had a kind heart, and she hoped much for him
from her son's influence. She saw that his mother was wholly unfit to
manage him, and she determined to have some talk with her.
When Oscar began to grow calm, she told Charley to take the books to
the outside door, and show him the nice pictures. Pretty soon she heard
them talking and laughing together, and then she told Mrs. Russel that
she wished to help Oscar to be good, so that he would be a comfort to
her.
"It's little enough he is now," she answered, quickly.
But, after the lady had talked long and earnestly with her of her
own duties as a mother, and reminded her that God would hold her
responsible for the manner in which she trained her boy; she confessed
that she had no patience, that she was passionate and often whipped him
when out of temper.
She thanked Mrs. Monson over and over again, and said she would try to
do better; and Oscar should go to Sunday school or anywhere else the
lady said was best.
Mrs. Monson was surprised, when she left the house, to find that the
sun had set. She looked at her watch, and found it wanted only half an
hour to seven; but when they were riding home, she told Charley she
felt greatly encouraged both for the mother and son.
"If they will do as they have promised," she said, "I shall be well
paid for my afternoon's work."
This was Saturday. The next Tuesday, Charley was looking from the
window, when he saw Oscar at the gate, gazing wistfully toward the
house, as if he would like, but dared not, to go in.
[Illustration] "Have you come to see me?"
He ran out quickly to meet him. "Have you come to see me?" he asked.
"I found some posies. Do you like posies?" inquired Oscar, bashfully
crowding the flowers into the boy's hand.
"Oh, how pretty! Come in, and let us show them to mother."
The rest of the afternoon was passed by the happy children in the
nursery, looking at Charley's toys.
Once Mrs. Monson thought, "I must talk with him before he goes;" and
she went quietly to the nursery door for this purpose, but stopped
suddenly.
What do you think kept her from going in? She heard Charley's voice
saying,—
"I know it's hard, Oscar; but Jesus will help you, if you really try to
be good. Did you ever pray to Jesus?"
"No, I never did. I don't know how."
"Let's kneel down, then, and pray now," the little missionary went on.
Then he began,—
"Dear Jesus, Oscar wants to be good. Will you help him; and help his
mother, too, and me; and forgive all our sins; and let us go to heaven
when we die? For Christ's sake. Amen."
"I don't know what it means," said Oscar, softly.
Then Mrs. Monson opened the door quietly, and, calling the boys to her
side, she told the poor, ignorant child, of the dear Saviour, who came
into the world to save children, and all who will trust in him. She
told him that God was our heavenly Father, who loves us, and wants us
to be good; that his eyes are everywhere, seeing what little boys do,
and what they need to make them happy; and his ears are everywhere, so
that he can hear the faintest whisper spoken to him by any little child
who wants help to do right.
Oscar looked very solemn while she was talking, and then said,—
"I would like to be good if it would make me like Charley. I think
Charley is the best boy in all the world. I'd rather take a hundred
lickings than to hurt him again."
When Mr. Bryant went away, after leaving Charley's present, he made the
boy promise to send him word how his plan with Oscar succeeded.