TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING.
One day a little fellow was seen walking back and forth on the road
from the store to his home, looking serious, and with eyes close upon
the ground. A wagon going by, the man called out, "Charlie, what are
you doing?"
"Oh, I lost something, and I'm just trying to find it."
And he kept hunting a long while between his home and the store to
find whatever it was he had lost. His mamma had sent him to the store
to get some groceries for her. He received the change into his hand, a
nickel, and coming home he lost it. His mamma thought he could not
find it, but he continued seeking until he did.
"Mamma, I found it," he came in saying, "I knew I could. You thought I
couldn't, now you might give it to me." His mamma laughed and then
asked him to bring in some water. After he had set the bucket of water
on the table he said, "What do you think I was thinking about when I
was hunting for that five cents?"
"I can't tell, son."
"Well, mamma," he said, "I would like to be a Christian, can't I? I
would like to be baptized soon."
His mamma always prayed that her children might grow in grace as they
grow in years, but this was unexpected. She answered: "I am glad you
think about that, Charlie, but you are too young now."
"How old must one be first?"
"Well, that varies a good deal, I know."
"I'm _nine_ years old."
"Yes, I know."
"Ain't nine old enough?"
"But you must think about it more, Charlie."
"More! I've been thinking about it a long time a'ready."
"Well I'll talk to papa about it, and we'll see what he says. You know
we want you always to do right," said his mamma, and he got his
magnet, and put pins together and magnetized a needle, and made it
swim, and point north and south.
That night after both children were asleep, their parents talked a
good deal about what Charlie had said.
"Charlie wants to unite with the church."
"He does? When did he say so?"
"Just to-day, and he is in deep earnest about it, too. I don't know
what to think, hardly."
"I hardly think he realizes fully, what he wants to do."
"Poor little fellow, what do you think I had better tell him?"
"I don't know. Suppose he should come and then not hold out. You see
that would be bad."
"Yes, and then, papa, what wrong has he done?"
"That's so."
"But you remember four years ago when a certain lady was here on a
visit, how she happened to express her unbelief in God. No one thought
the children heard a word of it. Charlie was gone in a moment, we
thought to play, when he brought in the Bible and laid it on her lap
and said, 'Read that, it will tell you what to do.' I always did think
Charlie would be a Christian very early in life."
"Yes, I am glad for it, too,--but I guess we'd better wait a while
anyhow, and see if he really wants to come," said his papa, and the
matter was dropped, and other things were talked about.
Several days passed by till the subject was brought up again. Then
Charlie said:
"Nine years; old enough to go to school, old enough to do work, old
enough to do good or bad, and not old enough to be baptized. Mamma, I
do wish I could."
"Charlie, you never did anything bad."
"Must I do something bad before I can join the church?"
"No, no, but you're so young, you don't need to yet."
"Well, I can't see--" he said, and then, with tears in his eyes, he
took Bessie by the hand, and went down across the lot to the old apple
tree, where they had a swing and spent often many happy hours.
In a day or two after that, Charlie mentioned at the table, his desire
to be a child of God. "I am sure I would hold out," he said, "and if I
couldn't I'd be just where I am now. But I could, for Jesus helps,
don't He?"
Then nothing more was said for several months about his becoming a
child of God. It seemed as if he had forgotten his desire to find
something of heaven so young.
The summer was over. All the peaches on the side of the mountain and in
the valley had been gathered. The leaves of the trees were yellow and
golden, and many had already found their resting place upon the ground.
Charlie and Bessie had both been going to school for six weeks already.
It was Saturday. There was to be preaching at Welty's that day, and a
love-feast in the evening. Charlie had been thinking about the
thirteenth chapter of John and the fifteenth, and when all were about
ready to go to the meeting he said, "Now, if you had let me join the
church last summer, when I wanted to, I could have enjoyed this meeting."
"Why, my dear boy," said his mamma, "you can enjoy it anyhow, can't you?"
"No," said he, "not as I'd like to."
And they all four got into the carriage and started off to the
meeting, not saying very much.