Home Scenes.
The days of excitement and distress, so full of moment to Daph, were
succeeded by a time of comparative quiet and peace.
Every morning the kind voice of Rose Stuyvesant, broke in upon the
solitude of Daph and the little ones. Louise learned to look as
eagerly for the face of Rose as a flower for the sunlight, and to
turn as fondly towards it. There seemed to be for the little girl an
irresistible charm in the refinement and guilelessness of her new
friend; and the sweet words of holy teaching, that ever dropped from
the lips of Rose, had waked to music, a chord in the child’s heart,
that had long slumbered in silence. The sensitive conscience and
peculiar interest in spiritual things, that had marked her when under
her mother’s influence, became again evident. As from a weary dream,
she woke to the beauty and reality of religious truth.
Rose was no sentimental teacher, contented with exciting mere feeling,
that worked to no good end.
The unselfish devotion and respectful deference of poor Daph, had
fostered a slight imperiousness in the little Louise; and she had
learned to seek her own comfort, with but too little regard for the
feelings and wishes of others.
Rose soon saw that her little pet was in danger of becoming quietly
selfish, and unconsciously proud and dictatorial.
Tenderly, but faithfully, the young teacher pointed out to Louise the
germs of those hateful faults, growing and strengthening in the bad
soil of an evil heart; and the conscience of the child, made her deeply
feel the necessity of the warning thus affectionately given.
Bad habits, long indulged, are not easily overcome, even when the
highest and best motives govern the conduct.
“Put on my stockings, this minute, Daph! You are so slow!” said Louise,
one morning, putting out her white foot imperatively towards the
kneeling negro.
“Yes, yes, Miss Lou,” said Daph, humbly, “Daph do be radder slow; but
somehow she isn’t so spry as she used to be.”
This was not the only complaint that Louise had to make that morning;
every thing seemed to go wrong with her, and Charlie declared, “Sister
Lou” was so cross that he had rather go and play in the garden alone,
than stay anywhere near her.
Daph gave a sorrowful look at her young mistress, and then went to the
kitchen to prepare some of the tempting cakes which were now in such
demand, and Louise was left quite alone.
She took up a piece of sewing on which Rose had been patiently trying
to teach her to hem; but the thread “went in knots,” the needle pricked
her finger, and she threw the work down in despair, and began to cry
with all her might.
The door softly opened and a gentle hand was laid upon her shoulder.
“What grieves you, darling?” said the sweet voice of Rose Stuyvesant.
“Oh, oh!” exclaimed the little girl, not looking up, “I have been so
cross and naughty all this morning, I do not believe I am one of the
Lord Jesus’ little lambs, at all, and I am very, very unhappy!”
Rose sat down beside her little friend, and throwing her arm tenderly
around her, she said, “You must not be discouraged, my darling,
listen now to me. Suppose that you were so very sick, that if you
did not soon get better, you would surely die. Now, suppose a kind
physician should come to you and offer you some medicine that would
check your fever, and save you from the death that was so near. How you
would love him, and how willingly you would do all that he said was
necessary for you. It might be many, many weeks before you were quite
well; but how patiently you would take the medicines he ordered, and
how cheerfully you would follow his advice, until you were again full
of health and strength. And when you could walk about once more and
breathe the sweet, fresh air, then you would be most warmly grateful to
the kind physician who had come to your sick bed, and saved you from
expected death. Dear Louise, Christ has shed his blood to save you
from everlasting death, which is very near to all who are not the true
children of God. Whenever you put your trust in the dear Saviour, you
are safe from that death; but it may be long, long before your heart
will be clean from sin, and your bad habits will be wholly cured. What
says the kind physician to you? ‘Watch and pray. Strive to enter in at
the strait gate.’ You must be willing to struggle, patiently, against
your faults, trying to do right, and looking to God for strength to
go on. You must go forward cheerfully and hopefully, thinking of what
Christ has done for you, and dwelling on that happy time when you will
be safe in Heaven, and your heart will be full of gratitude to Him who
has saved your soul from death, and purified you by His grace. Do you
understand me, darling?”
“Yes, yes,” sobbed little Louise, “and indeed I will try--try harder.”
“Suppose you begin to-day,” said Rose, “to see if you cannot do
something for others; that is the best cure for selfishness. Here,
I have brought an apron for Daph, which I want you to make. It will
please her to think you have done it for her. She is so kind to you,
that you should try to make her happy.”
Louise had always accepted Daph’s services as a matter of course, and
it dawned upon her as a new idea that she was to try to make happy
the humble creature who never seemed to have a wish but to serve her
master’s children faithfully.
Little by little, Louise began to take hold of the idea that to be
Christ-like is to be useful, fond of making others happy, and forgetful
of self.
Daph resisted stoutly when Louise first proposed to dress herself, and
began by degrees to take some care of Charlie. “But,” thought the poor
negro, “Daph may die some day, and the sweet little mistress do be
right; she must learn to help herself a little, for nobody knows what
may happen.”
“Here Daffy, I have made this for you all myself!” said Louise,
joyfully, as she held up the apron, which after many days of secret
toil she had completed.
“For Daph, Miss Lou! and all made with those dear little hands. Now
Daph do feel proud!” and tears filled the eyes of the honest creature.
It was not the mere gift that made the heart of the negro throb with
pleasure; but it was the kind consideration, the patient thought for
her welfare that overcame her, as she said, “You do be like dear missus
now! Dat’s de way she used to speak to poor Daph.”
“Dear Daffy,” said Louise, bursting into tears, “I do not mean to be
ever naughty to you again. Indeed, I am very, very sorry. I am going
to be one of the Lord Jesus’ little children now, and you know he was
always kind and gentle.”
“Now de great Lord be praised!” said Daph, as she sank down quite
overcome. “Daph do be too full of joy, to hear dose words from her own
little dear. De Lord help her, and bring her to his beautiful home!”
To be able to read her mother’s Bible now became the dearest wish of
the little Louise, and with this strong motive she made rapid progress
in the daily lessons she took from her kind friend Rose. The patience
and perseverance of both teacher and scholar were at length rewarded.
Louise was able, after a few months of careful instruction, to take her
mother’s Bible, and, in her sweet, childlike way, read the words of
truth and beauty that flowed from the lips of Him who “spake as never
man spake.”
The leaves, brightened by early frosts, still fluttered on the trees,
and the soft air of Indian summer floated in at the open windows. A
lovely autumn day was drawing to a close. Daph and her little charge
had taken their simple evening meal, and for a moment there was silence
in the cheerful room.
“Daffy,” said Louise, “I will read to you now out of the dear book.”
Daph sat down reverently on her low bench, and Charlie, in imitation,
quietly took his own little chair.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” read the subdued voice
of the child, while the negro bent forward to catch each word of the
beautiful psalm.
“She do be one of the great shepherd’s lambs, sure ’nough,” murmured
Daph, as the little girl closed the book and said,
“Now Daffy, we’ll sing a hymn.”
Little Charlie joined his voice with that of his earnest sister, and
poor Daph, ’mid fast flowing tears, added her notes of praise to that
evening hymn. Joy and peace that evening pervaded those few hearts in
that humble room, for it was bright with His presence who has said,
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the
midst of them.”