"Working Overtime."
The time came when "Little Abe" was much sought after to speak at
week-night meetings, such as tea-meetings, missionary meetings, and the
like. It was considered a great point to have him as one of the
speakers; they were sure to have a lively time if Abe came--for what
with his own original speech, his running comments and responses while
others were talking (a liberty which every one allowed him), he kept
the whole meeting alive throughout.
This was what he called "working overtime." All his Sundays were
given, as a matter of course, to the Lord's work, and the week-days to
his daily calling; consequently what he did, in this way had to be done
at nights, after his day's work was finished. Now as this kind of work
grew upon Abe, there were some who would tell him he was doing too
much, that he would injure himself; but he would remind them that when
he had to work at the mill night after night, week after week, no one
ever thought of telling him he was doing too much. "No," would be the
response, "because you were paid for that." Then Abe's soul was
roused. "Well, and does the' think my Father doesn't pay me? Bless
Him, He owes me nowt, He's paid me double wages for every minute I have
warked for Him." And so he went on serving the Church and honouring
God to the utmost of his ability.
LITTLE ABE AND THE MULE.
He had a singular experience one dark rainy night when going to a
missionary meeting at Shelley. He was late in arriving, so that the
meeting was somewhat advanced when he put in an appearance. As he
entered the chapel he was greeted by a burst of clapping, and in a
moment every face brightened at the sight of him, though, to tell the
truth, he was rather unsightly, for he was bedabbled with mud from his
feet to his head, and his big umbrella looked as if it had been on the
spree and rolled in the gutter; altogether he appeared in unusual style
for a public meeting. It was no matter to him, however. He just shook
himself like a dog out of the water, placed his bundle of whalebones
and gingham in a quiet corner, rubbed his numbed hands together, and
went smiling on to the platform. Nothing would satisfy the people but
that he should speak at once, so he rose to his feet amid the hearty
clapping of the whole audience, and said, "I niver knew so mich of th'
trials of missionary wark in my loife as I do naa. I've been in
trainin' for this meetin'. I've had to endure storms, rain, tempest,
and dangers seen and unseen, for it wor that dark on th' road I could
hardly see mysen, so, loike a returned missionary, I think I ought to
let yo' knaw some'at abaat my trials." (Hear, hear.) "Well, yo' knaw,
when I promised to come to this meetin', I meant being here somehaa,
but I 'av had a job. I thowt as I wor comin' I would mak' it as easy
as I could for mysen, so I borrowed aar neighbour's mule. I didn't
knaw mich abaat riding, so he telled me I wor to keep tight hold o' th'
bridle, as th' owd mule had a way o' tumblin' fore'ards. Well, I gat
on th' back wi' my umbrella oppen, for it wor pouring daan rain, and we
set off, all three on us, umbrella, th' mule, and me. We gat on
alroight most o' th' way. I had to scold th' owd animal sometimes, and
tell him to get on or we'd be too late for th' meeting, so we kept
gaining a bit o' graand by degrees, but troubles wor ahead. What wi'
thinking abaat my speech and holding th' umbrella roight, I forgat to
keep a toight hold o' th' bridle, and all at once th' mule tript, and
th' umbrella and me went roight over his head into th' dike. I really
wor astonished at mysen, and didn't know which to blame--th' mule or
me. I think I ne'r gat off a cuddy so quick in my loife afore; and th'
owd mule would hardly understand me I daresay, for he stopt in a moment
and look'd over at me as if he wor wondering if I always gat off in
that fashion. However, I soon scrambled aat o' th' dike, and after a
good bit o' trying I maanted agean and set off on th' road; but I
hadn't gone far before I faan some'at wor wrang wi' th' bridle. I
couldn't guide th' beast roight somehaa, so I felt abaat to try if I
could foind aat what it wor, and behold I had gotten th' bridle all on
one soide. Well, I dar'n't get off to set it roight, so I wor fain to
let th' owd beast goa his own gait till we gat to Shelley."
The whole story was so amusing, and the more so as told in Abe's
inimitable style, that the people laughed themselves into tears; and
yet they could not but admire the zeal of the little man, and their
hearts warmed towards him, and to the missionary cause as well, for as
soon as Abe resumed his seat, the chairman, who knew how to take the
tide at its flood, called for the collection to be made, and there is
no doubt it was a good one. Just at that moment Abe shouted out,
"Bless the Lord, I've made th' collection speech to-noight."
A QUOTATION FROM SALLY.
At one of the meetings where "Little Abe" was a speaker, he was
exhorting the people to give freely to the Lord's cause. "Some folk,"
he remarked, "say that Methodists are always after money; well, we
canna' do very mich withaat it, I wish we could, it's a deal o' bother,
and takes sich a lot o' getting; and yet it is a far worse job to be
withaat ony." Then throwing his head over a little on one side he went
on, "Aar Sally says money is th' rooit of all evil, but I says, 'Aye,
lass, I knaw it wad be, if I wor to come home on Saturday withaat ony.'"
A LIST OF THE FAMILY NAMES.
At another meeting in which our little hero was speaking he got into an
exceedingly happy mood, and was dwelling on the honour of being a child
of God. His face shone with delight, his eyes glistened with joyful
tears. "Bless the Lord," said he, "I'm a King's Son, and one of a
royal line. Ah, and there are hosts maar in th' family besides me.
Let's see," said he, "there's Jonathan Cheetham, King's Son; there's
James Crossland, King's Son; there's James Carter, King's Son; Glory!
there's Mary Carter, King's Son. Hallelujah!" How far he would have
pursued the list of family names we don't know, had not the whole
meeting burst into laughter and tears at Abe's unwitting mistake in
calling Mary Carter a King's Son; but it was of no consequence to him;
a little slip of his happy tongue didn't mar his meaning; the people
cheered him, and on he went as blythe as ever.
It was reward enough for Little Abe to know that he had done his
Master's work and brought honour to His great name. The exertion which
these extra meetings entailed upon him, the long weary marches out and
home, were all performed without a murmur or the slightest abatement of
zeal. He didn't serve the Lord with a footrule in his hand, measuring
and marking off to the eighth of an inch. Abe strode over all narrow
and stinted measurements, and served his Master out of the fulness of
his warm and generous heart.
That miserable devotion which does as little as possible for God, and
magnifies that little into importance, Little Abe knew nothing about,
and he is a poor, pompous, pitiable thing that does; the open heart,
the willing hand, the ready feet, are among the few things that God
Almighty is pleased to see among His people; the penitent that sheds
his tears by the dozen, the man that goes just the length of his
sixty-feet tape-measure and no more, the champion that quenches his
zeal in the first obstacle that comes in his way, and turns back from
the fight, is unworthy the name and honour of a Christian; he is unfit
to march in the glorious succession of martyrs and confessors who
follow a Leader that dedicated His all to the world's welfare and His
Father's will. "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through
His poverty might be rich."