THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
In the spring, Frankie commenced going to school. Miss Campbell, his
Sabbath School teacher, received a dozen little boys and girls at her
own house. They were all nearly of an age and old playmates, so a merry
little company they made--full of fun and mischief; but never had school
a gentler, lovelier mistress than Miss Campbell, or Miss Ruth, as she
wished the children to call her.
The first day of school was as delightful as April sunshine could make
it, and Frankie’s heart seemed full of sunshine; at least it shone out
of his bright eyes, as he kissed his mother, and bidding Aleck good-bye,
he ran down the walk, and disappeared behind the poplars. His mother
and Aleck watched till the trees hid him from view, then Mrs. Western
took her sewing, and Aleck his book. He studied a little each day and
always looked forward to the lesson hour with pleasure, but this morning
a sigh escaped him as he turned from the out-door sunshine to the
in-door work. Full of pity for the patient child, Mrs. Western sat down
beside him, and smoothing his hair caressingly, said, “It is hard, my
child. I wish you could go too, but your heavenly Father knows best. He
does not willingly afflict you.”
The tender words brought tears to his eyes, and, resting his head
wearily on his hand, he said, “I ken it is a’ for the best, I hae a guid
hame. You are like my ain mither. The Laird is guid, but I am sae
tired.”
“You will not feel so tired when you can be out in the air more,”
replied Mrs. Western, cheerily. “Keep up your courage. You may be a
strong, hearty boy yet.”
“Please tell me about heaven. It seems to me it is a bonny country, fu’
o’ singin’ birds, and wi’ the ‘green pastures and still waters;’ but I
read in the Book that the streets were a’ paved wi’ gold.” The boy’s eye
brightened as he spoke of heaven.
“‘Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into
the heart of man to conceive’ the beauties, the glories of heaven,” said
Mrs. Western; “but this we know, that our Father is there, and that we
shall be free from pain, and sorrow, and sin. It will not be long before
we shall _know_ for ourselves all the glories of that home.”
Thus they talked of heaven until Aleck forgot all the suffering and
weariness of earth.
Frankie reached Miss Campbell’s just in time to get his seat before
school commenced. Miss Campbell read a brief chapter in the Bible, and
offered an earnest prayer to God, that he would help them to do right
and perform all their duties faithfully. Then the lessons were assigned,
and they all went to work in earnest. “‘New broom sweeps clean,’” said
Mrs. Keller, grimly, as she looked in upon them in the afternoon. “Wait
a week or so and your hands’ll be full. Mark my words, Ruth, those
young ones will torment the life out on ye.”
Miss Ruth smiled, and looked hopefully at her little charge, as she
said, “I don’t expect to escape my share of trouble, Mrs. Keller, but I
do not think that much of it will come by these little ones.”
The children heard the conversation, and mentally resolved to be very
good, in order to disappoint Mrs. Keller and to please Miss Ruth.
When school closed they all joined in singing one of their Sunday school
hymns--“Let us walk in the Light.” Frankie lingered a little after the
others went out, and going to Miss Ruth said, “Won’t you tell me,
please, just what it means to walk in the light? Is it to be good?”
“To be good?” said Miss Ruth. “Yes; those who walk in the light of God’s
commandments are good. But I will explain it. If you were walking alone
in the woods on a night so dark that you could not see one step before
you, would you not be in danger of falling? And if, in the path, there
were deep holes, fallen trees, and tangled underbrush, would you _dare_
to walk in such a place on a dark night?”
“No, ma’am,” said Frankie, promptly. “I’d take our lantern, and then I
guess it wouldn’t be so very easy.”
“Not _very_ easy, perhaps,” Miss Ruth replied, “but if in your lantern
you had so bright a light that you could see your path plainly, then you
could walk around a fallen trunk, separate the tangled briers, and avoid
the dangerous holes. With such a journey before you, would you not be
very grateful to a kind friend who would offer you such a lantern,
saying, ‘Take this to be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your
path. If you walk in this light, and trust to me, I will guide you
safely through the wilderness into the pleasant land beyond, where you
will need no light, and where you will forget all the rough way in which
you have come, or remember it only to sing praises to Him who was your
Guide and Friend.’”
“Oh, Miss Ruth,” Frankie said eagerly, “I know what you mean. The light
is the Bible, and the pleasant land is heaven. Mamma once told me
something like what you have said.”
“Then, Frankie,” said Miss Ruth, “remember to ‘walk in the light’ of
God’s word.”
Bidding his teacher good-night, Frankie went home, his heart full of
what he had heard about the “light of God,” and of resolutions to “walk
in that light.”
When he went in he found Aleck watching for him, anxious to hear about
the school. So he told him the events of the day, and the conversation
he had with Miss Ruth, adding, in conclusion, “and I’m going to try to
walk in the light, Aleck. Let us read the Bible the first thing in the
morning, before we have a chance to do anything wrong.”
“Yes,” said Aleck, “and then we’ll pray.”
“And ‘watch,’” added Mrs. Western. “Watch over your thoughts and
feelings, and all the little actions of the day. Trust in God, watch and
pray, and He will give you the victory.”
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