The Old Homestead

beside the

bow while

still and r

have gone

, I wonder if

ore helpless creature, or a more desolate home could not well be imagined. She was very small, even for her age. Her little sharp features had no freshness in them; her lips were thin; her eyes

a tenant house, which sloped down so far in front, that even the child could not stand upright under it, except where it was perforated with a small

mmoth skeleton, and loose boards, whose nails had rusted out, creaked and groaned under foot. They made audible sounds even beneath the shadowy tread of the little girl, as she glide

e will come!" she repeated,

er daily carried over them. They led by other tenement rooms, which sent forth a confu

ive vista, Mary Fuller might have given up in absolute despair, for she was an im

ed for an hour to one spot, gazing so earnestly

expectation, but something

is not the growth of prayer, or the conviction which follo

nto me, and forbid them not, for

always to creep upon her knees and ask God to let he

le of her soul grew strong. She f

ins of disobedience to confess-no vengeful tho

planted among evil arose before the child, to start

as the promise of a bright revelation yet to come; her heart was being unfolded to the sunshine, leaf by leaf, and God's angels might

er and stronger within the bosom of the child. His words, unheeded at the time, came back to her with power. The passages read

und her. From its pauper bed at Bellevue a strong earnest soul was pleading for tha

er home became a subject of self-reproach, and with a thoughtful cloud upon her brow, she set herself patiently to work drawing out all the scant eleme

darkness in her soul must turn to light when he came. With this intense desire arose a thought that

d come, but she felt sure he would be with her tha

cted her father without one word or promise to warrant the hope. That which had been faith an hour before,

ions that she had made. She crept to the window, and clinging with both hands to the sill, lifted herself up to see, by the shadows that lay among th

way to the eves," she exclaimed, hopefully, dropping down from th

I can do?" and she looke

fee-pot stove that occupied one corner, and the hum of bo

y back of his pillow-he mustn't miss it"; and opening a worn Bible that had seen better days, she found a passag

h the single pillow arranged so neatly

I will have ev

d the table itself; she employed another minute in giving its spotless surface an extr

en go as far as the corner to meet him! But this would be disobedience. How often had he told her never to loiter in the street or about the door? So she sat, stooping downward, and looking through the gleams of light that came through the open hall over flights of steps be

reflection, and leaped into her lap. Anything-the fall of a straw would have set Mary Fuller to c

rk now-he will not come. Oh, dear

he garret, stood a moment at the head of the stairs, and came bac

o firmness in it. Whoever mounted those stairs, moved with

ry pale and ha

back into the little room, "staggering, too!" and trembling with

r lips. She held out her arms,

my blessed, b

rtly on the shoulder of the child, whose frame shivered with joy beneath

pulse to rest at the head of the stairs. "I have got a fire-

though his lips were blue and his

chair of Mrs. Ford; isn't it nice? Let me put the

ivered out,

then knelt by his side and kissed his ha

ome now-they have let you grow worse at the hospital; but I-your own little g

do nothing for me, but I could not die without s

ather,

ps. An ague chill seized upon him, and ran in a shiver through his limbs; but it had no power to q

her must die here in his

f tea will drive it off. Here is the kettle, boiling hot; besides, you are hungry-ah, I thought of that; here are crackers and a dear little sponge-cake, and such nice bread and butter;

her tea to drawing by the stove, spread the little table, and pulled it close to her father, and strove, by a thousand sweet caressing ways, to entice h

fully through her tears, as he drained the second cup. It checked the shivering fi

warm?" said Mary,

man murmu

me. God bless you. But your m

hrunk away from the glance of

home in five or six d

ectly, Mary saw two great tears press through the qui

have so hoped t

see, by the glow upon his f

, and leaned her forehead

s, and lifting one pale hand from his

ar

so loving and holy in his face, that the child

I can speak, for in a litt

spital again-o

look up-be strong, my chil

pered the child

added, looking at his fingers and dropping them gently back to her shoulde

rth into a lo

crying, Ma

with touching awe, and choked

r, I l

th which those eyes

e Bible that I le

oh, yes, morni

at the good meet a

ke myself good enough to see you again; you will go,

th your mother-respectful

those people here, or comes home with that horrible bottle under her shawl, I c

, hush; these a

o one ever was so wicked-try ever so much,

, my

how, and you talk of-. Don't, fa

aid Fuller, gently; "He wil

long; I have asked

smile beamed over t

hat you had need of me, and came; see how G

you are with me, I feel strong; bu

verything give thanks," said th

till my heart see

sweet tea

them; and-mother, how could I gi

Mary-it is

ou suffer-how miserable everything was-how she left you to starv

sweeping the tears from his eyes with one pal

beneath th

them heavily before her, as if weighed down by a sense of her utt

your

r, when she degrade

of your parents, but commands y

gainst her mother she had asked God to forgive her, scarcely deeming her fault one to be repented of. A brief struggle against the memory of bitter ill-usag

all I do

, and a look of holy f

to save this woman, your mother and my w

all and ugly. She will never let me love her, and w

The power of doing good does not rest so much in what we possess, as in what we are. Gentle words, kind acts are more precious than gold. T

ight came into Mary's

father,

w a dee

good are n

, my c

ever u

ble, as the wicked ar

re; ask God to help me-

ng them upon her father's knee, buried her face there; then the lips of that dying man parted, and the last pulses of his life glowed out in a prayer so ferv

mb, and yielding to the might of a spirit which his prayer had drawn down from heaven. She also broke forth with a

e that of the child grew strangely luminous. Gradually mouth, eyes and forehead kindled with glorious joy, and instead

s, and thus, after a little time, they both sunk into silence-the child filled

very, very weak," he sa

ously strong within the last hour, and her soul, be

d the pillow under his

art could give forth i

in that

upon her head. It

illing now tha

re a human throb broke in her vo

little time, at most. For h

, I am

hap

ry happy,

is eyes, and a faint m

rvant depart in peace, for min

ws died off into cold grey tints, and upon his still face there rose a smil

e, the pale, pinched features were radiant as those of an angel. She had gone close to the gate of heav