The Poorhouse Waif and His Divine Teacher

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herself, but she soon became dissatisfied with the farm and thought best to move away to another part of the country. The place decided upon was near a public highway

see him go so far away from her home. She therefore decided to ask Mrs. Fischer to allow the boy to stay through the summer mo

e were bright like Elmer, I wouldn't be surprized, but Ed is such a blockhead. You can have him, th

e farm leaving him behind. To be left in the care of the old couple whom he was learning to love so dearly was indeed a happy change, but how great it was none but him and his heavenly Father could understand. Surr

r continued his underhanded work of taking things that did not belong to him, he became more an

od and hay and clouds of smoke filled the air. Rushing to the door, Mrs. Fischer saw that the barn was wrapped in flames. With a scream for help s

e wind was in their favor, no other building besides the barn was lost, and fortunately the disaster had occ

him to learn to smoke if he ever expected to appear like a man. Accordingly, with a few stolen matches in his pocket and some corn-stalks cut into cigar-lengths, he had gone to a place back of the barn for his first lesson. He had not intended to have his actions upon this particular occa

ached the ears of Mrs. Hahn, she said: "Edwin, you should be very thankful that you were not there. Had you been, Elmer would no doubt have laid the blame on you, and in her fury your mother mi

nt that he had no desire to return. He was therefore very sad when he was told in the fall that the farm was sold and that

any things and can do your work so well. I will see that Mr. Hahn goes with you and will have him explain to your mother what you can do, and when she sees that yo

hey had both heard but only Mr. Hahn had seen. If Edwin had expected to find a pile of rubbish to be cleared away where the ruins of a barn was resting, he was

nt that her son had arrived, "I suppose you are very glad to be

nk of bringing him back. I think you have misunderstood Edwin; for he seems so very anxious to learn and asks so many questions about everything that I have found it hard to find enough answers for them all. Then, when he has once learned a thing, he

Mr. Hahn said, "Good-by," and Edwin was left behind to begin again the kind of life that had been so hard and bitter. The kindnesses shown him during

nderstood, the family forced the poor little tired form to work far beyond its strength. But without complaint Edwin strove to do all the work assigned to him and t

and to hurry. And Edwin, though knowing that the stick was to be used upon himself, went to an apple-tree and cut from it a good strong branch. Even under such extreme circumstances he was determined to do his best. As he handed the stick to his mother

at she was doing, and, fearful lest some one discover him thus, she ceased her cruelties and commanded Edwin to get u

ut it was some time before he could stop the flow of blood from his mouth. Looking at himself in the glass, he saw that a portion of his lip was cut and loosely hanging so that the teeth behind it were exposed, and the blood was still running from his mouth. Until

ntending to do what he could to help with the evening work, but he could not suppress the sobs that were welling up from his poor troubled and wounde

n can have in life, it would be b

to see what it all meant, she said: "Ah, Ed! I heard you speak, and this time your words were not those of an idiot, but wise and full of reason. But how dare you wish yoursel

lly some powerful being by the name of God above me in the sky?" Instantly a feeling of awe and reverence filled his soul, and something within him told him th

er, uncle, and the children in ways that he was sure were wrong. If God could hear everything, what must he think of the people who would talk about him thus? He wondered, too, why Mr. Ha

hat are in heaven, and in earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of