"I love him," continued the child, "and I should think you would;" then, after waiting a moment, he asked, "Did he cut your legs off?"
"No," said the man, laughing; "the doctor did it."
"I"m glad of that," said Frankie. "You ought to love G.o.d, and pray to him every day. Perhaps, if you did, he would let your legs grow again."
Willie almost laughed aloud; but Frankie was so eager to do the man good, that he did not hear him.
"I am afraid you are a wicked man," he said, "if you don"t pray any."
Mrs. Gray saw the cripple lay down his knife and fork, and gaze at the child; presently he spoke, but his voice trembled as he said, "I used to pray when I was a little shaver like you. My mother taught me."
"Where is she now?" asked the boy.
"She has gone up there, long ago," said the man, softly pointing his finger upward.
"Well," said Frankie, earnestly, "you can"t go to heaven and live with her there, unless you are a good man and love G.o.d. I used to be naughty once, but my mother whipped me to make me good."
"That"s too bad," said the cripple.
"No; it"s just right. The Bible says she must. I"m trying now to be a good boy; and I wish you would try too."
"I guess there isn"t much danger of you," said the man. "You"re the most wonderful chap I ever saw."
"I don"t know what _chap_ is," replied Frankie. "When I say my prayers to-night, I am going to ask G.o.d to give you a new heart; and then you can"t help being good."
"I wish you would," whispered the man, drawing his shirt sleeve across his eyes.
He pushed his chair back from the table, saying, "I"ve had a first-rate supper; and I thank you and your mother a thousand times for all your kindness."
Willie then stepped into the kitchen, and helped him from his chair into his carriage, at the back door. The man gave Frankie two of his handsomest pictures, saying, "Don"t forget what you promised to do for me to-night. I have n.o.body else to pray for me now."
CHAPTER VII.
THE RAINY DAY.
MISS GRANT gave her scholars Wednesday and Sat.u.r.day afternoons for play.
One Wednesday morning it rained very hard; and as Nelly was not quite well, her aunt thought it not best for her to go to school. Margie too had been unwell for a few days; so Mrs. Gray sent for her to come up to the nursery, that they might amuse themselves with their dolls.
Margie was eleven years of age; but she liked to play as well as ever.
She had Frankie"s black Dinah for her child; and then she had a large rag baby of her own, while Nelly had great f.a.n.n.y and two smaller dolls.
These they set up in a row, and played school; but just as they were ready to begin, Ponto walked into the room, and tipped the scholars over.
"O Ponto, how naughty!" exclaimed Nelly, laughing aloud, as he carefully stepped over the pupils, who were lying on their faces. "Now let us begin again."
So Dinah, and f.a.n.n.y, and Lily Gray, and Jenny, Margie"s doll, were all placed in nice order again, their backs up against the wall; and after a few words, charging the scholars to be very good and say their lessons well, Nelly rang her aunt"s small table bell, for them to take their places in the cla.s.s.
But not one of the dollies stirred; and so Nelly took Dinah"s hand, and led her out to the floor.
They played in this way for more than an hour, and then Nelly complained of the headache; and so her aunt sent her to lie down and rest till dinner.
In the mean time, Frankie had put on his India rubber boots, and holding a large umbrella, started off for school, as happy as possible. He had never been absent or tardy a single day; and his teacher had promised to paint him a beautiful card, if he continued his good conduct to the end of the term.
The dear boy was very much pleased at this, and was trying in every way to be good. He trudged gayly on right through the puddles of water, the rain pattering upon his umbrella, and dripping off upon the ground.
"I don"t care," said Frankie to himself. "It"s hard walking, I know; but I shall have a good time when I get there. My teacher will say, "I knew you would be here, Frankie, because you belong to the Try Company.""
When he reached the schoolroom, he found no one there but his teacher and Hitty; and how do you think they came so safely in all the rain?
Frankie laughed most heartily when they told him. They rode with the butcher in his covered cart.
They had kindled a nice fire in the open grate, and after the little fellow had stamped off the mud in the porch, he came in and stood by it to dry himself.
The clock struck nine; but not one more of the scholars came, because it was only a half day, the teacher said; and so Frankie and Hitty stood before her, instead of going on the gallery, and repeated the Lord"s Prayer.
Then she told them to bring their chairs close to the fire.
"What a funny little school!" said Frankie, laughing.
The teacher laughed too, and said, "I think we shall have a very pleasant time." She rang the bell, and Frankie marched out alone to his cla.s.s. Then she rung it again, and Hitty read and spelt. She could read quite well now, and was getting to be a very good scholar.
After this, Miss Grant said, "I must march with you, I suppose;" and so she stepped upon the circle; and they marched around and around, singing,--
"This is the way we wash our face,"
the teacher washing hers as hard as any of them.
At recess she took a piece of paper from her desk, and drew a pretty picture of a dog carrying a basket in his mouth, and told Frankie to draw one like it.
Frankie was delighted, and said, "This dog is like Ponto, only that it has a short tail instead of a long one."
Miss Grant then cut a paper doll for Hitty, and afterward one for Nelly. She made paper dresses, and ap.r.o.ns, and capes, and paper hats for their heads; and was so much engaged when she saw how delighted the children were, that she forgot she was teaching school, and never rang the bell for the close of recess for more than an hour.
They all laughed merrily, and Frankie, clapping his hands, said, "I like rainy days best of all!"
After recess, Miss Grant gave the children a lesson in geography, and then related a story of a boy, named Charles Huntington, who, by his honesty, uprightness, and faithfulness to his employer, became a great and good man. Having gained wealth, he gave freely of it to the poor and needy, and, after a long life of happiness and usefulness, died lamented by all who knew him.
Frankie listened attentively to the story, and then said, "I"m going to ask G.o.d to help me be like Mr. Charles Huntington."
And here we must leave our young friend, with the hope that the promise of early youth was verified in his manhood; that the seed sown in his young and tender heart, and watered by his mother"s tearful prayers, sprang up and bore abundant fruit.
As for his cousin Nelly, she continued with her aunt for many years, until her mother died, when she returned home to comfort and bless her father, and help train her little brother as she had herself been taught by her kind friends. She always entertained for Frankie the deep affection of a sister; and when he graduated from college with the first honors of his cla.s.s, no one rejoiced or felt more proud of his success than his cousin Nelly.