A
Afew steps brought them to an old block, where their young guide stopped.
"May I run in and tell mother you're coming. She's so very sick, sir."
"Yes, but be as quick as you can. I must catch the next train to E——"
Before they had time to miss him, the boy returned, his face very, very sad.
Bertie instinctively caught his hand, as they followed him to the humble chamber.
A woman lay there in the last stages of consumption. On a table near her was a cup, a tumbler, and a spoon, all empty.
"You are in distress," said Mr. Curtis, in a soothing tone; "tell me what you need."
"Nothing for myself. I shall soonbe where want and sorrow shall never enter; but it is hard to leave my boy alone."
"Is he your only child?"
"The only one left of five. He will soon be an orphan."
Mr. Curtis stood a moment gazing about as if trying to judge from the surroundings something of the character of the inmates, when he caught a glimpse of Bertie.
The boy's eyes were fixed on his face with such an eager, wistful gaze, as if he wondered his father did notoffer relief, that he resolved at once to befriend the orphan.
"You say," he began, "that you hope soon to be in heaven. Cannot you cast your care for your child on your heavenly Father?"
"I have tried to; but sometimes my faith is weak. He has been taught his duty to God. I"—
A fit of coughing interrupted her, after which, Mr. Curtis hastened to say:
"I will be a friend to your boy. I must leave you now; but here is asum of money, you will need for immediate wants. I will try and call again before night. In the meantime, what is your name?"
"Martha Washburn."
They hurried away, reached the cars just in time, found exactly what they wished, smoke trees, tartarian honeysuckles, azalias, etc., etc., ordered them to be ready for Mr. Grant's team Monday noon, and then went back to the city.
Bertie enjoyed everything. The long rows of trees, the neat lines ofbushes; but his heart was full of Jimmy Washburn. His little hand nestled itself into his father's, and every chance he had to speak, he repeated,—
"Oh, papa! I do love you. I do thank you so much. How glad that poor woman looked when you told her you would take care of her boy."
Mr. Curtis told his wife afterward that he kept thinking, as he saw Bertie's flushed, eager face, of the text, "of such is the kingdom of heaven," and prayed that God might keep hisheart like that of his pure-minded boy.
Before he left the city, he made arrangements for Jamie's admission to a mission school, where he would be well educated, and then sent to a home in the great West. Then they hurried to Woodlawn to receive a warm welcome from mamma, Winnie, and a smile from little Violetta.
M
My young reader, I hope ere this you have come to love our little Bertie, and are sorry that this is the last chapter of the last volume about him and his sister Winnie.
I love Bertie dearly, and should like to tell you much more about him; but in the short space that isleft I can only relate a few words of his after life.
Suppose I were to say that he became a liar, a thief and a Sabbath-breaker, would you believe me? You could not, because you have seen that he loved God and feared sin. You know how he grieved when he disobeyed his parents; and how earnestly he confessed his fault to his heavenly Father. You know how he tried to conquer his impatience, and to be a dutiful, loving child. You know how earnestly he endeavored towin every one around him to be good; and how anxious he was to make others happy. Have I convinced you that in order to be happy yourself, you must make others so? If I have, I shall be well paid for writing the history of Bertie and his friends.
Perhaps you will remember that he was not over fond of study when he first began to attend school; but when his mamma explained to him that in order to become a useful member of society, as his father was, he must learn to read, write and spell, whichwere the first steps toward acquiring a good education, he made it a duty to learn every lesson thoroughly, so that by the time he was sixteen years old he was prepared to enter college.
In the meanwhile Winnie had come into her teens, and little Violetta was no longer the baby; for there were a pair of beautiful twin brothers at Woodlawn, "as near alike," Mrs. Dodge declared, "as two peas in a pod."
In the quiet, country town of Oxford Mrs. Curtis had gained healthand strength. Of course, with so many little ones, her family cares had greatly increased, but with faithful Nancy in the nursery, she found time for visiting the poor and distressed, all of whom felt well assured that no one in need of help would be refused aid from the kind family at Woodlawn.
On a cold, windy December night, the inhabitants of Oxford were startled by cries of "Fire! fire!" What was their horror to see the flames coming from the large barn over the lake. With one accord men, womenand children rushed from all parts of the town to offer aid in extinguishing the fire. It was, indeed, not the barn, but only an immense stack of hay behind it. Mr. Curtis, with the aid of his men, soon succeeded in extinguishing the flames; but the neighbors, once aroused, could not be persuaded that all the dear family were safe, until they had caught a glimpse of every member.
Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were deeply affected at the kind solicitude manifested for their safety; and whenthey tried, with tearful eyes, to express it, Mr. Taylor answered for the rest:
"Don't talk of thanking us for wanting to preserve one of God's greatest blessings to us. Oxford would be a sorry place enough without our dear ones at Woodlawn. No, my friends, we all feel that you belong to us, from the Squire down to the tiny babes in the cradle. We're thankful you didn't need our aid to-night to put out the fire; yet if you ever do, there isn't a man,woman or child in Oxford, but would be proud to render it, for there isn't one who hasn't received some good at your hands."
When the hearty speech was ended, Bertie went around among the people, shaking hands and thanking them earnestly for their kindness; and then they quietly returned to their homes.
1. Minor changes have been made to correct typesetter's errors; otherwise, every effort has been made to remain faithful to the author's words and intent.
2. The original physical book used decorative endcaps on several of the chapters, to fill empty space at the foot of the page; the transcriber has added decorative endcaps to the chapters that lacked one, for consistency in presentation.