"I wish I knew how to sew," Susy one day said to her nurse.
"I wish so, too," said nurse. "For then you could be always making aprons and things for your babies. And in time, you could make a shirt for your papa."
Susy smiled at this pleasant prospect.
"I'll go and ask mamma to teach me," said she, jumping up. "And I'll make my dollies some frocks, and some aprons, and some cloaks and bonnets. And I'll makeyouan apron, too, Robbie."
Robbie looked as if he admired Susy very much, and began to think, as he always did when pleased, what he could give her.
In the mean time their nurse had cut out a little white petticoat, and was basting it very nicely together.
"Is that for me?" cried Susy joyfully. "O Nursey!"
And Susy sat down, took the needle in her eager little fingers, and began to sew.
"Oh! you mustn't put the needle back and forth that way!" said nurse. "See here, the point of the needle should come towards you."
"Yes, I know," said Susy, and went on sewing all sorts of ways.
"That isn't right," said nurse. "When you learn to sew you ought to learn the best way."
"This is the best way," said Susy.
"Very well. If you know so much, there's no use in my teaching you," said nurse, feeling rather vexed.
"Oh! dear, here's an old, ugly old knot!" said Susy. She pulled the thread angrily and it broke.
"Fix it for me, will you nurse?"
Nurse joined the thread in silence. Susy took one more stitch and her needle unthreaded.
"I can't string my needle," said she.
"You must learn," said nurse. "See, this way. And you needn't talk about stringing it, as if it were a bead. Ah! well. I may as well thread it this time. But my! what stitches! Why, dolly will fall through between them."
"I guess I won't learn to sew," said Susy. "It's hard. Here's the needle. I'll put it back in your cush pinion for you."
"My pin cushion, you mean. But I should be ashamed if I were you, not to know how to sew. There was little Mary Jones where I used to live; she sewed like a woman. Such stitches! But then there are few children like Mary Jones."
"I thought you said she was the trial of your life," said Susy.
"Well! the child's memory!" said nurse, lifting up her hands. "You should not notice every thing I say, my dear. Now I'll tell you something. You learn to sew and you shall make a little bag to give to your mamma. Just such a bag as Mary Jones made for her mamma. Only yours shall be blue, and hers was pink. Come! that's a good girl! Your mamma will be so pleased!"
So Susy sat down again, and took a few more stitches.
"The needle hurts me!" said she.
"That's because you've no thimble. I'll lend you my silver thimble—the one your aunt gave me."
So nurse wound a large piece of paper round and round Susy's finger, and crowded the thimble over the whole. It looked like a helmet on a dwarf.
Susy took one more stitch, and sighed.
"I'm tired," said she. "And the thimble is so heavy!"
"Well, put your work away then," said nurse, "and when we go out I'll buy you a dear little brass thimble. But not unless you'll promise to be patient, and to try to learn."
Susy promised, but her promise cost her many tears. For her needle unthreaded, her thread broke, or got into knots, her hands were awkward and did not know how to behave, and then when she cried on her work, it made it hard to sew.
But every day, her hands grew more skillful. Finding they reallymustlearn to sew, they would not dispute about such a trifle, and you can not think how delighted Susy was to be able, one day, to carry her mamma the nice bag she had made for her.
"Thank you, darling," said her mamma. "I am very glad your little hands have made this for me, and I will keep it a great while. Why, when your aunt Laura was your age, she had made a whole quilt of bits of calico not much larger than the palm of your hand. The next thing I know, I suppose you will be writing me a little letter."
"Oh! I never could learn to write!" said Susy.
"Why not? Are not your hands just like mine? And they learned to write."
Susy smiled, and looked at her mamma's hands and then at her own, but did not have time to talk any more just then.
For just at this moment a carriage drove up to the door, and Susy ran to the window to see who had come. She saw two gentlemen alight, and presently her mamma was called down.
"You may come with me, Susy," said she.
So they went down together, and Susy saw that one of the gentlemen had soft white hair flowing down to his shoulders. She looked at his mild, kind face with great interest, and when he placed his hand on her head, and blessed her, she felt very happy.
"Mamma, is that the Apostle John?" she whispered.
Her mamma smiled, and shook her head, and Susy sat still, and listened to what was said, without speaking, for her little tongue had learned that it must keep still when older persons were talking.
After the visitors went away, she made up for lost time, by asking several questions all in one long row.
"Who was that man? What makes his hair so white? Did you see him put his hand on my head? I liked him dearly."
"That was a very good man," said her mamma, "and I hope God will hear the prayer he made for you when he put his hand on your head."
"That's the way Jesus put his hand on the heads of little children," said Susy. "I wish I had been there."
"That reminds me of a sweet little hymn that I copied from a book Mrs. Ray lent me. I must read it to you till you learn it. Come! we'll go right up stairs, and you shall hear it."
So they went up stairs, and Susy heard for the first time that beautiful hymn, beginning:
"I think when I hear that sweet story of old."
"I think when I hear that sweet story of old."
Tears came into her eyes as she listened, but they were tears of pleasure; she soon had learned the first verse, and they sat singing it together when nurse came in with Robbie, who had a small box in his hand.
"Mrs. Ray has sent Susy a box of beads," said she, "and says she must string them when she does not know what else to do."
Susy was delighted to hear this, and she flew off to find a needle and thread, so as to begin at once to string her beads. It was, however, time for their supper, and she had to wait.
She was too happy to eat much, and as soon as she could, she hastened to the window, and seated herself to begin her pleasant work. She had hardly strung a dozen beads when looking down, she saw that they had all fallen from the string.
"Oh! dear! that's because I didn't make a knot. Oh! how I wish I knew how to make knots! Nursey! won't you make a knot?"
"It's too dark to string beads," said nurse. "You'll hurt your eyes, Susy. Come! put away your beads, and go to bed."
"It doesn't hurt my eyes," said Susy. "I can see just as easy."
All of a sudden she felt two hands over her eyes.
"O papa! is that you! Please don't! I want to string my beads. See, papa! all these beads. Mrs. Ray sent them."
"Mrs. Ray was very kind," said her papa. "But my little Susy is not kind at all. She has been abusing two of those servants that God gave her. Don't you know it is wrong to treat your eyes so?"
"I guess they didn't care," said Susy.
"I guess they did," said her papa. "And you must remember that eyes are very precious things, and be careful of them. If I should give you a little white-handled penknife—"
"O papa! I wish you would!"
"If I gave you one, would it be right for you to cut off one of your little fingers with it?"
"Why, no, papa!"
"And is it right to injure the eyes God has been so very kind as to give you?"
"No, papa. And I won't, again."
"But what are they looking so hard at my pocket for?" asked her papa, smiling.
"Why, I thought perhaps there was a little knife there," said Susy, rather doubtfully.
"And so there is. It was given me to-day, and I will give it to you. Only you must promise not to open it. For you are such a little girl that I do not dare to let you use it yet."
Susy promised, and her papa took her on one shoulder and Robbie on the other, and "rided" them as Robbie called it, three times across the room, and then they kissed each other good night, and Susy and her box of beads and her little knife all went to bed together.
About this time a lady came to visit Susy's mamma, bringing with her a little boy.
His name was Thomas. He was several years older than Susy, but as there was no one else for him to play with, he had to amuse himself with her as well as he could. Susy followed him about, wherever he went, and thought every thing he did very amusing, and that every thing he said must be right.
One afternoon as they were playing together in his mamma's room, Thomas asked Susy if she liked candy.
"Yes, I like it," said Susy. "But mamma does not let me eat it very often."
"My mother lets me eat as much as I please," said Thomas. "There is a great bundle of it in her trunk, and she lets me go and get some, as often as I want it. I'll give you some if you will hold open the trunk for me."
Susy did not know that Thomas had been forbidden to open this trunk. So she stood holding the cover open, while he searched for the candy. But it was heavy, and her little hands were not strong enough to hold it long.
"Make haste, Thomas," said she, "or I shall let it fall."
"Iammaking haste," said Thomas. "And don't you go and let it fall; you'll break my head in two, if you do."
Susy tried with all her strength to hold up the heavy lid, but Thomas kept her waiting too long, and all at once down it came. Thomas tried to draw back his head, but the trunk-cover was too quick for him, and gave him a blow right across his face and eyes.
As soon as he knew enough to speak, he called Susy all sorts of bad names, and struck her several times. Susy was so frightened and astonished, that at first she was quite silent, but after a moment she began to cry so loudly that every body came running in to see what was the matter.
By this time Thomas's forehead and face looked quite bruised and swollen, and the moment his mamma saw it she flew to kiss him, and then turned to Susy, and said in a angry tone:
"What did you strike him for, you naughty child?"
"I didn't strike him," said Susy; "I didn't mean to hurt him; I could not hold up the cover, it was so heavy."
"What cover?" asked her mamma.
"The trunk-cover," said Susy.
"Oh! so you were at my trunk, were you?" said the lady. "And who said you might do that?"
"Thomas told me to hold it open while he got the candy."
"Oh! what a story!" said Thomas. "She went and opened the trunk and was going to look for candy, and I went to make her come away, and she struck me with a great big stick."
"Is that true, Susy?" asked her mamma in a grave, sad voice. For the mere thought that Susy could do such a thing, made her heart ache.
Before Susy had time to answer, the lady cried out:
"Of course, it is true. Don't you see the dreadful marks on his face?"
"Answer, Susy, is it true?" repeated her mamma.
Susy tried to tell the whole story, just as it happened, but seeing her mamma look so sad, and every body else believing Thomas, she could only cry still harder.
Then her mamma took her away to her own room, and wiped away her tears, and said:
"Now tell me, my dear Susy, all about it. I can not think my precious child has done this sinful thing. But don't be afraid to tell me the whole truth. Remember God hears every word you say. Remember, my darling! Think before you speak."
"Mamma, I telled the truth!" said Susy. "I telled the truth. Thomas said he would get some candy for me if I would hold up the cover. And I tried to hold it, and I couldn't. And won't you believe me? O mamma! won't you believe me?"
Then Susy's mamma said in her heart, to God:
"O God! teach me what to believe. Do not let me make a mistake. And oh! do not let my little Susy ever speak a word that is not true."
And after she had said that, there came into her mind a way by which she could find out whether Thomas had spoken the truth.
She went right back to the lady's room, whom she found holding Thomas in her lap, and feeding with candy.
"Thomas, where is the stick you said Susy struck you with?" asked she.
Thomas blushed and looked about, as if in search of the stick.
"I suppose she hid it, somewhere," said he.
"She could not do that, for she has been with me ever since she left the room."
"I dare say we shall find it," said the lady. "And I hope you mean to give Susy a good whipping. She needs it, I am sure. Such a blow! Why, what a naughty child she must be!"
"Susy says Thomas opened the trunk and told her to hold it open while he looked for candy. And it was heavy, and she let it fall on his head. I think she has spoken the truth. I never knew her to speak any thing else. The marks on Thomas's face look to me, just like those the heavy lid of a trunk would make."
"They look to me like the marks of a stick," said the lady. "But people see things differently. Come, Thomas! eat this nice candy. And I'll buy you something to pay for this."
Susy's mamma said no more. She felt sorry to have her dear little daughter in such trouble but there seemed no help for it. She went back to her room; and taking Susy again in her lap, talked gently to her about the dreadful sin of which Thomas had been guilty.
"I never will tell a naughty story," said Susy.
"Don't say you never will. You may be tempted, some time, more than you ever have been. But ask God, who is the God of truth, to keep you from doing it. How thankful you ought to be that you have been taught to pray! For the Bible says that no man can tame the tongue. That is, no one can, of himself, keep from saying what he ought not to say. And his only way is to keep praying to God to bridle his tongue for him."
"My tongue isn't a good little servant, then," said Susy.
"God can make it good, and teach it to bless and praise Him."
Then Susy's mamma took down her Bible and read several verses from it.
"Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile."
"The tongue of the just is as choice silver."
"Whose keepeth his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles."
"He that telleth lies shall not tarry in My sight."
"As soon as you learn to write, my dear Susy, I will make a little book in which you can write all that the Bible says about this. You will be astonished to find how much there is about speaking the truth, speaking kindly, and speaking wisely. And of our dear Saviour it says that when his enemies reviled him, "as a lamb before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not His mouth." Now the next time you see Thomas, I think it likely he will say a good many things to vex you, and I want you to remember, when he does so, how Jesus did, and what you should do."
"Mayn't I tell him he is a naughty boy?" asked Susy. "Mayn't I tell him he has telled a lie?"
"Would Jesus love you when you were doing so, my dear Susy? No, be careful not to say one word that you would not like Jesus to hear. And pray for that poor boy that God would pity him for being so naughty, and forgive him, and help him to grow good."
Early the next morning Thomas's mamma began to pack her trunks in order to go away, for she felt quite vexed with Susy, and with her mamma. While she was busy in this way, Thomas was quite as busy in eating some dainties that she had placed on the floor while she made room for them in the trunk. Thomas knew they were to be carried to his aunt, who was sick.
By and by his mother turned round, and seeing him eating, she said to him:
"Thomas! what are you about? I hope you have not touched any of those things I got for your aunt? Let me see, one, two, three; there ought to be four boxes of jelly. Come here and let me look at your hands. Come this minute, you naughty boy, you."
"I didn't eat a bit," said Thomas, "I only just made a little hole in one side, and ate what came out on a pin."
"Where is the box?"
"I don't know. There were only three boxes."
"Yes there were four boxes. And you've eaten one of them. I never saw such a boy! Well, I shall not buy you the present I promised you yesterday. To think of your eating your aunt's jelly!"
"I didn't eat it," said Thomas, in a sulky voice.
"Your face is all covered with it, so don't let me hear another word. I begin now to think you told me a story, yesterday. Come here!"
"What are you going to do?" cried Thomas trying to get away.
"I'm going to see if the lid of my trunk fits to that mark on your face," said his mother. "And if it does, I shall believe Susy spoke the truth after all."
"Isaidshe let the lid fall on me," said Thomas.
"You said no such thing. You said she struck you with a stick."
"I didn't," said Thomas.
"What a wicked, wicked boy you are!" cried his mother. "I see just what you are. If there is such a thing as a rod in this house, I'll whip you with it till you are ashamed of yourself. What do you suppose Susy's mother thought of me yesterday, when I took your part? I only wish your father was here. But I'll whip you, you see if I don't."
On hearing this, Thomas ran to get away; his mother ran after him, and seeing a door half open, Thomas hoped to escape by that means. For this door led to a dark, low closet under the stairs, in which a grown person could not stand upright.
The moment Thomas crept in his mother shut and locked the door.
"There! now I've got you!" she cried, "and there you shall stay on bread and water, the whole day!"
Thomas kicked against the door, and cried, and begged to come out, but in vain.
His mother was as severe on one day as she was fond on another. She kept him shut up till nearly night, when she took him out all covered with cobwebs, gave him a good shaking, and told him to ask Susy's pardon for telling a story about her.
That night when Susy was going to bed, she said to her mamma:
"Thomas and his mother fighted together to-day, and she couldn't whip him he ran away so."
"How came you to know that, Susy?"
"The door was open, and I was going by, and I heard a noise, and so I stopped."
"That was not right, my darling. You must teach your little eyes not to look at things they ought not to see. Didn't you feel, all the time, that it was not quite proper for you to stop and watch in that way? Always make it a rule never to look atanything, no matter what, if you have even a little bit of a feeling that you ought not. Your eyes are your own, and you must teach them."
"I will, mamma," said Susy. "And I am glad I've got you for a mamma. I'm glad Thomas's mamma isn't mine. She didn't pray to God to make him good; she fighted with him."
About this time Susy began to learn to read. At first, though she wanted to be able to read, she did not like the trouble, and would make all sorts of excuses when her mamma called her to come to her lesson. Sometimes she said she was too tired. Sometimes she said Robbie couldn't spare her.
Once she said her eyes ached, and when her mamma still would have her read, she wanted some body to come and hold her book for her because it was so heavy! But she was learning to read, very fast, and also to make letters on her slate, like those in the book. She was very happy indeed when one day, after working quite hard, she was able to send her papa a little letter that she had printed with a pen. All the letter had in it, was this, "I love you, dear papa!" but it gave him a great deal of pleasure, and I dare say he has put it away among his treasures, and will keep it as long as he lives.
If you want to pleaseyourpapa, you might print such a letter, for him. It might tire your little hands, but you would not mind that, if papa should kiss you, and say you had sent him a sweet little letter; you would only be thankful you had two hands with which to do something to gratify him.
Susy's mamma was sick, in bed, soon after this, and I could not begin to tell you how useful this dear child now found every one of her little servants. Before this, when she went to bed, she used to leave her clothes on the floor, for some body to pick up. But now she folded them neatly and put them by the side of her bed, so as to dress herself in the morning. She tried to be as still as a mouse, when in her mamma's room, and no matter in how low and feeble a voice she was asked to get something that was wanted she always heard, and always went quickly and without noise. Sometimes, with her little soft hands, she patted her mamma's cheek till she fell asleep. Sometimes she sang hymns. Sometimes she would try to comfort her mamma by saying: "I guess you will get better by and by!" or, "If you do not get well, dear mamma I p'omise you I will take care of poor papa, and never will let him go anywhere alone." She learned to give the medicine, and to shake up the pillows, and to do a great many other kind and loving things, even though she was yet so small that she had to climb into a chair to reach every thing from the shelf or the bureau. And don't you suppose her mamma, lying now so helpless on her bed, felt paid for all she had done for little Susy? For all the time she had kept her awake, all the fatigue, all the trouble? Yes, indeed! And have you ever paid your mamma for all she did for you when you lay, a weak, helpless baby, with hands that couldn't hold any thing, and feet that couldn't walk, and a tongue that couldn't speak? If not, why, begin now. Pat your mamma's face with the little hand she has taught so much; tell her you love her, with that tongue whose first word it learned from her lips; run for her on those little feet she has so long kept out of danger. If she has the baby in her arms, and is going to carry it about the room looking for what she wants, ask her to sit down and let you find it, for her. Let your little servants know that you shan't think much of them if they do not wait upon or in some way be useful to your mamma, your papa, your brother, your sister, and they shall not lose their reward!
"How many miles a day do you walk?" Nurse asked Robbie. "Do you know?"
Robbie smiled, and stood still for a minute, to think, but soon ran away again.
"How many miles do you suppose he walks, Nursey?" asked Susy.
"I don't know. I wish I knew. And I wish I knew how many miles my hand travels in a week."
"Yourhand! Why, just as many as your feet," said Susy.
"No such thing. See here now, look at me while I sew. Don't you see how my hand goes back and forth with every stitch? And when I make beds, and sweep and dust, and wash you children and dress you, and brush your hair, and pick up your toys—dear me! it's a wonder they're not used up, long ago!"
Susy laughed, and felt quite interested.
"Who told you any thing about that?" she asked.
"Nobody," said nurse. "Don't you suppose I ever have any thoughts of my own? However, I did see something in the paper about how far a printer's hand could travel in one day, and that set me to thinking about mine."
When Susy went to her mamma she told her what she and nurse had been talking about.
"I suspect your eyes are the greatest travellers you know much about," said her mamma. "Think how far they can go; and how many times they move from one end of the page to the other, when you read."
"I wish I knew how far," said Susy. "If Charlie ever comes here I mean to ask him to measure one of my books. He has got such a nice little carpenter's rule to measure with!"
Perhaps the children who read this book would like to know how far the hand that printed had to travel to do it. To be sure, it was not all done by a single hand; but one of the printers has been kind enough to find out how many miles thehandmoved when they set up the types, and behold it was nearly 230! Add to this the journeys my hand has had to make back and forth, to and fro, over the paper, off to the inkstand and back again, and you will see that even our little book costs a good deal of labor, and keeps a good many hands from being idle and so getting into mischief.
While Susy and her mamma were talking together, they heard a little knock at the door, and on opening it, they saw Robbie standing outside with a long piece of twine in his hand.
"What does Robbie want?" asked his mamma.
"I want you to mezzer how many miles long my foots are," said Robbie.
Susy and mamma laughed, and Robbie climbed up on the bed where his mamma still lay, though she was now getting well.
"Instead of that I will teach you a verse to say to papa at breakfast:
'Thou hast delivered my eyes from tears, my feet from falling and my soul from death.'"
'Thou hast delivered my eyes from tears, my feet from falling and my soul from death.'"
Robbie learned his verse very quickly, and Susy wanted now to learn hers. Her mamma gave her an easy one:
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path;"
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path;"
and Susy learned it so easily that she asked for another.
"I did not know there was any thing in the Bible about feet," said she. "Is there any thing about hands?"
"Yes, indeed. Don't you remember the story of the man with the withered hand that he could not use? Jesus must have pitied him because he had but one well hand, or he would not have healed him. In a few days I hope I shall be strong enough to have you come and read to me, and I will make a list of verses for you. For I want you to see that though your hands and feet and eyes and ears and tongue now seem small things, such as God would be likely to overlook, He has made them to do great things and useful and kind ones."
Susy and Robbie were standing at the window a few days after this, watching some boys who were playing in the snow.
"I wish we could go out and throw snow at each other," said Susy. "Can we, Nursey?"
"No, not to-day," said nurse; "for your hands would freeze for want of mittens. I am hurrying as fast as I can, to get some done but I don't know; time flies in this house."
"Where does it fly to?" asked Robbie.
Before nurse had time to answer, the children were sent for by their mamma. They jumped down from the window, and ran to see what was wanted.
"Grandmamma has sent a basket full of things, and I thought you would like to take them out for me," said their mamma.
"Oh! yes," said Susy, "we'll take turns. Robbie shall take out the first thing and I'll take out the next."
So Robbie put in his hand, and pulled out, with great labor, a jar of currant jelly.
"That's for mamma," said Susy. "Grandma always sends jelly to her." She put in her hand and took out a small bundle that had "Robbie" printed on it in large letters. On opening it, out rolled a pair of nice warm mittens, which were marked: "For the little hands that so often, and so cheerfully, picked up grandma's ball."
Susy blushed and the tears came into her eyes. She knew the reason there were no mittens for her. She had often looked displeased when grandma's ball had rolled under the table when she was busy, reading or playing.
Robbie ran and threw his arms round her neck.
"Naughty drandma!" said he.
"Oh! no,kindgrandmamma, to try to make my little Susy good," said their mamma.
"Susy shall have one mitten and I'll teep one," said Robbie.
"No, Susy must wait till nurse gets hers done. But I am sure dear grandmamma has sent something for her. Try again, my darling."
And this time there came out six pairs of warm white stockings; three for Susy and three for Robbie, and on the bundle was written: "Grandmamma has not forgotten how many times those little feet went up and down stairs for her when she made her last visit; and so she has knit these warm stockings for them."
"There's something else in the basket," said Susy. "Why! it's a cart, and it's horses, and it's barrels! O Robbie! Help me get them out!"
Laughing and pulling, and trembling over, they at last got the cart and horses out of the basket, and a very nice toy it was.
"I suppose it's for Robbie," said Susy.
"Aunt Maria sent it to him," said her mamma. "Don't you remember she promised she would?"
"Oh! she promised me a work-basket!" cried Susy, "let me see, yes! here it is! O mamma! There's a thimble and scissors, and needle! Now I can sew with my own things. Look, Robbie."
But Robbie was too busy. One of his barrels had broken open, and a host of sugar-plums had rolled out all over the floor.
"O Robbie! give me some sugar-plums, will you?" cried Susy.
"It istorn," said Robbie. "Big men don't load up with sugar-pums."
"Itisn'tcorn," said Susy.
"Yes, it is torn. And little dirls don't eat torn."
"Little chickens eat it, at any rate, and I'm a little chicken, and I'm hungry, too," said Susy.
"Well," said Robbie, "if you are a little chiten, I'll feed you," so he scattered the sugar-plums on the floor and Susy ate them as fast as she could.
"Leave him some," said their mamma. "Don't eat them all, Susy."
Susy jumped up and began to take the rest of the things from the basket. There were stockings for papa and an apron for nurse, and for mamma a little roasted chicken, which grandma had been so kind as to have cooked for her.
"I do believe I could eat a piece of that chicken," said she when Susy held it up on its little white dish. "Grandma's things always taste so good."
"Oh! then you'll get well!" cried Susy joyfully.
The little chicken, or something, did Susy's mamma so much good, that the next day she was able to sit up an hour; and she felt able to look over her Bible for the verses that she had promised to find for Susy.
Susy enjoyed reading them, very much.
"Why, mamma, there are enough to fill a book!" said she. "We would put in the story of the man who had the withered hand, and then all about blind Bartimeus, and the man who was blind and dumb that Jesus made to see and speak. And then there's a story of a man who was laid at the Beautiful gate of the temple, who could not walk a step, and he was cured so that he walked and leaped."
"And praised God," said her mamma. "Don't leave that out because that is the best part of the story. I suppose he would not have been likely to praise God for the use of his feet if he had never felt the want of them. I sometimes think that one reason why God has made so many lame and deaf and blind people, is to teach them to praise him for what mercies hehasgiven, and to teach us who have feet and eyes and ears and hands to praise Him with our hearts and our lives for His goodness to us."
"Howcanwe praise Him with our lives?" asked Susy.
"Why, by obeying Him and trying to please Him. If you had been blind all your life, and I at last gave you my eyes, what do you think would be the first use you should make of them?"
"O mamma! I should want to look at you the first thing, to see how you looked. And at papa and Robbie too. And I should want to do something for you for giving me eyes. But at first I shouldn't know how."
"But when you had learned, you surely would not use the eyes I had given you to look at any thing I did not want you to see? If, out of love and gratitude to me, you should always refuse to look at things you knew were improper, that would be praising me with your life, or thanking me, which means nearly the same thing."
"I should think these lame men that Jesus healed, would have followed Him everywhere He went," said Susy. "And do every thing for Him.Ishould, I am sure."
"But you have more to be grateful for, than those poor men had. For some of them had been blind or lame ever since they were born, and had suffered many years before Jesus came to heal them. And do you follow Jesus wherever He goes, thanking Him, and doing all you can for Him? Look at those little hands! Have they done for Jesus all they could? And those strong, busy feet that can carry you anywhere you want to go; have they never carried you where you knew Jesus would not go? And have you never spoken any unkind words you would not have liked to speak if you saw Him standing near, and listening?"
"I have done a good many naughty things," said Susy. "I never thinked how good God was. And I've said a good many things I shouldn't think He liked to hear. I am sorry, mamma. Iamsorry, really."
And Susywassorry. After she left her mamma she went away by herself and knelt down and prayed to God. She thanked Him that she was not a little lame girl, sitting pale and sad and unable to run and play. She thanked Him that she had eyes to see this beautiful world with. She thanked Him that she had ears with which to hear about Jesus, and the holy angels, and the happy heaven above. And last of all, she thanked Him that she had a tongue with which to thank Him, and asked Him to keep it from speaking unkind and untruthful words. And He who loves little children, heard her prayer, and wrote it in His Book.
The next day was Sunday, and Susy and Robbie went to church and sat in the pew with their papa. Susy observed that a plate was handed to every one, and that when it came to her papa he put in some money. So when they were walking home together, she said:
"Papa! who was that money for that you put into the plate, at church?"
"It was for God," said her papa.
"How will they get it up to Him?" asked Robbie in great surprise, and looking up to the sky.
His papa smiled, and even Susy knew better than that.
"When Jesus was here on this earth," said their papa, "he sent good men, two and two at a time, to go about teaching people about God, and about heaven. And such good men keep going, even to this day. And that money was to help feed and clothe them while they are preaching, and so I said it was money given to God."
"I wish I had some money to give to God," said Susy. "But I haven't a bit."
"God does not expect you to give him what you have not," said her papa. "But you have other things, besides money."
"I've got somedolls," said Susy.
"No, I don't mean dolls. When we get home I will read something to you which will make you see plainly what you can give to God."
So after dinner they went to the library and Susy's papa took down a large book and began to turn over the leaves, as if in search of something. Before long he came to the place he was looking for, and he lifted Susy into his lap and showed her where to read.
"Read it aloud," said he, and Susy read.
"I have this day been before God, and have given myself—all that I am and have—to God; so that I am in no respect my own. I have no right to this body, or any of its members; no right to this tongue, these hands, these feet, these eyes, these ears; I have given myself clean away."
"These are the words of a great and good man, who is now in heaven. Now you see what you have to give to God, my darling little Susy."
Susy looked at her hands and at her feet, and was silent. At last she said, in a low voice, half to herself:
"I don't believe God wants them."
Her papa heard her. "He does want them, and He is looking at you, now, to see whether you will give them to Him, or keep them for yourself. If you give them to Him you will be careful never to let them do any thing naughty, and will teach them to do every good thing they can. And if you keep them for yourself, they will be likely to do wrong, and to get into mischief."
"Have you given yours to Him, papa?"
"Yes, indeed, long ago."
"Are you glad?"
"Yes, very glad."
Susy sat still silent. She did not quite understand what it all meant.
"If you give your tongue to God," said her papa, "you never will let it speak angry, unkind words. Or tell tales. Or speak an untruth."
"I guess I'll give Him my tongue," said Susy.
"And if you give God your hands, you will watch them and keep them from touching things that do not belong to them. You will not let them be idle, but will keep them busy about something, either work or play—"
"Oh! will God let themplay!" cried Susy in a joyful voice. "Well! then I'll give Him my hands."
"And if you give Him your feet, you never will let them carry you where you ought not to go, but teach them to run quickly when mamma calls; and when you are old enough, they will carry you to visit and comfort poor and sick people."
"Yes, that will be nice!" said Susy. "God shall have my feet."
"If you give Him your eyes, you will never, never let them look at any thing you knowHewould not like to look at if He were here by your side. Not to read a book you would not read if He were looking over the page with you. And to use them wisely and with great care."
"Could I cry with them?"
"Why, certainly."
"Mamma says I cry too much."
"I did not say you might crytoo muchwith them."
"Well!—I'll give God my eyes some of the time, and some of the time I'll keep them."
"Oh! no! God will not like that, at all."
"Well, I might want to—let me see—I might want to look at something—and I couldn't. And I should want to be naughtysometimes."
"A little girl who loves God want to be naughty!"
"I love Him, I do love Him," said Susy. "And He may have my eyes. I guess I shan't want to look at any thing naughty."
"I dare say you will, Susy, but if you give your eyes to God, you know He will help them not to do wrong."
"Then Iwillgive them to Him andwelcome," said Susy.
"And as to your ears, after you have given them to God you will not let them listen to awordthat you think He would not like them to hear. And you will take care to make them listen to people who try to teach you. They have behaved very well to-day, and I am sure you will give them to God."
"Yes papa, I will."
Then they knelt down together and Susy's papa prayed to God to hear all they had been saying and to be so good as to accept all Susy had now promised to give Him, and to keep her from ever forgetting her promise, but to make it her rule in all she said and all she did, all she saw and all she heard, to remember,
"I am not my own."
"I am not my own."
And then he taught her the lines you will find at the end of this book. They were written nearly two hundred years ago, but are just as good now as they were then; and may God help every child who reads about little Susy, to live according to this prayer.