CHAPTER VII.

“Abide with me from morn till eve,For without Thee I cannot live:Abide with me when death is nigh,For without Thee I dare not die.”

“Abide with me from morn till eve,

For without Thee I cannot live:

Abide with me when death is nigh,

For without Thee I dare not die.”

LILLIE’S first Sunday at the school was the commencement of a very strange friendship which grew up between herself and Tom. She never entered the library, except when especially sent by her father, but she was always waiting at the door when Tom came out, and walked with him as far as the cabin door. Tom was afraid at first that Mr. Sutherland would object, but finding one day, from some chance word he dropped,that he knew of it and had no objection, Tom began to take great pleasure in Lillie’s company. He thought, too, that young as she was, if she once became interested in the people, she might learn to do good among them after he had gone away. So he often took her with him to the quarters during his visits to the people. It grew to be such a common custom to see them together about the grounds that the people forgot to be jealous, and her gentle bearing pleased them. She never said much, but listened attentively to all that went on, only once in a while putting in a question. Simple and child-like, she never seemed to remember the difference in position between herself and the people; and they, finding they were looked upon as equals, learned to loveher. Tom was quick to see this, and take advantage of it, to interest Lillie in every way in his power in the Sunday-school and the people. Mr. Sutherland saw it and shut his eyes to it, taking care that no rumor of it should reach his wife.

All this was quite encouraging to Tom, and he grew happy in the long summer days. There was one thing, however, he very much wished for, but which seemed beyond his reach. This was the friendship of his school-mate, Jimmy. He seemed opposed to all Tom’s movements—not in any active way, but he shunned him on all occasions, and never came near the Sunday-school. Miss Mason often sent messages to him, and Tom always took great pains to deliver them, sometimes showing him where shehad mentioned him in the letter. But although the messages were received with evident pleasure, the messenger was not, and Tom often went away sorrowful. He could not see that Jimmy took an interest in anything. He always went to bed when the evening-school assembled, and did his work mechanically. Yet his words and actions in Tom’s presence seemed always under restraint.

Therefore, Tom was very much surprised one morning, as he came from the library, to meet Jimmy at the foot of the steps, evidently waiting to speak with him.

“Tom,” he said, excitedly, “there’s a bundle come for you by the cars this morning, and I should not in the least wonder if it should be books for the Sunday-school. There’s a letter,too, for I heard master say so. Perhaps it’s from Miss Mason.”

Tom was pleased with the news, and more than pleased with Jimmy’s interest. He made the most of it, immediately.

“Why, Jimmy, that’s splendid!” he said, his dark eyes sparkling. “Come and show me where I can find it.”

So Jimmy, nothing loth, started with Tom, and brought him round the corner of the house to where the wagon from the station was just depositing its load.

“Ah, Tom,” said Mr. Sutherland as he came up, “I was just about sending for you. You are getting to be of considerable importance. There’s a great heavy bundle addressed to you, which came by express this morning,and here I have a letter which appears to belong to it.”

“It’s books, Tom, I know,” said Jimmy, pounding the bundle with his hand; “unfasten it, won’t you?”

“Wait a minute,” replied Tom, “until I see what Miss Mason says.”

So carefully cutting the end of the envelope (Miss Mason’s letters were never roughly handled), he drew the letter out and glanced over the contents.

“Jimmy,” he said, as he finished and turned toward the boy with a very touched face, “I think you must read this letter to pay you for bringing me such good news.” So he gave him the precious words.

Jimmy knew what a treat that was, and that there was not another person on the place to whom Tom would haveshown it, so he thanked him earnestly as he took it.

“My dear Tom,” she wrote, “I am about sending you a bundle of books for your Sunday-school; so I thought I would forward a letter with them, for fear you would be too much surprised. I wrote, not long ago, to some of my Northern friends, and among other things I told them of your work for Jesus on the Sutherland Plantation. In answer to my letter the books I send you came. How gladly I forward them you can easily imagine. I have been thinking for a long time how much you needed them, and how I should like to send you a bundle. Well, here they are then, and I feel sure you will not forget to thank ‘the Giver of every good and perfect gift,’ for it is he who sent them.“I opened the bundle to put in two or three lesson-books, and I have marked in the arithmetic and grammar the lessons of your class for the next month. I hope Jimmy is well, and that your work is progressing. Martha says, ‘Oh, Miss Mason, I am so glad for Tom!’ and I can tell you there is another one who is glad, and that is Tom’s old teacher,“R. Mason.”

“I opened the bundle to put in two or three lesson-books, and I have marked in the arithmetic and grammar the lessons of your class for the next month. I hope Jimmy is well, and that your work is progressing. Martha says, ‘Oh, Miss Mason, I am so glad for Tom!’ and I can tell you there is another one who is glad, and that is Tom’s old teacher,

“R. Mason.”

“Now, Jimmy,” said Tom as the boy finished and handed him back the letter with a pleased smile, “come with me and we will unpack it.”

“You don’t want me, Tom, I am sure,” replied Jimmy, holding back reluctantly.

“Don’t want my old school-mate to help me unpack Miss Mason’s present!Of course I do! Come, I am in a hurry to see those precious books.”

So the bundle was carried into the cabin, and, much to Aunt Margaret’s satisfaction, was unpacked there in the main room. Ah! how nice the books looked! Bibles and Testaments in plenty to the delight of Tom’s heart—illuminated texts for the school-room, little picture cards, the preciousness of which every Sunday-school teacher knows. A quantity of penny hymn-books, and little tracts for distribution, and then a nice pile—just twenty—of well-selected library-books. Tom was perfectly happy. There was a little package at the bottom directed to himself in Miss Mason’s hand, and in this he found a new arithmetic and grammar, with the places marked, a parcel of pure white paper and envelopes,with pens and holder, and a very pretty Bible Dictionary. Tom’s eyes were full of joyful tears. He had been thanking God all the time, and he only wondered how he should rightly express to Miss Mason his gratitude for the gift. Jimmy was in an ecstasy. His old taste for books and study woke right up, and he was Tom’s friend from that minute.

“I have been thinking a long time about coming to the school, Tom,” he said, “and of being friends again, but somehow I didn’t know how to get about it, after having been out with you so long. But now I can’t help it; I must come.”

Late that afternoon Tom came up toward the mansion, and seeing Mr. Sutherland and Lillie on the porch, he walked toward them.

“Mr. Sutherland,” he said, rather timidly, “if you feel any interest, I would like very much to have you come and see the books sent to the Sunday-school this morning. I think it is a very nice collection.”

“I should be very glad to do so, Tom,” said Mr. Sutherland, good-naturedly, rising and coming down off the steps; “I will go with you now; are they down at Aunt Margaret’s?”

“Yes, sir,” replied Tom, and then as they stepped away, Tom, looking back, saw Lillie still sitting in her low chair upon the piazza. “Miss Lillie,” he said, stepping back, “won’t you come too?”

“Yes, certainly,” she replied, springing up; “I was only afraid you did not want me. Wait a minute, papa,”she added, “until I get my hat from the stand in the hall.”

“Stay here, Miss Lillie,” said Tom, checking her and disappearing within the doorway. He returned in a moment with the hat, which he gave her with a little bright smile.

“You are quite a courtier,” said Mr. Sutherland with an amused face, as Tom joined him. “Lillie should wait upon herself sometimes.”

“Miss Lillie does more for me, by her influence among my scholars, than I can ever do for her in this way; and besides,” he added, “I am very glad to serve her in any way that I can.”

The books, and the manner of sending them, were a puzzle to Mr. Sutherland. He could make nothing of it. But with the wisdom of the selectionand the value of the books he was fully acquainted, and praised them to Tom’s fullest satisfaction. Lillie lost herself among the picture cards, and would hardly be aroused when her father, after a long examination of Tom’s treasures, asked her if she was not ready to go.

But she had leave to look a while longer, for the people, returning from the field, having heard—for the news flew—of the arrival of the books, all stopped at Aunt Margaret’s cabin on their way home, to have a peep at them. Mr. Sutherland stayed to look and listen, for their interest and excitement were a marvel to him.

“If Tom can read all these, he must be mighty learned,” said one of the women, touching them with the tips of her fingers.

“Not very, auntie,” replied Tom, laughing.

“Won’t we feel big,” said another, “when we gets all these shining words hangin’ round that cabin?”

“I expect we will,” Tom replied, “but we will feel a great deal more proud when we get the shining words so stamped on our hearts that we can never get them out.”

All this was a leaf in the history of these people that Mr. Sutherland had never before taken the trouble to turn over; and now that it lay open before him, he was both puzzled and surprised. By and by, however, he took Lillie’s hand, and as he turned to go back to the house, he said to Tom, “By the way, I wish you would walk over with us. I find there are some accounts which arrived this morning,which require some explanation before they are copied, and I am going away early in the morning.”

So Tom, hastily putting aside the precious books, took his way back with them. Midway between the cabin and the house the workmen of the place were engaged in putting up a store-house, which was to be in readiness for the gathering in of the cotton crop. The men at work were unskilled in their task, and had caused Mr. Sutherland much anxiety by the clumsy way in which they were rearing the building. Just as he came opposite them this afternoon, they were raising a heavy beam by means of ropes and pulleys, with a great deal of noise and very little work. Mr. Sutherland, with an exclamation of impatience, stopped his words andhis walk, and came up to where they were at work—the two, Tom and Lillie, following.

He spoke to the workmen rather severely for a few moments, and then stopped to direct the work. His two companions, interested in the raising of the beam, stood under the shadow of the unfinished part, watching.

Mr. Sutherland stood just outside giving orders, and the beam was slowly finding its way to the top, when there was a sudden strain of the ropes, and they cracked and parted.

Tom saw what was coming just in time to seize Lillie, who was standing beside him, and throw her violently from him out into the green grass of the lawn, and then the heavy timber had fallen into the house, crushing in the part already finished, andwith it the boy who stood under its shadow.

“Oh, papa!” said Lillie, standing on her feet in the long green grass, and half crying, “Tom hurt me so bad.”

“Hush!” said her father in reply. “Go home to your mother. Tom is under those ruins.”

It was with a very white face that he gave quick directions that the timbers should be removed, and Lillie, as soon as she saw what had happened, never moved. The news spread like lightning, and a group of pained, grave faces soon gathered round the crushed building, to see if possible whether the human body covered with the fearful weight had still life within it.

When at length they lifted Tom from the ruins, he was found to be woundedand bruised terribly, but there was life still there, for the heart was beating. With a tinge of returning color in his face, Mr. Sutherland announced as much to the people, who stood waiting, thankful that the life was spared; and then, taking the trembling hand of his little daughter in his, he gave his orders.

“Take Tom into my house, and put him in the south room. Tell Aunt Dinah that no pains must be spared to relieve him, and tell Gordon to order the horse immediately and I will ride for Dr. Bartier.”

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