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Show 19 A Child's Faith and Confidence in God. - " On mother, what will you do?" said a bright, little maiden of twelve years, as she came tripping trip-ping into the house after carrying home some work her mother had finished that morning. "Mrs. Smith says she cannot let you have the flour she promised you, for, if she does, her own family will be short. 1 told her if she could only spare you a little, you would be glad, for father and brother toad gone to the field without brcak-V brcak-V fast; but she said, no, she could not let you have it." "Well, my dear,1' said her mother, "did you go to the other places I told you of?" "Yes, mother, but they are.all entirely out of flour. The mill is broken, and grinding cannot be done for some time, so what will pa do when he o comes for his dinner?" "I do not know what to do," said the mother, "if I cannot get it where it owing to me." "O ma!" cried out little Jane, three years young, er than her sister, "I know what you can do." B "What?"' asked her mother. H "Why," said Janc,"you can do as you have done before. You can ask our I? .tther in heaven to give MB us Some. You know He always docs, when you NH "Ess," cried little Johnny, three years old, "ess mamma, lets say pay's (prayers) and Dod will send some Hour.11 HH How the mother's heart rejoiced as she clasped Hl her children to her bosom, and thanked God for HH the precious gift of faith He had bestowed on her She then took her children by the hand, and knelt down and prayed to her Heavenly Father to give them that day their daily bread, and to let peace rest down on their father's heart, for he was troubled. The children, though hungry, rose from their knees with cheerful faces. "There," said Jane, "you will have flour in a short time, ma, for you always do when you ask our Father for it. He docs not say no like some people do." The father of the children, Joseph Hall, was an industrious, hard-working farmer, but he had lost all he owned, team, cows, crops, and everything he possessed of farm property, in an Indian war, and he had sttugglcd hard for several years to support his family, and to replace his team, that he mi'ght raise another crop. His wife was always al-ways delicate in health ; but, being a milliner, she I strove, by working with her needle as much as possible, to assist her husband in providing ftr her family. Her children being all small at the time of his losses, and requiring a good deal of attention, she was often obliged to sit up at night after the rest had gone to bed, to finish her work. I At such times, being over fatigued, her spirits would become depressed, and she would some- 1 times be led to exclaim, "Why am I called on to pass through such trying scenes of poverty, while my relatives arc enjoying the luxuries of life?" Such had been her thoughts on the morning in question ; but, seeing her husband come in to kiss the little ones pood bye before gfoing to work, and seeing him look discourag-cd at not having" been able to get them flour, she bade him good morning morn-ing with a cheerful smile, and told him to come home early and she would have a nice dinner for him; but having sent home her work, we see how, for the time being, she Was disappointed, j After lifting her heart in prayer to God, she again took up her needle, while her little girls washed the dishes and swept the floor ; but scarcely scarce-ly had she done so, when little Jane again came running into the room, crying out: "O ma! come and sec; there is a girl coming up the garden with a big pan of flour. Didn't I tell you our Father would send some, ma? We must thank God for that." Going into the kitchen, Mrs. Hall found one of the nighbor's children that wanted to get some fruit for flour. She gave the child the fruit, and took the flour with a thankful heart, realizing that what she had thought a trial was indeed a rich blessing, for it had taught bcr children a lesson of faith and confidence that they would not forget as they grew older. But that was not the end of their blessings, for, shortly after, two ladies who were owing Mrs. Hall for work, came and asked her as a favor if she would take flour for her pay, as they had been "disappointed in getting her the money. She told them she would. When her husband came home at noon, she told him to look at the sack in the corner. lie asked what was in it, and she told him "flour." "Whose is it ?" he inquired. '"Ours.1' "Why, mother," said he, "where did' you get it." She told him all the events of the morning, and of Jane's faith and confidence in God. Mr. Hall asked if it was not about ten o'clock that she got the Hour. She told him it was ; but why did he 1 ask? Because, he told her, about that time he was so depressed in spirits that he could not work, and he prayed fervently to God that He would open the way that they might be able to get such things H things as they needed, and he said, "a spirit of peace rested on me from that time, and I knew flH that my prayers were answered." H They shed tears of thankfulness together, and IH acknowledged the truth of the words of the lfl Psalmist David, when he said : "I have been young, and now am old ; yet have I not seen the H righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for flH bread." A. R. |