"Sarve you right!" said Joe, laughing; "you had no business to get in there." "I can't stay to argify," retorted Benny; see there's scarce anything of me left?" "don't yer Ay, I see plain enough," said Joe, going to the other side, and pulling him out, though not without an effort. "I wonder what mischief you'll be into next?” "Dunno," said Benny, regarding his legs with a look of dismay. Then, after a long pause, "I say, Joe, how's I to get this mud off?" 66 Scrape off what yer can," said Joe, "and let the rest dry, and it'll rub off as clean as a new pin." Benny was rather ashamed of his appearance, however, when he got into the wood again, and found himself in the midst of two or three hundred Sunday-school children and their teachers, all nicely dressed, who had come out for a picnic. But when he saw them each with a small bun loaf and a cup of milk, he could not help drawing near, notwithstanding the rather disgraceful state of his legs. Nelly was also anxious to have a nearer view of all those happy-looking children. Fortunately for Benny, the superintendent of the school was the gentleman that had invited him into the chapel months before. Benny felt sure he knew them again, but whether he did or not, he invited all three to sit down with the rest, and gave them each a bun and a cup of milk. Joe was as delighted as the children with the kindness shown, and was soon quite at his ease. After lunch the children ran races for prizes, and Benny was invited to compete with the rest. This suited him exactly, and very soon after, with about a dozen others, he was bounding up a broad avenue between the trees, in a well-matched and most exciting race. For the first half of the distance Benny dropped into the rear, then he began gradually to gain upon the others. Now was his time, so putting on a spurt, for which he had saved his breath, he went bounding ahead of all the others, and amid loud hurrahs came first into the goal. Benny never felt so proud in his life before as when that first prize-a brand new sixpence was put into his hand. His success, however, disqualified him from competing again, so he had to content himself with watching the others run. But the most delightful circumstance of all to Nelly was when all the children stood up in a large circle, and sang in their pure young voices the following hymn : "Land ahead! Its fruits are waving O'er the fields of fadeless green; And the living waters laving Shores where heavenly forms are seen. "There let go the anchor. Riding, Seaward fast the tide is gliding, "Now we're safe from all temptation, Nelly never forgot that little hymn to her dying day; and when that evening they glided down the placid river towards home, she repeated to herself over and over again— "Seaward fast the tide is gliding, Shores in sunlight stretch away." And when in her little corner she lay down to sleep, it was only to dream of the sunlit shores on the banks of the far Jordan river. Heaven seemed nearer and dearer to her ever after that day, and she sometimes almost longed for the sunny slopes of that far-off country where there should be no more weariness nor pain. CHAPTER XI. BENNY PRAYS. Prayer is the burden of a sigh, The upward glancing of the eye Prayer is the simplest form of speech That infant lips can try; Prayer the sublimest strains that reach The Majesty on high MONTGOMERY. THE long summer days passed all too quickly, and autumn came again. The days began to shorten, and the evenings to be cold. Nelly felt the change in an unmistakable manner, for her cough returned worse than ever, and her appetite aud strength began to fail rapidly. But the hopeful little child battled bravely with her growing weakness, and each morning went forth to earn her daily bread. One afternoon in October Benny was down on the pier, when he saw Perks coming towards him, and not wishing to have anything to say to him, he was about to turn away, when Perks called out "Does yer want to 'ear a bit o' news?" "No!" said Benny. |