Vol. 2. Oakland, California, June 3, 1S92. No. 49. A PATIENT BOY. &MpOULD yon like to hear a Grm* true story of a little sick yp1 hoy ? Then listen to this. The little hoy's name was Freeman, and he was sick nine years, so he spent all that time either in a wheel chair or in bed. Just think of it, you who can run, play, visit, and go to school. When Freeman was two years old, he became sick and was never well again, for he died when he was eleven years old. But was he not cross and unhappy when suf- fering so much pain? No, for he loved others, and was always try- ing to do them good. When he was very young he wanted some chickens, so he could have fresh eggs to give to sick people, and it seemed to be his greatest pleasure to send little gifts to others. He loved flowers, and had a lit- tle garden of his own. Some fine days his mother would prop him up with pillows by his flower bed, and he would pull up the weeds and pick flowers for his friends. But after awhile he was too sick to have even these things, but he only which he would send to little children in the gaid:— neighborhood. "Well, I'm not half so bad off as somepeo- But after a while Freeman's sight failed so pie, for I have my eyes and hands yet." much that his work and painting must be Then he began to make little drawings, and given up. Still he did not complain, but learned to knit, and made bright-colored balls, talked of the time when he would be well and 1 386 strong and of what he would do. Each evening he would ask his mother to carry him to the window that he might see the sun set, and to watch the stars come out. " There is my star," he would say. " It seems like a bright angel watching over me." When he could no longer betaken from his bed, he would say to his mother, "Will you please go to the window and tell me how the sunset looks to-night, and when my beautiful star conies ? " Freeman liked to have anyone read to him, but he loved to hear Bible stories best of all. There was one he called his "little pillow." No doubt he gave it that name because it rested him to hear it. What do you think made Freeman so pa- tient and happy even when he was so sick?—It was because he asked the Lord to give him strength. He always manifested the deepest love for his mother, and it was his greatest comfort to have her sit b}^ his side, or hold his hand when he was suffering. Sometimes his mother would hear him whispering his prayer for help, and then again she would hear him say, " Thank you, dear Lord, for that nice lit- tle sleep." Sometimes he would pray many times before he went to sleep, and when his mother asked, "What are you praying for, darling?" he would sa}^:— "For all the poor sick people, and that God will make me well, and make me a good boy." Dear children, thank God every day for your good health, and when you are sick, re- member the Lord can help you to bear pain, and he will make you kind and patient. ' V. J. O. OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF HEA1ZEN. A BLIND old beggar, with his hat in hand, Neglected by the busy passers-by, I noticed shyly at a corner stand, " With teardrops falling from his sightless eye. A child came by—a laughing little creature, • With joy and innocence in every feature ; . Skipping forth gaily to an apple stand, She saw the beggar, and became less gay ; Then flung the bit of silver in her hand Into the old man's hat and ran away. —St. Louis Reveille. THE STORY OF PAUL. (Continued.) |MAST week we learned that Paul was to be ^ sent to Rome as a prisoner. To get to ^ Rome he had to take a long journey in a ship. There were also other prisoners to be sent to Rome, and these, with Paul, were put in charge of a company of soldiers. The captain of the soldiers was named Ju- lius, and he was very kind to Paul. When the ship came to the cit of Sidon, Paul was allowed to go ashore to see some friends and refresh himself. On this journey the ship sailed very slowly, for the wind was contrary. When at last they came as far as Fair Havens, 011 the island of Crete, they had to stay quite a long time. Then Paul told the officers that there would be great danger in going ahead at that time. He said there would be damage to the ship and danger to their lives. The Spirit of God had told him this. But the officers did not believe Paul, and one day when the " south wind blew softly," they started 011. They had not sailed long when they found that Paul had spoken truly. That soft wind, which had deceived the officers, suddenly turned to a hard storm. And that is the way with many ofthe pleasures ofthis world; they appear nice and deceive people, and keep them from believing the word of God, and after- ward cause their destruction. The ship was in such danger that they had to throw out much^of her load. They had to take down the sails and go just where the wind carried them. The storm lasted several days, and as they could not see the sun in daytime, or the stars at night, they did not know where they were going. All on the ship, excepting Paul, thought they would be lost. But Paul believed the Spirit of God, and it told him that their lives would be spared, although the ship would be lost. He then told the officers that they ought to have listened to him, and not to have left Crete. After this they paid more attention to what he said. After fourteen days they came near to an island. It was night, and they cast anchor 387 until daylight. In the morning they took up their anchors, and let the ship run onto the shore. There it stuck fast and broke to pieces. But, as Paul had said, the people were all saved. There were two hundred and seventy- six of them. Some could swim to land, and the others floated on boards and broken pieces of the ship. When all were safe 011 shore, they found out that they were on the island of Melita. The; people of the island were all heathen, but they were very kind to the men who had suf- fered so much hardship and loss. It was rain- ing and cold when the men came off the ship? and the folks on the island built a fire for them. Paul also gathered some sticks to put on the fire, and while doing so a viper caught onto his hand and bit him. A viper is a very poisonous thing, and the people thought Paul would surely die right away. They thought he must be a murderer, and that their gods had made the viper bite him to kill him. But Paul just shook the viper off into the fire/and he was not hurt at all. When the people saw that he was not hurt, they thought he must be a god. Do you remember another time when some people took Paul and another apostle for gods? What was that apostle's name? The chief ruler of Melita was named Pub- lius, and he gave the men from the ship lodg- ing for three days. This man's father was very sick, and Paul went in and prayed for hiiji, and laid his hands on him and healed him. When this was known, many other sick people came to him and were healed. Then Paul and his party were greatly honored, and were given many things that they needed. After three months, when winter was past, all the ship's party, with the soldiers and pris- oners, took another ship and started 011 toward Rome. When they came to Pu-te-o-li, there were some brethren there who were very glad to see Paul. From here they traveled by land, and went on to a place called Appi Forum. Here were some brethren, who had come all the way from Rome to meet Paul. It was about fifty miles, and when Paul saw them, "he thanked God and took courage." Then the party traveled on to Rome, where Paul was given over to the captain of the guard, with the other prisoners. But he was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him. (To be continued.) RETURN GOOD FOR EVIL. JEE if I don't pay him back!" exclaimed Tommy, as he came running into the house with a flushed and angry face. "Whom are you going to pay back?" asked his mother. f " Walter Jones. He took my marbles and ran away," said Tommy. "I hope you will pay him in a good way," said his mother. Tommy hung his head, and said nothing; for he was ashamed to tell just how mean he was going to treat Walter. " I'm afraid you intend to act just as badly as Walter has done. Think better of it, my son, and return good for evil. If you do not forgive, you cannot ask to be forgiven." That night when Tommy came to the place where it says, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," he stopped. " Why don't you go on? " asked his mother. " I can't; I haven't forgiven Walter," said Tommy. "Then you would better ask Jesus to help you forgive him just now." Tommy did so, and when he had finished his prayer, he went to bed with a happy heart. Dear children, you cannot ask God to for- give you while you carry a bitter and unfor- giving spirit within you. Forgive, return good for evil; and then when you pray to be forgiven, you can feel that God hears and an- swers your prayers.—Selected. " THEY that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep." Ps. 107 : 23, 24. 389 THE LITTLE MAXWELLS. BY GEN IA RALSTON. THEIR MOUNTAIN HOME. IHIS time I am going to tell you about five little boys and girls. They all be- ^ longed to one family, and were: Willie, nine years old; Mary, seven; Fannie, five; Freddie, three; and baby Max. I begin by giving you their names and ages because I want you to feel somewhat acquainted with them from the very first. They lived in Colorado—far up in the mountains, and their home was a log one, with a dirt roof. Now I presume some of you will think that such a house as that must have been very unpleasant, but it was not. Their papa had made it so no rain could get in, and it had two large rooms. He had tacked heavy paper all over the inside walls and on the ceiling, and their mamma had covered that with some prettier paper. She had draped the windows of one room with white curtains, and those of the other had green paper blinds. Then she hung up a few pictures and little nicknacks, arranged the furniture tastily, and you would be surprised to see how really cozy they were. Outside the great rocky hills rose all around, seeming to shut them completely in, and making the little cabin, in comparison, look like a play- house. Do you know that if you keep on going up a high mountain, it will get colder and colder, and that you will finally come to a place where nothing will grow? ' Well, it is true; and the place where our little folks lived was far enough up so that no wheat, or oats, or barley, or corn, or potatoes, or beans, or tur- nips, or melons, or plums, or apples ,or peaches, or anything of that kind could be raised. Whatever of those things they had their papa had to buy, and he went a long way after some of them too—more than fifty miles. You must not think, however, that there was nothing to be found there but rocks and dirt. The mountains were covered with pines, and there were dwarf kinds of other trees, also bushes and grass and weeds and quite a good many flowers. They had some fruit, too —gooseberries, mountain currants, and, what was strangest of all, in some places there were acres and acres of red raspberries. Little, tiny bushes some of them were ! not so tall as my lead pencil when I stand it on the table, yet they would be loaded with the crimson fruit. The people who lived in the mountains often went quite a number of miles to those berry patches, having made arrangements to stay several days. Then they would pick, and, oyer the camp fire, make preserves and jelly for winter use. There was another unpleasant thing about the country in which the little Maxwells lived. Wild-cats and wolves and bears and mountain lions were found there. Sometimes they came around the cabin at night, and once in a while they ventured rather close in the day- time. However, they usually made their homes among the rocks, and there was not much danger unless one went where they were. But if I don't begin to tell you about the children you won't become acquainted with them after all, will you? They were healthy little people, brown as berries, and as merry as the day was long. Mary was the second mother, and when their mamma was busy, baby Max and Freddie were always safe in her care. Willie was a rather manly little fellow, but he had one very bad habit,—he liked to tease the other children and to play jokes that would frighten them. Little Fan- nie, being a rather timid child, suffered the most from his pranks, and, sad to say, feared more than she loved him. His mother had talked long and kindly to,him about his fault —had even punished him a number of times. So had his father, but it seemed as though nothing could quench that desire to have a "little fun," as he called it. But he had a lesson which cured him, and next week I will tell you about it. GOD'S eye is upon us all the time, and noth- ing can be'hid from him. 390 OUR LITTL& FRIEND. AIRY CASTLES. "Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honor more than to myself?" Esther 6:6. ^HILDREN, what is a castle? You have seen pictures of them. It is a fine