the days of excitement and distress, so full of moment to daph, were succeeded by a time of comparative quiet and peace.
every morning the kind voice of rose stuyvesant, broke in upon the solitude of daph and the little ones. louise learned to look as eagerly for the face of rose as a flower for the sunlight, and to turn as fondly towards it. there seemed to be for the little girl an irresistible charm in the refinement[pg 177] and guilelessness of her new friend; and the sweet words of holy teaching, that ever dropped from the lips of rose, had waked to music, a chord in the child’s heart, that had long slumbered in silence. the sensitive conscience and peculiar interest in spiritual things, that had marked her when under her mother’s influence, became again evident. as from a weary dream, she woke to the beauty and reality of religious truth.
rose was no sentimental teacher, contented with exciting mere feeling, that worked to no good end.
the unselfish devotion and respectful deference of poor daph, had fostered a slight imperiousness in the little[pg 178] louise; and she had learned to seek her own comfort, with but too little regard for the feelings and wishes of others.
rose soon saw that her little pet was in danger of becoming quietly selfish, and unconsciously proud and dictatorial.
tenderly, but faithfully, the young teacher pointed out to louise the germs of those hateful faults, growing and strengthening in the bad soil of an evil heart; and the conscience of the child, made her deeply feel the necessity of the warning thus affectionately given.
bad habits, long indulged, are not easily overcome, even when the highest[pg 179] and best motives govern the conduct.
“put on my stockings, this minute, daph! you are so slow!” said louise, one morning, putting out her white foot imperatively towards the kneeling negro.
“yes, yes, miss lou,” said daph, humbly, “daph do be radder slow; but somehow she isn’t so spry as she used to be.”
this was not the only complaint that louise had to make that morning; every thing seemed to go wrong with her, and charlie declared, “sister lou” was so cross that he had rather go and play in the garden alone, than stay anywhere near her.
[pg 180]daph gave a sorrowful look at her young mistress, and then went to the kitchen to prepare some of the tempting cakes which were now in such demand, and louise was left quite alone.
she took up a piece of sewing on which rose had been patiently trying to teach her to hem; but the thread “went in knots,” the needle pricked her finger, and she threw the work down in despair, and began to cry with all her might.
the door softly opened and a gentle hand was laid upon her shoulder. “what grieves you, darling?” said the sweet voice of rose stuyvesant.
“oh, oh!” exclaimed the little girl,[pg 181] not looking up, “i have been so cross and naughty all this morning, i do not believe i am one of the lord jesus’ little lambs, at all, and i am very, very unhappy!”
rose sat down beside her little friend, and throwing her arm tenderly around her, she said, “you must not be discouraged, my darling, listen now to me. suppose that you were so very sick, that if you did not soon get better, you would surely die. now, suppose a kind physician should come to you and offer you some medicine that would check your fever, and save you from the death that was so near. how you would love him, and how willingly you would do all that[pg 182] he said was necessary for you. it might be many, many weeks before you were quite well; but how patiently you would take the medicines he ordered, and how cheerfully you would follow his advice, until you were again full of health and strength. and when you could walk about once more and breathe the sweet, fresh air, then you would be most warmly grateful to the kind physician who had come to your sick bed, and saved you from expected death. dear louise, christ has shed his blood to save you from everlasting death, which is very near to all who are not the true children of god. whenever you put your trust in the dear saviour, you are safe from[pg 183] that death; but it may be long, long before your heart will be clean from sin, and your bad habits will be wholly cured. what says the kind physician to you? ‘watch and pray. strive to enter in at the strait gate.’ you must be willing to struggle, patiently, against your faults, trying to do right, and looking to god for strength to go on. you must go forward cheerfully and hopefully, thinking of what christ has done for you, and dwelling on that happy time when you will be safe in heaven, and your heart will be full of gratitude to him who has saved your soul from death, and purified you by his grace. do you understand me, darling?”
[pg 184]“yes, yes,” sobbed little louise, “and indeed i will try—try harder.”
“suppose you begin to-day,” said rose, “to see if you cannot do something for others; that is the best cure for selfishness. here, i have brought an apron for daph, which i want you to make. it will please her to think you have done it for her. she is so kind to you, that you should try to make her happy.”
louise had always accepted daph’s services as a matter of course, and it dawned upon her as a new idea that she was to try to make happy the humble creature who never seemed to have a wish but to serve her master’s children faithfully.
[pg 185]little by little, louise began to take hold of the idea that to be christ-like is to be useful, fond of making others happy, and forgetful of self.
daph resisted stoutly when louise first proposed to dress herself, and began by degrees to take some care of charlie. “but,” thought the poor negro, “daph may die some day, and the sweet little mistress do be right; she must learn to help herself a little, for nobody knows what may happen.”
“here daffy, i have made this for you all myself!” said louise, joyfully, as she held up the apron, which after many days of secret toil she had completed.
“for daph, miss lou! and all made[pg 186] with those dear little hands. now daph do feel proud!” and tears filled the eyes of the honest creature.
it was not the mere gift that made the heart of the negro throb with pleasure; but it was the kind consideration, the patient thought for her welfare that overcame her, as she said, “you do be like dear missus now! dat’s de way she used to speak to poor daph.”
“dear daffy,” said louise, bursting into tears, “i do not mean to be ever naughty to you again. indeed, i am very, very sorry. i am going to be one of the lord jesus’ little children now, and you know he was always kind and gentle.”
[pg 187]“now de great lord be praised!” said daph, as she sank down quite overcome. “daph do be too full of joy, to hear dose words from her own little dear. de lord help her, and bring her to his beautiful home!”
to be able to read her mother’s bible now became the dearest wish of the little louise, and with this strong motive she made rapid progress in the daily lessons she took from her kind friend rose. the patience and perseverance of both teacher and scholar were at length rewarded. louise was able, after a few months of careful instruction, to take her mother’s bible, and, in her sweet, childlike way, read the words of truth and beauty that[pg 188] flowed from the lips of him who “spake as never man spake.”
the leaves, brightened by early frosts, still fluttered on the trees, and the soft air of indian summer floated in at the open windows. a lovely autumn day was drawing to a close. daph and her little charge had taken their simple evening meal, and for a moment there was silence in the cheerful room.
“daffy,” said louise, “i will read to you now out of the dear book.”
daph sat down reverently on her low bench, and charlie, in imitation, quietly took his own little chair.
“the lord is my shepherd, i shall not want,” read the subdued voice of[pg 189] the child, while the negro bent forward to catch each word of the beautiful psalm.
“she do be one of the great shepherd’s lambs, sure ’nough,” murmured daph, as the little girl closed the book and said,
“now daffy, we’ll sing a hymn.”
little charlie joined his voice with that of his earnest sister, and poor daph, ’mid fast flowing tears, added her notes of praise to that evening hymn. joy and peace that evening pervaded those few hearts in that humble room, for it was bright with his presence who has said, “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am i in the midst of them.”
