Christmas with Grandma Elsie

"There is also danger that God's Spirit may cease to strive with you, and without His help you can not come to Christ.

"Nor do we know how soon Jesus may come again in the clouds of heaven. He himself has told us that he will come as a thief in the night; that is when he is not expected.

"But, Rosie, my dear child, even if you could know certainly that delay will not cost you the loss of your soul, it will bring you other loss great and irreparable."

"What, mamma?" Rosie asked with a look of mingled surprise and alarm. "I can not think what you mean."

"While it is a precious truth that all who finally repent and accept of Christ as their only Saviour, will inherit eternal life – a life of holiness and unspeakable happiness at God's right hand," answered her mother, "yet there will be a difference in the portions of those who have spent many years in the faithful service of the Master – using their time and talents for the advancement of his cause and kingdom, and striving to win others to know and serve him, and themselves to grow in grace and conformity to his likeness and his will – and that of others who have been saved only at the last and so as by fire. All will be perfectly happy but some will have a greater capacity for happiness than others.

"According to the teachings of God's word sin is the greatest folly, the service of God the highest wisdom.

"'Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?.. Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver!

"'They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever.'

"Rosie, my darling, it is the dearest wish of my heart to see you engaged in that work; but you cannot teach others what you do not know yourself; you must first give your heart to God and learn for yourself the sweetness of his love. Will you not do it now? at once? Oh listen to his gracious invitation, 'Give me thine heart.'"

For some moments a deep and solemn hush seemed to fill the room, Rosie still kneeling there with her head pillowed on her mother's breast, Elsie's heart going up in an almost agonizing petition for her child.

At length Rosie lifted her head looking up into her mother's face with dewy eyes and a very sweet smile.

"Mamma," she said in low tremulous tones, "I have tried to do it; I have asked the Lord to forgive all my sins, to cleanse me from mine iniquities, and to take me for his very own; and I think he has heard and granted my petition.

"You know when the leper came to him saying, 'Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,' Jesus at once put forth his hand and touched him saying, 'I will; be thou clean'; and immediately the leprosy departed from him. Mamma, I have been praying the leper's prayer, and I think the dear Lord Jesus has said the same words to me."

"I am sure of it," Elsie said with emotion, "for he is the unchangeable God; 'Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever'; as ready to be moved with compassion for a sin-sick soul to-day, as he was for the leper when on earth. And he has said, 'Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.'"

Clasping her hands and looking upward, "Bless the Lord, O my soul," she exclaimed; "'and all that is within me, bless his holy name!'"

CHAPTER XIII

"Lu! Lu! five o'clock, time to get up!" called a harsh voice in loud, shrill tones.

"Who, who was calling?" asked Eva starting out of sleep.

"Only Polly," laughed Lulu.

"Get up, get up!" screamed the bird. "Time for breakfast. Polly wants her coffee. Polly wants a cracker."

"What a smart parrot! how plainly she talks," said Eva.

"Yes; but so loud. I'm afraid she will wake everybody in the house."

"How has she learned your name so soon?" asked Eva.

"I don't think she has," said Lulu. "Papa says there was a girl named Louisa in the place where Polly used to live, that everybody called Lu, and the parrot learned to call her so too."

"Happy New Year!" screamed Polly.

"Oh just hear her!" cried Lulu in delight. "Papa must have been teaching her that, or having somebody else do it, while we were away. I think she's going to make a great deal of fun for us all. Happy New Year to you, Eva dear," giving her friend a hug, as they lay side by side in the bed.

"The same to you, dear Lu," returned Eva. "How nice it is to be here with you lying on this easy couch with this down cover and these soft blankets over us. I never lay on a more delightful bed. Everything about it is beautiful and luxurious too."

"Papa was very particular to get the very best of springs and mattresses for all our beds," replied Lulu. "Oh but he is a dear, good father, always careful for the comfort and happiness of all his children!"

"And of his wife?"

"Oh yes indeed! I'm quite sure no man could take better care of his wife, or be more loving and kind to her, than papa is to Mamma Vi. And I'm pretty sure he was just the same to my mother; he says he loved her very dearly and loves his children – I mean Max and Gracie and me – because they were hers as well as because they are his very own."

"Lu! Lu! get up! Time for breakfast!" screamed Polly again.

"I suppose it is morning, or she wouldn't be making such a fuss," said

Lulu.

"Yes," said Eva, "I see a little light coming in at the window."

"I'll light the gas in the sitting-room, and give her a cracker to stop her screaming," said Lulu, getting out of bed and feeling about for her warm slippers and dressing gown. "Then I'll run and catch papa and Gracie."

"Lulu," said the captain's voice from Gracie's room.

"I'm here, papa. Oh a happy New Year to you!"

"Thank you, dear child. I wish you the same; but I want you to give Polly a cracker as quickly as you can to stop her screaming; for I fear she will wake both guests and babies."

"Yes, sir; I will. I was just going to," replied the little girl. "Then shall I stay up?"

"I think you may as well go back to bed and try to take another nap," he answered. "It is very early yet."

Lulu hurried into the sitting-room where Polly's cage was hanging, and struck a light.

"What you 'bout? Where you been?" demanded the parrot.

"Sleeping in my bed as I have a right to, Miss Saucebox," returned Lulu, laughing as she opened a cupboard door and brought out a paper of crackers. "There, take that and see if you can hold your tongue till folks are ready to get up."

The bird took the offered cracker and began eating it, standing on one foot, on its perch, and holding the food in the claws of the other, while it bit off a little at a time, Lulu looking on with interest.

"You'll have to behave better than this, or you'll get banished to the attic, or the kitchen, or some other far-off place," she said, shaking her finger threateningly at Poll.

Then, after turning down the light, she ran back to bed.

"Are you asleep, Eva?" she asked in a whisper.

"No dear; wide awake."

"Then let's talk; for I'm as wide awake as I can be."

"But didn't your father say you were to try for another nap?"