Part 18 (1/2)

Tode's cheeks were all aglow. He had awakened lately to the fact that there was a great deal in this world that he didn't understand, that he wanted to know about; and without a doubt but that this wise-eyed girl knew it all, and that he should learn it all, and that he should learn it from her in a little while. He went to work with alacrity.

Examination came first--that is, it came after the dishes were washed.

Then Tode displayed his reading powers, which really _were_ remarkable when one considered that he could hardly tell himself how he happened to learn, but which sank into insignificance by the side of Winny's clear-toned, correct, careful reading. Tode listened in amazement and delight.

”That sounds just like mine,” he said at last, drawing in his breath as she finished.

In return for which graceful compliment, which had the merit of being an unconscious one, Winny condescended to compliment him on the manner in which his letters, large and small, were gotten up.

”They ought to be nice,” Tode explained, ”the way I worked at 'em! It took me a week off and on, to make that K crook in and out, and up and down, as it ought to. Dora Hastings, she told me about 'em, and made the patterns. You don't know Dora Hastings, do you?”

”No, I never heard of her; but these are not patterns, they are copies; and there is no such word as ''em,' which you keep using so much. Our teachers told us so to-day.”

”What's the reason there isn't?”

”Well, because there _isn't_; it's '_them_' and not ''em' at all. And you use a great many words that they wouldn't allow you to if you went to school.”

”Well then,” said Tode, with unfailing good nature, ”don't _you_ let me say 'em then--no, I mean '_them_.' You're the school misses, and I'm your school. Go on about the other things.”

It was a busy evening. Arithmetic, except so much as had been required to count his small income, proved to be a sealed book to Tode; but the energy with which he began at the beginning, and tried to learn every word in it, was quite soothing to the heart of the young teacher.

The little mother sat at the end of the table, and sewed industriously on the clothes that she had washed and ironed during the day; but when a queer little old clock in the corner struck nine, she bit off her thread and fastened her needle on the yellow cus.h.i.+on, and interrupted the students.

”Now, deary, let's put away our work. You've made a first-rate beginning, but it's time now to read your piece of a chapter, and then we'll have a word of prayer and get to our beds, so we can all be up bright and early in the morning.”

Tode closed his book promptly, and looked on with eager satisfaction while Winny produced an old worn, much-used Bible--a whole Bible! and composedly turned over its pages with the air of one who was quite accustomed to handle the wonderful book.

”Where shall I read to-night, mother?” she asked.

”Well, deary, suppose you read what John says about the many mansions that they're getting ready for us.”

”John didn't say it, mother,” answered Winny, gravely. ”Jesus said it himself.”

”Yes, deary, but John heard him say it, and wrote it down for us.”

So Tode listened, and heard for the first time in his life these blessed words:

”Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in G.o.d, believe also in me.

In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Thus on, through the beautiful verses, until this:

”And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do.”

”There, deary,” said Winny's mother, ”that will do. I want to stop there and think about it. Whenever I get more than usual trouble in my heart about Rick and Jim, I want to hear this chapter down to there, '_Whatsoever_ ye shall ask,' and it gives me a lift, like, and then I pray away.”

Could you imagine how you should feel if you had learned to love the Lord, and were as old as Tode was, and then should hear those words for the first time?

The tears were following each other down his cheeks, and dropping on his hand.

”Who does he mean?” he asked, eagerly. ”Whose mansions be they that he's getting ready?”