Part 4 (1/2)

”And how did it all end with Mr Strong?” asked Frank, much interested.

”Oh, it isn't ended yet,” said David. ”Mr Strong is fighting against his bad temper as hard as ever. It has ended as far as his trouble with his neighbours is concerned. He made them see there is something in religion more than they thought, as Job Steele said, and there is no more trouble among them. But the old man must have had some pretty hard battles with himself, before it came to that.”

”And so old Mr Strong is a soldier, anyway,” said Frank.

”Yes, and a conqueror,” said Jem. ”Don't you remember, 'He that ruleth his spirit is greater than he that taketh a city.'”

”Yes,” said David, thoughtfully. ”Mr Strong is a soldier, and, Frank, he is fighting the very same battle that papa is fighting--for the honour of Christ. It is that they are all fighting for in one way or other. It is that that makes it warring a good warfare, you know.”

”No,” said Frank, ”I am afraid I don't know much about it. Tell me, Davie.”

”Oh, I don't pretend to know much about it, either,” said David, with a look at Jem. But Jem shrugged his shoulders.

”You should have asked papa,” said he.

”Go ahead, Davie,” said Frank.

”Well,” said David, with some hesitation, ”it is supposed that all Christians are like their masters--more or less. He was 'holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners;' and that is not an easy thing for any man or boy to be, and so all have to fight with themselves, and the world--”

”And with the devil,” said Jem. ”The princ.i.p.alities and powers, you know.”

”I suppose so, but we don't know much about that, only the end of it all is that they may become like Christ--so that they may make Him known to the world.”

”I've heard papa speak about it,” said Jem.

”Yes, it is one of papa's favourite themes. I have often heard him,”

said David.

And then they went back to the discussion of old Mr Strong again, and then of others; and there was scarcely one of their acquaintances but they discussed in the new character of a soldier. Sometimes they went quite away from the subject, and sometimes they said very foolish things. It is not to be supposed that boys like them would judge very justly, or discuss very charitably the character of people with the outside of whose lives they were alone acquainted, and besides, as David at last gravely acknowledged they could not understand all that was implied in ”warring a good warfare,” not being soldiers themselves.

There was silence for a good while after this, and then they went on again, saying a good many things that could hardly be called wise; but the conclusion to which they came was right and true in the main. It was against 'the world, the flesh, and the devil' that Christians were to fight, and victory meant to become like Christ, and to win over others to be like him, too. That was victory here, and afterwards there would be glory, and the crown of righteousness that Paul spoke about, in Heaven. They were all very grave by the time they got thus far.

”Nothing else in the world seems worth while in comparison, when one really thinks about it,” said David.

”The only wonder is that there are not more soldiers, and that they are not more in earnest,” said Frank.

”All may be soldiers of Christ Jesus,” said David, softly.

”Even boys?” said Frank.

”Papa says so. Boys like you and me and Jem. Papa was a soldier in the army of the Lord, long before he was my age. He told me all about it one day,” said David, with a break in his voice. ”And he said the sooner we enlist the better 'soldiers' we would be, and the more we would accomplish for Him.”

”Yes,” said Frank, ”if one only knew the way.”

”It is all in the Bible, Frank,” said David.

”Yes, I suppose so. It is a wonder you have not become a 'soldier' long ago, David. How glad your mother would be. It is the _only_ thing, she thinks.”

All this last was said while Jem had gone to ask at a farm-house door whether they had not taken the wrong turning up above, and nothing more was said when he came back. Indeed, there was not time. The next turn brought the station in sight, and they saw the train and heard the whistle, and had only time for hurried good-byes before Frank took his place. Jem and Davie stood for a little while looking after the train that bore their friend away so rapidly, and then they turned rather disconsolately to retrace their steps over the muddy roads in the direction of home.

CHAPTER THREE.

If any one had suddenly asked David Inglis to tell him what had been the very happiest moments during all the fourteen happy years of his life, he would probably have gone back in thought to the day, when on the banks of a clear stream among the hills, his very first success as a fisherman had come to him. Or the remembrance of certain signal triumphs on the cricket ground, or at base-ball, might have come to his mind. But that would only have been in answer to a sudden question. If he had had time to think, he would have said, and truly too, that the very happiest hours of all his life had been pa.s.sed in their old wagon at his father's side.