THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

Evening Star, Issue 9807, 21 September 1895, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

Talks lu Vouiig Folks.

BEQUEATHED TO GOD,

[By the Rev, William Bibcii, D.D.]

TOM THATCHER’S RETURN.

. On Sunday Tom Thatcher, who is on his holiday at Blackpool, does not bathe, and being “ a stranger,” as he says, he is too timid to go to church. If only Lynn or Butcher Blair were with him he might screw up courage to enter a new place c{ worship and be in the fashion. He therefore goes with the old bathing woman’s husband to look at the donkeys who are having a holiday on the sandhills, where a little grass grows here and there. Tom makes friends, and talks to some of them, who wag their long ears to and fro as if they understand his meaning, and he comforts the mother of the foal which the old man has given him, saying he will be good to her little sonny, while the knowing creature rubs her nose against him, and he gives her the remnants of the sticky pieces of toffee in his pocket left over from the gifts of the ragged school children yesterday on the sands, after he had bought them spades and treated about eighty of them to a donkey ride. The donkeys appear to remember Tom Thatcher, and as he sits on a mound with the old man a dozen of the seriously-inclined, long-eared creatures draw near and seem to enjoy the smell of the tobacco and the ring of his loving voice, while the mother of the foal which he holds on his lap lies down in front, and out of the corner of her almost closed eyes admires her little sonny, and also, no doubt, Tom Thatcher and the old man. Yes, they are all friends of one another to day. The church bells merrily chime for them; the sun shines for them; the sweet, pure sea air is for them; the sacred day is for them. In their way the donkeys are thankful to God through His servant, the old man who owns and cares for them, while our Heavenly Father is as pleased with the thanks and love the donkeys show to their human master as with the church organ and choir, which chaunt to the God whose presence is not felt and whose commands are not observed.

Now the church bells cease their chiming and tolling, and away in the distance the music of congregational singing is faintly heard by God’s two children and His creatures on the sandhills. Then Tom Thatcher rises, and reverently taking off his hat with one hand, nursing the little foal on the other arm, he says to the old man, who also takes off his sailor’s hat: “ Let us pray.” Tom lifts up his eyes, and the old man looks up in the same direction, but can only see a small white ,cloud sailing under the vast blue sky. Toni’s eyes fill with tears. It is the first time he has conducted public worship. While he is still looking up tears of sympathy come into the eyes of the old man. Tom falls on one knee and the old man also kneels, but looking in his face as if it were a prayer book telling what should be done next. Tom says again “ Let us pray ! ” With a shaking voice which at times almost becomes a sob, he prays; “ Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven; give us this day our daily bread ; forgive us our sins for we forgive them that sin against us; andlead us not into temptation. Amen.” And while he prays very slowly, with pauses between, the old man repeals the words after him as people do in church. Then Tom puts on his hat, the old man likewise putting on his sailor hat, and the two men shakes hands, for their simple “divine service” has drawn them nearer to God and to one another.

In the afternoon, although it is Sunday, Tom feels so home sick as to decide him to return by the evening train, and leaves the foal to grow a little bigger, but takes the pup, which is so small os to go easily into his pocket with some hay, and room to spare. The old man and his wife see him off, making him promise to come again, the

bathing woman saying: “ Your visit has been like a red-gilt letter day and the blue in the sky; come again, and bring your lassie, and the little chap who reads the Bible to you and says * Our Father.’ ” Tom decides to spend the night with a friend who keeps a cooked sausage and fried fish shop in London road, and on the way a girl, who looks about seventeen years of age, stops him. He takes off nis hat, saying; “ I have not the pleasure of knowing you, miss.” After a while he learn* she is a “ woman who is a sinner,” that she has no money for supper or bed, and is hungry. With sudden tears in his eyes he takes her hand in his, saying: “ Come with me, little miss; lam sure my friends will be glad to give you and me something to eat.” When they reach the sausage shop Mr and Mrs Tyson have put np the shutters, closed the door, and are sitting down tosupper. Tom Thatcher, in an aside, tells all, and Mrs Tyson exclaims, shaking the girl’s hand : “My child, you are welcome, very welcome! ” Seeing she is almost ready to cry Mrs Tyson kisses her, and the girl sinks on the sofa sobbing, when Mr Tyson, with his white apron on, gets up, shakes her hand, and exclaims: “ Cheer up, my lass, you are as safe here as with the Lord in Heaven.” During supper Tom Thatcher tells the news, and gives the pup to his “new sister Louisa ” to nurse, the little creature licking

her chin and going to sleep with its head on her breast. The two men smoke their pipes over their cocoa, while Mrs Tyson prepares a bed for Louisa, and when she returns they talk until after midnight, when Tom Thatcher leaves the pup with Louisa, he says, “to keep yon from being lonely ”; and she falls on her knees, kissing his hand as if be were a bishop. He says he will walk home and slip into his bed over the harness room without anyone knowing till breakfast time, unless Lion the dog t or Teddy the pony scent him. Mr Tyson lends him a cloak to keep of the rain, and Tom Thatcher sets off through the quiet streets and along the dark road, whistling ' Home, sweet home ’ and feeling thanktnl to God for creating him. Passing through Stretford he stops to light bis pipe, and thinks someone near is groaning. He hears voices: “ I cannot go another inch ; lam dying. Leave me; take the plunder.” “No, no, I cannot. I will not leave you; it would be cowardly and mean. Best yonr head on my shoulder.” Tom climbs the low wall and gropes his way to the voices, saying: “I am a friend coming to help.” Striking a match, he sees two men, one of whom is in a faint. The other explains : “We were going to Manchester, and, as it was after midnight, we decided to rest under this cart shed ; bat, you know, a pistol I bought cheap to sell again, and which we didn’t know was loaded, went off and shot my companion in the shoulder. I’m afraid be is done for !” ' “ Poor fellow !” cries Tom Thatcher ; “we will carry him to Dr Rensfaaw’s; it is only a quarter of a mile away. Join yonr hands cross-way with mine, and it will be like a chair to carry him.” Dr Kenshaw is roused and attends to the wounded man, when Tom Thatcher offers to get a hand-barrow with a flat top to wheel him to the town. On their way the man goes into the cart shed for their luggagestolen from the Manor House.

How gently Tom Thatcher wheels the barrow which carries the wounded man! They reach Cornbrook, turn up Barrack street to No. 1 Court, which contains only four cotidges, two rooms each, one over the Other, Telrfi helping to carry the wounded mail to one of the doors, and the other fetching the luggage. When they shake hands the man exclaims: “ I don’t know how to thank you; I daresay you have saved the life of my poor companion ; I have no money now, but I have some things here I shall sell if you tell me where to find you.” “ My dear fellow, I don’t want anything; be kind to some other poor creature who is in trouble.” “Then take this pistol; I should not care to use the money for which I might sell it.” Tom receives the pistol, and, when they shake hands again, remarks : “ Just a quiet word, my friend; I suspect you and your friend are burglars; do not be afraid ! I will not denounce you ; but, my poor fellow, I have seen that there is something good id you ; give up this shameful mode of life; you know, it is hell upon earth ; give it up ! If ever you want the help of a friend, come to me, Tom Thatcher, groom at the Manor House, Flixton; how, God bless you, and bs merciful to you, and to me ! ” “The Manor House!” exclaims the robber, “the Manor House! Oh, God!” but Tom Thatcher, thinking it only his way of expressing thanks, hurries away arid wheels the barrow back to Stretford, sing* iug and whistling ‘ Cheer, boys, cheer.’ It is daylight when Tom Thatcher enters the Manor House gate, and raises his hah and reverently bows, as if he were entering one of the outer gates of Heaven. He see* the stable door open, and hears Teddie, the little Shetland pony, whining a welcome {. he finds Lion, the big Newfoundland, covered with straw and dead; to his surprise bo sees the kitchen door open, and, entering, beholds the wreck. The burglar is lying on the sofa like a dead man, a bandage on his head and a handcuff on one wrist, with Jim Hurst installed as guard and nurse, having a feather in one band and a tablespoon with rum in the other, brushing the burglar’s lips, as he, says to himself, to keep his heart up. The boy Lynn comes into the kitchen with Norah, and, with a shout of joy, leaps into Tom’s arms, saying “Oh, Tom !” while Norah advances, takes his hand, and cries ; “ Poor dear Tom; be a brave man; I have something very sad to tell you; Sarah has gone.” “ Gone ! Gone ! Has Sarah been killed by the burglars ” “ No, no; she seems to have been spirited away during the burglary in the night. Her door and window we found fastened as usual from the iusidc, for we had to burst open the dooi ; and her clothes and Bible, and your photograph, were there as she left them before getting into bed, bat Sarah was gone. We thoroughly searched the bed and the things in the room, but could find no trace of poor Sarah.” Tom Thatcher turns pale, runs out into the stable, and throws himself down in the spare stall with his face on the ground. He is now calm, and returns, saying: “Norah, t let us go to Sarah’s room.” He examines the room, Norah again joining in the search ; and when they have gone over everything two or three times, she remarks : “ Well, Tom ?’’ “ I am convinced, Norah,” he replies, “ that she has not left the house; for, you see, except her nightgown, as you said, all her clothes are here—even her stockings and slippers. I don’t believe in ghosts, and somehow feel sure that she must be in the room. Let us have the little captain to come upstairs with his Bible. ’ Norah fetches Lynn, and Tom Thatcher places the pistol the man has given him on the cook’s Bible. Lynn looks at it and suddenly cries: “ Why, Tom, this is the pistol you gave me. I shot the two burglars with it, you kuow.” Tom answers : “ I see, I see. Those two men had been at the Manor House. But they cannot have taken Sarah. So, captain, the first thing is to find Sarah. Please read a chapter and pray ‘ Our Father,’ for I’m sure Sarah is in this room somewhere; and while you pray God will tell you whereabouts she is, same as He told Joseph and Daniel about the dreams.”

(To be continued next Saturday.)