AUNT HARDING'S KEEPSAKES:OR, THE TWO BIBLES REVISED BY DANIEL P. KIDDER. 1851. [Illustration A: Frontispiece] CONTENTS. I. GUESSING II. THE PRESENTS III. USE OF THE KEEPSAKES IV. TWO CHARACTERS V. LETTERS FROM INDIA VI. TROUBLE BETWEEN SISTERS VII. AUNT HARDING'S LETTER VIII. USE OF MONEY IX. AUNT HARDING'S RETURN AUNT HARDING'S KEEPSAKES. CHAPTER I. GUESSING. "Can you guess, " said Louisa to her sister, as they sat at their workin the summer-house, "can you guess what aunt Harding will give us, asa keepsake, before she goes away?" "No, I have not thought about it, " said Emma; "and aunt has latelygiven us so many pretty things, that we can scarcely expect any morefor a long time to come. There is my doll and its cradle, you know, and your baby-house and furniture, how much money they cost! No, I donot think aunt intends to give us anything else. " "But I am quite sure she will, " replied Louisa; "for I was going pastmamma's dressing-room this morning, when the door was a little wayopen, and I heard aunt Harding say, 'I should like to give the deargirls something really useful, which they may value as they growolder. ' I did not hear anymore, because mamma has always told us it isnot right to listen, and so I came away as fast as I could. " "Well, I wonder what the present will be?" said Emma, now quiteconvinced. "What should you think of two handsome work-boxes--or, perhaps, as Iam the eldest, of a work-box for yourself, and writing-desk for me?" "That would be charming!" said Emma; "and I would let you use mywork-box, and you could lend me your writing-desk sometimes. " "I will not make any promises, " said Louisa; "you know you are verycareless, and I should not like my nice new desk to be stained withink, or, perhaps, scratched with the point of a pin. " "But mamma says I am growing more careful, " said her sister; "and I donot think I am so heedless about other people's things, though I oftenspoil my own. " "Remember my wax doll, " said Louisa, "which you left in the gardenthrough that heavy shower of rain, so that I could never play with itagain. " "O, that was such a very long time ago!" said Emma, looking a littlevexed. "Perhaps it will not be a writing-desk nor a work-box that auntHarding will give us, " said Louisa; "there are many other things whichwe should like. I wish she would ask us to choose. " "So do I, " added Emma; "but there is nothing that I should like betterthan a work-box. " Louisa thought of many other things which she should be glad to have;for she was apt to indulge in a foolish habit of wishing for what shewas not likely to possess. It is a bad thing to give way to thisfailing; for by doing so we may often make ourselves unhappy, withoutany good or real cause. People who do so should think of the words ofSt. Paul: "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to becontent. " Philip. Iv, 11. And children, who have kind parents orfriends to provide for all their wants, should learn that it is verysinful to let the thoughts be often dwelling upon things that theycannot have, and do not really need. Pray for a grateful heart, thatyou may rejoice in the blessings that surround you, and be thankful toyour heavenly Father, who gives you all things richly to enjoy. CHAPTER II. THE PRESENTS. Mrs. Harding, the aunt of these little girls, had been paying afarewell visit to their mamma, before going with Mr. Harding to India, where it was likely that they would remain for some years. She hadkindly given many little presents to her nieces during her stay withthem; but they were such as Louisa and Emma would cease to value whenthey became old enough to "put away childish things;" and being aperson of piety and judgment, she wished her last gift to be one whichmight be worthy of their regard in youth and in age, and through allthe changes of life. It did not take any long time to determine whatthis parting gift should be. The evening before she went away, she called Louisa and Emma into theroom. They both looked round upon the table and chests of drawers, butno sign of a present was to be seen; no parcel neatly wrapped up inbrown paper, nor anything like a work-box or a desk. But, to do themjustice, the thought of what they might receive was not then uppermostin their mind; for their heart was full of grief at the prospect ofparting with their aunt, whom they dearly loved, and who was going sovery far away. "Sit down beside me, dear children, " said their aunt Harding, "and letus have a little talk together, quietly by ourselves. I wish to giveyou a few parting words of advice. I am sure that you will not forgetme when I am gone; and when you think of me, I hope that the goodthings which I have tried to teach you will also come into your mind. " Both Louisa and Emma said, again and again, that they could neverforget her, and they promised to remember her advice. "Your mamma will often write to me concerning you, " said aunt Harding, "and I cannot express the joy that it will afford me to hear that youare learning to hate sin more and more, and to live like children ofour Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I shall be glad to find that youare improving in your studies, and I hope that every letter will bringme an account of your progress in useful knowledge; but I shall be farmore anxious to hear of your being good and dutiful to your parents;and, above all, I shall long to know if you seek in earnest for thepardon of your sins, through the blood of Christ, and whether there isany proof in your conduct that your evil hearts have been changed bythe grace of the Holy Spirit. " "If mamma sends you a good account of us, " said Louisa, "please toremember, aunt, that you promised to write to us when that was thecase. And you will write to me first, because I am the eldest, youknow. " "Since you claim to be thought of first, " replied her aunt, "becauseyou are a year older then your sister, I hope you intend to take thelead by setting before her a good example, that it may be well for herto imitate you in every respect. " Louisa blushed, and was silent. "We will try our very best, dearaunt, " said Emma, "that mamma may send you good news, and then youwill write to us both. And, perhaps, before you come back, we shall begrown such good girls, that you will not be able to find fault witheither of us. " "I am afraid that is not very likely, " said Louisa; "for it seems asif we could not help being naughty sometimes. I am sure I have oftensaid to myself, 'Mamma shall not have to reprove me once to-day, ' andyet, directly after, something has been amiss. " "O! that is quite true, " said Emma, with a sigh. "The reason is this, " their aunt replied; "you were born with an evilnature, which loves sin and leads you to do wrong, so that you cannotbe good and dutiful of yourselves. When you have made such resolves, it has been in your own strength, without your having asked for helpfrom God; and this being the case, it was not possible that you shouldkeep from sin. The only way to lead a holy life is to put no trust inourselves, to have a constant sense of our need of divine grace, andto pray earnestly that it may be given to us for Christ's sake. " "But you talk of my return, " added she, "as if it were certain that weshould meet again; yet how many things may happen to prevent it!Nothing can be more uncertain than the future, though young people areapt to think that all will fall out just as they wish. I may not liveto come back; or if I should be spared to do so, who can tell that youwill be here to meet me? Long before that time you may be laid low inthe narrow grave. 'For what is your life? It is even a vapor, thatappeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. ' James iv, 14. " Before their aunt Harding had done speaking, both the children were intears; for the thought that they might never see her again was morethan they could bear. Seeing that their hearts were softened toreceive the word of instruction, she went on to talk to them in a kindand earnest manner on the great importance of preparing for anotherworld, showing them their awful state without the Saviour, and urgingthem to seek him at once by faith and prayer; then, further to impressher advice upon their minds, she unlocked a little cabinet which stoodnear her, and taking out two handsome Bibles, [A] gave one to each ofher nieces, telling them that as it was the best present she couldgive them, so she hoped they would value it, not only for her sake, but because it was the word of God, and taught the way of eternallife. After this, she desired them to kneel down with her, while sheoffered a fervent prayer that God would bless them, and that theymight be led by the Holy Spirit into the fold of Christ, who died totake away their sins. And she also prayed, that if they should nevermore see each other in this world, they and all whom they loved mightmeet again and be happy for ever in heaven. [Footnote A: See frontispiece. ] Now I will not say that when the sisters were alone together, andlooked at their handsome Bibles, a thought of the work-box and thewriting-desk never crossed their minds; but it is certain that therewas not a word said upon the subject, and each seemed to be greatlypleased with her present, admiring the rich purple binding, andopening the book with care, to look at the name which had been nicelywritten by their aunt on one of the blank leaves at the beginning. InLouisa's Bible, just under her name, was the text, "Open thou mineeyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law, " Psa. Cxix, 18; and in Emma's, in the same place, was written, "I love them thatlove me; and those that seek me early shall find me. " Prov. Viii, 17. CHAPTER III. USE OF THE KEEPSAKES. The next day was a sorrowful one, both to the friends who went away, and to those who were left behind. The children could talk of littleelse than their uncle and aunt Harding. They asked their mother manyquestions about the journey they had begun, and the country to whichthey were going. When Louisa and Emma saw that their mamma was verysad, and not so ready as usual to join in their talk, they did nottease her, as some thoughtless children would have done, but eachchose for herself a pleasant and quiet employment. Louisa began toarrange the furniture in her baby-house, and Emma brought a piece ofbrown silk from her drawer of treasures, and set about making a coverfor her new Bible. "Why, Emma, what are you about?" cried Louisa, after watching hersister for a moment; "surely you are not going to use that beautifulbook?" "Yes, I am, " said Emma, quietly; "I mean to read a little in it everyday. Ah! I see that you think it will soon be torn and soiled; but Iassure you I intend to be very careful; and look, what a nice coverthis will make!" "I am afraid, " said Louisa, laughing, "you will never be careful aslong as you live. To think of so soon beginning to use that handsomebook! I have made up my mind to read a chapter every day, but not outof my new Bible. I think the old one, that lies in the school-room, will do just as well. " "So it would, " returned Emma; "and I thought of that myself lastnight, when aunt Harding told us how much she wished us to be good, and to love the Scriptures: but then the school-room Bible is notalways in its place, and that might sometimes hinder me from readingat all. Now I shall keep this book in my little drawer in our room, where I can find it in a minute. " "You must please yourself, I suppose, " said Louisa; "but I will askmamma whether it is better to use aunt Harding's Bible or the oldone. " Mrs. Western heard what her little girl had to say, but did not givejust the answer that Louisa expected. "You are right, " she said, "insupposing that it does not signify whether you read in an old Bible ora new one. It is from the divine blessing upon what we read, and notfrom the book itself, that we must look for benefit to our souls. Ifyou pray for this blessing with all your heart, you will find the wayof salvation as plainly declared in the worn-out school-room Bible asin your aunt Harding's keepsake, with its purple binding and shininggilt leaves. But yet I approve of Emma's wish to use her new Biblefrom this time, and advise you to follow her example. For though itought to be our great delight to read the Scriptures, yet we have suchsinful hearts, so ready to put off doing what is right for any poorexcuse, that even such a little thing as having to look for the Bible, when it happens to be mislaid, will be likely to prevent you fromreading it so constantly as you intend. " To this Louisa made no reply. She had wrapped up her beautiful book insilver paper, and laid it carefully in a box, under lock and key, andshe did not mean to disturb it, except perhaps now and then for a fewmoments, that it might be looked at and admired. As for Emma, she wenton fitting the brown silk cover as neatly as she could; and hopingthat, if she prayed for the divine blessing, as her mother and aunthad told her, she might learn from her precious Bible the way to begood and happy. CHAPTER IV. TWO CHARACTERS. It is time that I should tell you the age of these two little girls. Louisa was just turned of ten, and Emma was one year younger. I haveno doubt that although you know so little about them, you already likeEmma better than her sister; and the reason of this is plain. No onecould be long with Louisa without finding out that she was a selfishchild; while Emma, though she had many faults, of which carelessnesswas the chief, was of a kind, good-natured disposition, always readyto oblige. Louisa, too, was often willful, and would not give up herown way; while Emma was humble-minded, knowing that she had much tolearn, and thankful to be taught. Both of these children were sinners, like all who are born into this sinful world: but Louisa cared littleabout the concerns of her soul; while Emma had begun to pray in secretfor pardon through Christ her Saviour, and for the new heart which isthe gift of his Holy Spirit. Reader, you too are a sinner, and by nature far from God. Do you everconsider what is your present state? Have you been brought near to himby the blood of Christ, the new and living way? You may have heard ofthese things before, but without giving heed to the salvation of yourown soul, or seeking to prepare for the world to come. If this hasbeen the case, pause now, and ask yourself whither you are going, andwhat must be the end, if you do not repent and turn from sin. Thereare many awful texts in the Bible concerning those who trifle with theoffers of divine mercy, and harden their hearts against the Saviour'sgracious call. O! pray that you may not be one of this unhappy number. Seek the Lord while he may be found, before the day of grace is past. God has said that his "Spirit shall not always strive with man, " Gen. Vi, 3; and if you will not repent to-day, to-morrow may be too late. Emma's Bible was nicely covered, and laid in her own little drawer;and every morning she read a chapter before she went down stairs. Sheprayed that God would teach her by his Holy Spirit to understand whatshe read; and though her prayers were very simple, and she scarcelyknew what words to use, yet she felt sure that he would hear her, because he has promised to do so, for the sake of his dear Son. And bydegrees, as she began to love her Bible more and more, she learned ahabit of going to their little room alone, once in each day, to read afew verses in private, and to offer a short prayer to her "Father whoseeth in secret. " Matt, vi, 6. She found a great blessing in this; andit often happened that the thought of a text of Scripture which shehad been reading in her room alone would come into her mind when shewas afterward tempted to say or do something wrong, and thus help tokeep her from sin. It was not so with Louisa. The Bible was often wanted in theschoolroom--for the children had a governess who came to teach themevery day; and Louisa soon found it too much trouble to take the bookup stairs at night, and to carry it down again the next morning. Besides this, she did not always rise from her bed in time to read achapter, so that it was often put off till after breakfast, and thenit commonly happened that she had other things to do, and did not readit at all. Emma would sometimes gently remind her that her Biblereading had been forgotten; but this made Louisa so cross that sheleft off doing so at last. The truth was, that this poor child had noreal love for the Scriptures; and as she did not seek for grace tohelp her, the good resolves that she had made passed away quickly fromher mind. The difference between the sisters was seen in their outward conduct;for Emma's reading of the Bible would have been in vain if the effectshad not been shown in her temper and daily life. I do not mean to saythat she never went wrong; for Emma had still an evil nature, and asinful heart, often leading her to forget the commands of God. But shewas truly sorry when this had been the case, and would ask to beforgiven with many tears; and she also prayed for divine grace, thatshe might try to be more watchful for the time to come. Louisa, on theother hand, thought too highly of herself to be easily convinced of afault; and as she seldom received reproof in an humble and propermanner, she made but little progress toward improvement. CHAPTER V. LETTERS FROM INDIA. Some months passed before there came a letter from Mrs. Harding; forIndia, as you know, is many thousands of miles from here, and it takesa long time for a ship to sail over the wide sea which lies between. But great was the joy of the children and their mother when at lastthe good tidings came that, through the mercy of God, their friendshad reached that distant country, safe and well. Louisa danced andclapped her hands; and Emma felt very happy, sitting beside hermother, and looking up in her face, while she read the letter throughtears of pleasure. Mrs. Harding had written a few lines to the children, which theirmother read aloud to them, and then allowed them to look at forthemselves. The words were these: "I often think of you, dear Louisaand Emma, and pray for divine blessings upon you both; and I hope tohear that you are giving yourselves to the Saviour, who died upon thecross for you. You know the love of Jesus for the young; his kindnessto them when he was upon earth; and the tender way in which he stillinvites them to come to him. Go, then, to Christ without delay: askhim to be your friend, and you will be happy for evermore. " A few weeks after this letter had been received, Mrs. Western'sbirthday arrived, when it was usual for her children to have a holidayand a little treat. On the morning of this day, as Emma was running upstairs, her mamma called to her from her dressing-room, and desiredher to come in, and to shut the door. Emma did as she was bid; andthen Mrs. Western, with a smile on her face, told her to look round, and try if she could discover anything in the room that she had notseen before. Almost before her mother had done speaking, the little girl fixed hereyes upon a handsome work-box, standing upon the table with the lidopen, and showing a lining of pale blue silk, edged with silver; whilewithin were scissors and thimble, an abundance of needles and cotton, everything, in short, that Emma had long been wishing for in vain. "It is yours, my dear, " said her mamma; "it is a present from youraunt Harding, who, in her letter, requested me to choose for you on mybirthday something that you would like, if your conduct should havebeen such as to deserve a token of our approval. I am happy to seethat you strive to amend your faults, and I trust that you will stillgo on trying to improve. " "O, mamma, how beautiful! and how kind in aunt Harding! Indeed I willtry to deserve it. " And the little girl went close to the box, andlooked at its contents, but without venturing to touch them; thengently closing the lid, she stood gazing upon it with silent delight. "But, mamma, " said Emma, looking up with a sudden thought, and castingher eyes round the room as if in search of something which was not tobe seen, "where is Louisa's present? She would like a writing-desk, Iknow; for the old work-box which she has had so long is not yet wornout, because she is so very careful. " "I am sorry to say, " returned Mrs. Western, "that Louisa is notdeserving of any present, and therefore it would have been wrong toprovide one for her. " At hearing this, Emma changed color, and looked almost ready to cry. "Dear mamma, " said she, "do pray have pity on poor Louisa. I cannotbear to show her my beautiful box, if she is not to have a presenttoo. She would be so much grieved. " "My dear, " said Mrs. Western, "do you not perceive that it would beunjust and contrary to your aunt's wish, if, while Louisa gives way toher faults, I were to treat her as though she were seeking to overcomethem? It is quite as painful to me as to yourself to make this needfuldifference between you; but in all our actions we must think of whatis _right_, and not of what it would be _pleasant_ to do. When I seeany sign of improvement in your sister, I shall gladly provide herwith a writing-desk; but not till then. " Emma paused for a moment; her eyes filled with tears, and the colorrose to her face. "Then mamma, " said she, "I will wait, if you please, for my work-box, until you think proper to give Louisa her desk. Please to put it away in some safe place, and I will not say anythingabout it. I can do very well without the box a little while longer, you know. " When Mrs. Western found that Emma was willing to deny herself apleasure rather than give pain to her sister, she consented to herwish, because she desired to encourage kind and tender feelingsbetween them; and she knew it would be easy to find some other way ofshowing Louisa that her friends were grieved and displeased by herconduct. So the work-box was safely put away for the present; thoughEmma had her hopes that the time would soon come when, with thepromised writing-desk, it might be again brought forward. CHAPTER VI. TROUBLE BETWEEN SISTERS. I have told you that Emma was not without her faults; and whether shewas a little lifted up by her mother's approval, so that she becameless watchful over herself, and felt less her need of the grace ofGod, I cannot say: but so it was, that on the very same evening oftheir mother's birthday, the sisters had a quarrel, which wouldcertainly have been worse, if Mrs. Western had not been sitting by. Louisa was the first to blame; but, on the other hand, Emma did notbehave like a meek and Christian child. It was about Louisa's old work-box that this quarrel took place. Emmawished to have the use of it for a short time, as Louisa did not wantit herself: but Louisa, as you have seen, was not very willing tolend; and some sharp and unkind words passed between them, such aschildren too often use when they give way to angry and sinfulpassions. No doubt the thought of her own work-box was in Emma's mindwhen she said, "You are selfish and ill-natured, Louisa, and do notdeserve that people should give up any pleasure for you. " While she was speaking, she saw her mother's eyes turned toward herwith a look of surprise and sorrow; and at the same moment the wordsof Scripture, "Be kindly affectioned one toward another, " came intoher mind. She blushed and looked down while Mrs. Western reproved themboth, and told them of the grief which, she felt on account of theirsinful conduct, reminding them also of the example of the meek andlowly Jesus, who has commanded us to live in love. Emma was soonbrought to tears, and went out of the room to weep alone, and askforgiveness, for her Saviour's sake, from the holy God whom she haddispleased by her sin: but Louisa, as usual, was inclined to besullen, and did not think that she had been at all in the wrong. Uponthis, her mother pointed out to her the unkindness of refusing sosmall a favor to her sister; and in the hope of bringing her to asense of her fault, she told her what had passed in the morning, andmade known to her the whole affair of the work-box. Louisa was so muchstruck by this proof of Emma's love, that her heart was quitesoftened, and she not only owned that she had done amiss, but ran toseek her sister, and asked her to forget their quarrel and be friends. Emma was very glad to agree to this, and was also ready to take hershare of blame, saying that she had been very wrong in speaking sounkindly, and she hoped never to be so naughty again. It was pleasantafter this, to see Louisa's desire that her sister should use the oldwork-box, and what care Emma showed in keeping all its contents nicelyin their place. The loss of the birthday present had a great effect upon Louisa, sothat she became more watchful over her temper and conduct. In a fewmonths she had improved so much, that though she was still far frombeing all that could be wished, yet her mother thought she mightsafely buy her the writing-desk, according to the desire of her auntHarding. Emma had still waited for her work-box with hope andpatience; and you may imagine the joy of both when they at lastreceived these long wished-for gifts. And as Emma was now not socareless as formerly, and Louisa had grown more kind, the work-box andthe writing-desk were often lent in exchange; while the sisters soonfound out the truth of what their mother told them, that such littlefrequent acts of mutual kindness do more to increase love than thosegreater deeds which children sometimes talk about, but seldom have thepower to perform. The second packet from aunt Harding was received with not less joythan the first; for there was in it a letter for Louisa and Emma; andthat she might show no favor to one above the other, she had directedit to both. Louisa, however, claimed and was allowed the privilege ofbreaking the seal. I wish you could have seen their happy faces, asEmma leaned upon her sister's shoulder to read the welcome letterwhich had been sent to them from a country so distant, and by a friendwhom they loved so well. CHAPTER VII. AUNT HARDING'S LETTER. Would you like to know what aunt Harding Wrote to her nieces? Herethen is the letter, word for word:-- "MY DEAR CHILDREN, LOUISA AND EMMA, --It is with great pleasure that Iread in your mamma's letter the account of your improvement, and I amglad to fulfill the promise which I made of writing to you when thatshould be the case. I hope that you will go on trying to grow betterand better; and for this end you should pray daily for the grace ofGod to help you every moment of your lives. Without his grace the evildesires of your sinful hearts will lead you from the right way; and asone sin always brings on others, you would, if left to yourselves, wander further and further from that which is good, until you lost alllove for your Saviour and his commands. "I often think of you, and wish that you could see the poor littleHindoo children, who have never heard of the true God, but are taughtby their heathen parents to kneel down, and pray to idols of wood andstone. There is a river in this country, the river Ganges, which thepeople believe to be a goddess, and they think that its waters canwash away their sins. Mothers often bring their little infants andbathe them in this river, because they believe it will make them holy. Do you not pity these poor people, whose souls are perishing for wantof knowledge? Do you not wish that some one would go among them, andtell them about Jesus the Son of God, who gave himself to die forsinners, and whose blood alone can wash away sin? If so, you will beglad to know that there are some good men here who have left their owndear home and friends to live in this heathen country, and to teachthe poor Hindoos the true and only way to heaven. Christians in otherplaces, who love the Saviour, and wish that the heathen should learnto love him too, give money to send these good men here, and to payfor Bibles, and for other books which have been written on purpose toshow how sinners may be saved. All may help to do this who will sparea little money from their own wishes and wants. _You_ may help, if youlove the Saviour enough to deny yourselves some little pleasure nowand then. I think you would resolve to do so, if you could go with mesometimes to the missionary school, and see the little childrensitting in rows, learning to read about Jesus, and hear them askingfor more books to take home, that they may tell the tidings ofsalvation to their heathen parents. O yes! I am sure you would want tohelp them then; for you would remember that heathen children, likeyourselves, have souls which must live for ever and ever; and youwould long that they should come to the knowledge of the Saviour, whodied for them as well as for you. "It is now time that I should finish this long letter; so farewell, dear Louisa and Emma. Your uncle sends his love to you. We often talkof you, and pray that you may be the children of God, through faith inhis dear Son. Your ever affectionate, "AUNT HARDING. " CHAPTER VIII. USE OF MONEY. Emma found a great deal to think about in this letter, and it led tofrequent talk with her mother about the heathen, for whom she began tofeel much concern. When she heard how Christian people were trying tohelp them, and had read some accounts which her mother lent to her, telling of the happy change that, through the blessing of God, hadbeen brought about in many cases by the preaching of the gospel, shewished that Louisa and herself could join in doing something, thoughever so little, for this good cause. The love of Christ was in herheart: when this is the case, it will be sure to show itself in lovefor the souls of others. But Louisa, when spoken to on the subject, said that she had notanything to give. "I am very sorry, though, that the poor Hindoosshould worship idols, " she said; "and when I grow older, and have moremoney, I will do a great deal for them, depend upon it. " "But why not help them a little _now_?" said Emma. "Because I have no money, " replied Louisa; "no money I mean exceptwhat is in my little savings bank, and I should not like to part withthat. As for you, Emma, you never can save up a shilling; so that I amsure you have not anything to spare. " "Ah, " said Emma, "that is true, to be sure; I never can save my money, and so I will tell you what I mean to do. Mamma gives us threepence aweek, to spend as we please, you know; but I will only take twopencefor the time to come, and I shall ask her to give the other pennies tothe Tract Society at the end of the year. Four shillings and fourpenceis not much, indeed, yet it will buy some nice little books for theHindoo children in the schools; and if you will also give a penny aweek, that will buy just as many more. " It was of no use. Louisa would not be persuaded to do anything for theheathen _yet_. Emma gave her penny a week, and felt happy in givingit; while Louisa only talked of doing so by and by. If Louisa hadloved her Saviour and her Bible, she would have felt it a delight toassist in sending the glad tidings of the gospel to heathen lands; butwhen the heart has not been changed by the Holy Spirit, we feel butlittle concern for our own souls, and do not care for the salvation ofothers. Emma was not led away by the example of her sister; but as she grewolder she seemed to grow in grace, and in the knowledge and love ofChrist. This will always be the case with those who believe thepromises of God, and seek for divine assistance to enable them to obeyhis word. We can do nothing of ourselves, for we are poor, guilty, helpless sinners: but God, who has given his only Son to die for oursins, has also promised to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask it. Therefore, though we feel ourselves ever so weak and sinful, we neednot despair of growing better, if we also feel our need of Christ, andgo to him for help and pardon. Louisa and Emma had often heard that life is short and uncertain; butit is not easy for young people to feel the truth of this while theyare healthy and strong. When Emma was about twelve years old she wastaken very ill, so that there was from the first but little hope thatshe would recover. Then she felt that it is an awful thing to die; andthe thought of the soul, which cannot die, and of heaven and hell, were far more solemn than they had ever seemed to her before. At firstshe was greatly afraid of death, for she knew she was a sinner, anddeserving of the anger of God; but by degrees, as she lay on her sickbed, there came into her mind many sweet verses of the Bible, whichshe had learned in her days of health, and which gave her comfort, bytelling her of the love of Jesus the Lamb of God, who taketh away thesins of the world. Do you think she was sorry, now, that she had spentso many hours in reading that holy and blessed book? No; for thepromises of mercy and salvation which it held out to her was her onlysupport through many hours of pain and suffering, when death seemednear, and eternity close at hand. Though too ill to read, or even tolisten to the words of life, she could remember many of them in herheart, and think of them to her comfort in this season of trial. Sometimes she was able to talk to her mother for a few minutes, whenit was plain that her mind was chiefly filled with thoughts of Christand things divine. And she often said that, if it should be the willof God to restore her to health, she hoped for grace to devote herselfto his service, and to live more to his glory than she had ever donebefore. She also spoke oftener to her sister, begging her to think ofher soul, to read her Bible more, and to seek for the pardon of hersins; and Louisa, who was in great distress at the thought of losingher, was ready to promise anything that she asked. But it did notappear that she was under any concern for her own state; and this wasa great trouble to poor Emma, who now felt more than ever the need ofpreparing for the world to come. It pleased God to spare her life, though she grew better very slowly, and it was many weeks before she could leave her room. When her longand painful illness was over, she was again able to share with Louisain her lessons and her pleasures, so that in time those weeks of griefand suffering seemed to be forgotten; but they were not forgotten byEmma: she did not forget the mercies she had received, and the resolvewhich she had made of leading a holy life: she daily prayed for anhumble and watchful mind, and for grace to keep her from falling intosin; and, as you may suppose, she loved her Bible more and more forthe comfort which it had given her in the time of trouble. She stilltook pleasure in reading it alone, and prayed that she might havegrace to obey its commands, so that it might be a lamp unto her feetand a light unto her path. Psa. Cxix, 105. CHAPTER IX. AUNT HARDING'S RETURN. And now two more years had passed away, and the time when their auntHarding's return was looked for had come. They had talked of it allthrough the winter; and when spring was over, and summer begun, thehappy tidings came that the ship had arrived in safety, and theiruncle and aunt Harding were on their way to visit them once more. Iwill leave you to guess the joy that was felt by all; and you mustpicture to yourself the pleasure of their meeting soon afterward: howthankful all were that they were spared to behold each other again;with uncle Harding's surprise at seeing two great girls instead oflittle Louisa and Emma; and aunt Harding's smiles, and her hopes thatthere would be found an equal improvement in matters of moreimportance. The morning after she came, when Mrs. Harding began to unpack herboxes, Louisa and Emma caught sight of many pretty and curious thingswhich she told them were intended as presents for themselves. "Butbefore we proceed any further, " said she, as the girls were beginningto express their thanks and pleasure, "I wish to inquire about theparting keepsake which I gave to you; and I should be glad to see howeach book has been treated, that I may know the real value which youset upon the gift. " Louisa and Emma both ran to fulfill their aunt's desire. To speak thetruth, Louisa was now in hopes of having all the praise. She quicklybrought in her handsome Bible, still wrapped in the soft white paper, and in all the gloss of newness: not a mark upon the rich purplebinding, not a speck upon the bright gilt leaves. Emma, too, broughthers, but with a more timid look; the neat brown silk cover was fadedand worn--she had thought of making a new one only the day before--andthe brightness was gone from the leaves, and the binding seemed ratherloose, for the book opened easily, and there were some pages, lesswhite than others, which looked as if they had been often read. ToLouisa's surprise, Mrs. Harding laid down her book without saying aword, while, as soon as she took Emma's Bible into her hand, shesmiled with pleasure, although tears came into her eyes. "_This_ bookhas been valued as it ought to be, " said she; "it has been used withcare, but often used, so that I trust it has been found a guide and ahelp to heaven. But yours, Louisa"--and she pointed to the beautifulBible which lay upon the table--"yours has been laid aside, like thetalent which was buried in the earth. It has been of no benefit toyour soul, for you seem hardly ever to have looked to it forinstruction; as if its real worth consisted in outside ornament, youhave been careful to keep that from injury, but have never sought orcared for the treasure that is within. But dry your tears, my dearLouisa, " added aunt Harding kindly. "I am not angry, for I know thatyour mistaken care was in some measure caused by your love for me. I am only sorry that my parting present has not been of the use whichI intended. But it is not yet too late for you to learn that, whileyour Bible should be kept with proper care--for it is the word ofGod--yet it was given for our daily study, that we might read it, prayover it, and practice it; and thus, by the divine blessing, become'wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. '" 2 Tim. Iii, 15. "I trust, " said the kind aunt, looking at her two nieces with muchaffection; "I trust that my dear Emma knows and loves her Saviour, andtakes delight in the Scriptures, because they testify of him. May youboth have grace to love him above all things, to do his will, and toput your trust in him for evermore; and then the heartfelt desire ofyour aunt Harding will be fulfilled. " Reader, beware how you neglect the word of God. But remember it is notby merely reading it that you are to look for a blessing to your soul. You must pray for the teaching of the Holy Spirit, who alone can openyour understanding, and incline your heart to heavenly wisdom, thatyou may not read in vain. * * * * * PRAYER FOR DIVINE GUIDANCE. O that the Lord would guide my ways To keep his statutes still!O that my God would grant me grace To know and do his will! O send thy Spirit down to write Thy law upon my heart!Nor let my tongue indulge deceit, Nor act the liar's part. From vanity turn off mine eyes; Let no corrupt design, Nor covetous desires, arise Within this soul of mine. Order my footsteps by thy word, And make my heart sincere:Let sin have no dominion, Lord, But keep my conscience clear. My soul hath gone too far astray, My feet too often slip;Yet, since I've not forgot thy way, Restore thy wand'ring sheep. Make me to walk in thy commands, 'Tis a delightful road;Nor let my head, or heart, or hands, Offend against my God. * * * * * VALUE OF THE SCRIPTURES TO THE YOUNG How shall the young secure their hearts, And guard their lives from sin?Thy word the choicest rules imparts To keep the conscience clean. When once it enters to the mind, It spreads such light abroad, The meanest souls instruction find, And raise their thoughts to God. 'Tis like the sun, a heavenly light That guides us all the day;And through the dangers of the night, A lamp to lead our way. Thy precepts make me truly wise; I hate the sinner's road:I hate my own vain thoughts that rise, But love thy law, my God. Thy word is everlasting truth; How pure is every page!That holy book shall guide our youth, And well support our age. THE END. * * * * * BOOKS PUBLISHED FOR THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNIONOF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. * * * * * KINDNESS TO ANIMALS;SHOWING THE SIN OF CRUELTY. BY CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH. Price eighteen cents. THE M'GREGOR FAMILY. Price eighteen cents. THE COTTAGE ON THE MOOR;OR, THE EVILS OF PRIDE. Price eighteen cents. OLD ANTHONY'S HINTS TO YOUNG PEOPLE, TO MAKE THEM CHEERFUL AND WISE. Price twenty cents. THE JEW AMONG ALL NATIONS, SHOWING THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THATWONDERFUL PEOPLE. Price twenty-one cents. THE EGYPTIAN, BY THE AUTHOR OF THE JEW. Price twenty-one cents. THE STRANGE PLANET, AND OTHER ALLEGORIES, DESIGNED TO ILLUSTRATE IMPORTANT SUBJECTS