A Peep Behind the Scenes | Page 7

larks overhead, the humming of the bees, and the gentle
rustling of the breeze amongst the branches.

Then the cottage door opened, and a little child, about three years old,
ran out with a ball in his hand, which he rolled down the path leading to
the garden gate. A minute afterwards a young woman, in a clean cotton
gown and white apron, brought her work outside, and, sitting on the
seat near the cottage door, watched her child at play with a mother's
love and tenderness. She was knitting a little red sock for one of those
tiny feet to wear. Click! click! click! went her knitting-needles; but she
kept her eyes on the child, ready to run to him at the first alarm, to pick
him up if he should fall, or to soothe him if he should be in trouble.
Now and then she glanced at the caravan standing at her garden gate,
and gave a look of compassion at the poor thin woman, whose cough
from time to time was so distressing. Then, as was her custom, she
began to sing as she worked; she had a clear, sweet voice, and the sick
woman and her child listened.
The words of her song were these:
'Jesus, I Thy face am seeking, Early will I turn to Thee; Words of love
Thy voice is speaking: "Come, come to Me.
'"Come to Me when life is dawning, I thy dearest Friend would be; In
the sunshine of the morning, Come, come to Me.
'"Come to Me--oh, do believe Me! I have shed My blood for thee; I am
waiting to receive thee, Come, come to Me."
'Lord, I come without delaying, To Thine arms at once I flee, Lest no
more I hear Thee saying, "Come, come to Me."'
When she had finished singing, all was quite still again; there was
hardly a sound except the pattering of the little feet on the garden path.
But presently the child began to cry, and the careful mother flew to his
side to discover what had pained him. It was only the loss of his ball,
which he had thrown too high, and which had gone over the hedge, and
seemed to him lost for ever. Only his ball! And yet that ball was as
much to that tiny mind as our most precious treasures are to us.
The mother knew this, so she calmed the child's fears, and ran

immediately to recover his lost plaything.
But Rosalie was before her. She had seen the ball come over the hedge,
and had heard the child's cry; and, when his mother appeared at the gate,
she saw the child of the caravan returning from her chase after the ball,
which had rolled some way down the hilly road. She brought it to the
young mother, who thanked her for her kindness, and then gazed
lovingly and pityingly into her face. She was a mother, and she thought
of the happy life her child led, compared with that of this poor little
wanderer. With this feeling in her heart, after restoring the ball to the
once more contented child, she ran into the house, and returned with a
mug of new milk, and a slice of bread, spread with fresh country butter,
which she handed to Rosalie and begged her to eat.
'Thank you, ma'am,' said little Rosalie; 'but please may mammie have it?
I've had some bread and cheese; but she is too ill to eat that, and this
would do her such good.'
'Yes, to be sure,' said the kind-hearted countrywoman; 'give her that,
child, and I'll fetch some more for you.'
And so it came to pass that Rosalie and her mother had quite a little
picnic on the steps of the caravan; with the young woman standing by,
and talking to them as they ate, and now and then looking over the
hedge into the garden, that she might see if any trouble had come to her
boy.
'I liked to hear you sing,' said Rosalie's mother.
'Did you?' said the young woman.' I often sing when I'm knitting; my
little one likes to hear me, and he almost knows that hymn now. Often
when he is at play I hear him singing, "Tome, tome, to Me," so prettily,
the little dear!' she said, with tears in her eyes.
'I wish I knew it,' said Rosalie.
'I'll tell you what,' said the young woman, 'I'll give you a card with it on;
our clergyman had it printed, and we've got two of them.'

She ran again into the house, and returned with a card, on which the
hymn was printed in clear, distinct type. There were two holes pierced
through the top of the card, and a piece of blue ribbon