Hatty and Marcus | Page 5

Bible, and you must not forget to
'enter into your closet,' to pray to Him who seeth in secret."
"O, Mother, you are so very kind and I am so very hasty," exclaimed
Hatty; "I will not forget to do as you say, for indeed I need it. You will
have to be very patient with me, Mother, for I am afraid I shall have
hard work to keep my resolutions."
"Trust in God for help to struggle against your faults, and in the end
you will conquer," said the mother, with an affectionate kiss, and then
she left her little daughter alone.
Hatty had led an easy, quiet life with her grandmother for the last three
months, and had had but little temptation to give way to her hasty
temper. Now she began to realize that it would be quite another thing,
where at almost every moment she was called on to give up her own
will and pleasure for that of others; but she was not disheartened. God
has promised to give his strength to those who really wish to serve Him,
and on this promise little Hatty relied. In her closet she knelt and asked
the blessing of Heaven on her poor efforts, and she rose cheerful and
happy.

III.
When Hatty had arranged her clothes once more neatly in her own
room, she began to wonder what had become of Marcus, and she
concluded to go in search of him; she met him in the hall. He seemed
much excited, and said, "O Hatty, what beautiful bantams! I have put
them in a barrel, and carried all the packages grandma sent, to the
kitchen, and now I want to know where we shall keep them?"
Hatty was not quite pleased that Marcus should take the bantams so
immediately under his protection, though she had brought them as a
present to him. She checked the feeling of annoyance, and said
pleasantly, "They are yours, Marcus, so you can plan for them as you
think best; but perhaps you could manage to make a coop, as you do
not go to school to-day."
Marcus was delighted with the presents, and resolved to set to work
immediately to get the pets into comfortable quarters before Sunday.
Hatty put on her sun-bonnet, and they both were soon very busy in the
yard, planning for the chicken coop with as much interest as if they
were going to build some wonderful specimen of architecture which all
the world would admire.
Marcus found in the wood-house a large packing box, and after much
hammering he succeeded in knocking out one side, so the chickens
could have their feet on the ground in their new home.
"Chickens are like the Irishman who liked a mud floor that would never
wear out, and never need washing," said Marcus, with the air of one
who was instructing some ignorant person.
"Yes, grandma has all her coops made that way," said Hatty, who was
well pleased to show that she understood the subject.
Marcus now selected a board of the right length, and had just begun to
split it up into slabs for the front of the coop, when he heard Aunt

Barbara's bed-room window go up.
Marcus did not raise his eyes, but he could not stop his ears, and he had
to hear the shrill tone that called out, "Stop! stop! Marcus Lee!"
Marcus rested his hatchet on the board, and looked up.
"You are a wasteful boy!" began Aunt Barbara. "You ought to be
ashamed to cut up that good board!"
"Don't mind her," said Marcus, in an undertone, as he resumed his
work.
"Wait a minute, Marcus," said Hatty; and then raising her voice she
called out, "Aunt Barbara, we want a coop for the chickens--some dear
little bantams I brought from grandma's!"
"Chickens!" said Aunt Barbara, much as if she had said bears! "What
on earth did you bring them here for? why, they'll ruin everything in the
garden, and crow so in the morning nobody can sleep."
"We are going to shut them up, Aunt Barbara, and that will keep them
out of mischief," said Hatty, trying to speak pleasantly.
"Take your own way! take your own way! Its never any use for me to
say anything!" said Aunt Barbara, and her window was put down with
such a force that made the glass rattle.
Marcus had expected to hear Hatty answer in her usual hasty way, and
he was quite surprised to see that she did not seem at all angry, and
now had no unkind remarks to make about Aunt Barbara. He did not
know that Hatty had been obliged to cast one look up to the clear sky,
to remember the Great Being who was looking down upon her,