The Value of a Praying Mother | Page 4

would do on such an occasion,
she watched them. Bessie quietly took her little sister's hand, lead her
aside, and knelt with her in prayer. Then with all earnestness she
prayed, "O Lord, help Louise to to be good, for Jesus' sake. Amen."

The prayer, though short, was effectual; for both went back to their
play with happy faces, and they had no more trouble that day.
CHAPTER III.
EARLY TRAINING.
As the daily teaching continued, Mrs. Worthington taught her children
many helpful lessons. She told them of the great necessity of a Savior
and of his mission to humanity. She taught them how God looked upon
disobedience, and always illustrated her talks with interesting Bible
stories and their every-day experiences. In this way she taught them not
only the evil effects of wrong-doing but also the sure reward of
right-doing.
One summer, while the family was spending their vacation in Michigan
at the pretty country home of an aunt, something happened that helped
the children to apprehend their mother's meaning. This incident,
although in some measure painful to Mrs. Worthington, impressed the
lesson upon their young minds almost better than anything else could
have.
The house was situated upon a hill that sloped gradually down to the
shore of a lake. In many ways this lake was very attractive, especially
to the two little girls, who were then at the ages of two and four years.
Mrs. Worthington carefully warned the children of the danger of
playing near the lake shore; but, not realizing the greatness of their
temptation, she trusted them too far. Time after time they made their
way down to the water's edge. Something must be done; but what?
One morning Mr. Worthington noticed his little daughters standing in
front of the house. Although he could not hear their words, he clearly
perceived that they were talking about a trip to the forbidden lake. They
hesitated some time, but at last walked slowly down the hillside to the
lake. Again they hesitated. Finally descending the steps of the
boat-house, they stepped into the sparkling water. How dainty the
ripples about their feet, and how clear the water!

"Surely there can be no harm or danger," thought Bessie; but she
remembered the oft-repeated warnings of her parents and aunt. The
shells lost their beauty when she remembered hearing her father say
that bears sometimes travel up and down the shores. What if a bear
should some that morning? She gave a quick, searching glance among
the trees, but, seeing nothing, she tried to forget about bears. She might
have been able to forget about them, but she could not forget that she
was disobedient. Her conscience would not let her; the more she tried
to forget, the louder it talked. She was just about to take her little sister
back to the house, when she heard a rustling among the branches of a
tall tree directly above the path over which she must pass. The next
moment she thought she heard a low growl. "O Louise," she cried, "I
do believe that is the bear papa told us about." The tree then began to
sway from side to side and they heard another growl, louder than the
first. Seizing her little sister's hand, Bessie hastened to help her out of
the water. By this time both were thoroughly frightened; for while
visiting one of the parks in Chicago once, they had seen a bear hug his
keeper until he could not stand. Bessie remembered the incident and
tried to help Louise to hurry; but when the tree shook again, this time
just above her, she screamed wildly and ran a few steps alone. When
she got past the danger-point her reason returned, and, looking back,
she saw her sister's great danger, as she stood just beneath the fatal tree.
Rushing back, she almost carried Louise (while the growling
continued), and they were soon up the hill. In the house they told of
their strange experience, the substance of the story being, "The bear;
The bear!"
Mr. Worthington soon joined the excited circle and secretly explained
to his wife that he had been the supposed bear and that he had taken
this course to teach the children a lesson. His plan was successful, for
after that the children did not care to go to the lake alone.
Mrs. Worthington, however, was very sad because her children had
been deceived. Unlike her husband, who was not a Christian, she
believed in keeping the confidence of her children and in praying with
them when they were disobedient. She decided to be more prompt and
watchful in the future and to shield them from temptation as much as

possible.
She improved the opportunity for some wholesome instruction. From
the stories of Jonah and King