Willie the Waif | Page 6

with the most beautiful face he had even, came up, and, laying her hand upon his shoulder, said, "Don't go away, dear. Come and sit down!" and she led them to a form near the stove. At the same time, a man who was standing upon a low platform at the other end of the room called out in a quick voice--"Attention, children!" and immediately the singing went on again. After the hymn was finished the children seated them-selves, and the gentleman spoke to them about the One who had said "Suffer little children." He pictured to them the scene of Jesus going on His journey surrounded by His disciples. He told them how the mothers came, bringing their little children along the hot dusty road to meet Him, and how delighted they were when Jesus took the little ones up in His arms and blessed them. And then he held up before them a picture, and, pointing to the central figure, he said---
"Look, dear children, this Man with the kind face is Jesus. See how lovingly He looks at the little children. Wouldn't some of you have liked to have been there?"
A low murmured "Yes!" came from the children as they listened breathlessly.
"Well, dear children," he went on, "Jesus loves you as much as He loved those children. He is sorry for you when you are hungry and cold. He wants you to be good too, for it makes Him very sad when you steal, or say bad words, or quarrel and fight. He is getting a beautiful place ready for you to live in; but you must let Him help you to be good, and some day He will send His angel to fetch you to go and live in that beautiful place."
After he had finished speaking, Miss Elton, the lady who had spoken to Bob at the door, came up to the platform, and in a sweet, clear voice, so that the children could understand every word, she sang to them the well-known hymn---
"I think when I read that sweet story of old."
There was a pin-drop silence in the room when she left off and then they all sang a hymn together, after which the gentleman prayed a short, simple prayer, and the meeting was over.
With much noise the little ragged children departed to their homes, but Bob sat on like one in a dream.
Presently Miss Elton came up to him, and said---
"Well my little man, aren't you going home?"
"Please'm," he said eagerly, "do you think as 'ow 'e'll let me take Willie to 'im?"
"What do you mean, dear?" she asked.
"Why 'im as we was told about to-night."
"Do you mean Jesus?" she asked.
Bob nodded.
"Yes, dear," was the answer. "He wants Willie and you too. Have you ever heard about Jesus before?"
"No," was the answer.
So she tried to explain in a very simple way, which both the children could understand, the sweet story of Jesus. "He is watching you, and Willie too," she said, "and He wants to help you to be good boys, so that you may grow up to be good He loves you very, very much. Will you let Him?"
"I wish 'e would," said Bob. "Don't you, Willie? On'y, I don't see as 'ow I can tell 'im."
"Well," was the answer, "if you kneel down, and shut your eyes, and speak to Him ever so softly, He will hear you. Listen!" And kneeling down beside the children she prayed--"Dear Jesus, these two little boys want You to help them to be good. They want to be made fit to live in Your beautiful home. Please help them. Amen."
The children looked at her for a moment or two, awed by her manner. Then Bob asked--
"Did 'e 'ear yer?"
"Yes, dear, He did," was the reply; "and if you talk to Him, He will hear you too. But now it is getting late and you must take this little chap home. Will you come again another night, and hear some more about Jesus?"
"We'd like to, wouldn't we, Willie?"
Willie nodded. He could hardly take his eyes off the beautiful face of the lady, and for once he felt too shy to say much, but when he was outside the door his tongue became unloosed.
"Wasn't she a pretty lady, Bob? Shall we go and see her again?"
"'Course we will," was the decided answer. "But, Willie, wouldn't yer like to go an' see that kind man wot the gent told us about?"
"Yes," said Willie; "but where is 'e, Bob?"
"I dunno," said Bob; "but the lady said as 'ow 'e would 'ear us if we spoke to 'im. P'raps Mrs. Blair will tell us."
When the children arrived, at the house they found Mrs. Blair becoming very anxious about them, for it was not often they were so late now that the evenings