CHAPTER III.

CHARLEY'S SICKNESS.

AFTER the visitors had a gone, Charley begged his mother to raise his head by pillows, and let him look at the pictures in his new books. He amused himself for an hour in this way, and in spelling out a page or two of reading, when his head began to ache so hard that his mother took the books away.

By the time his father came home, he was a great deal worse. His cheeks were crimson, and his pulse beat very fast.

Mrs. Monson brought some ice and bathed his poor head with the cold water, and gave him a powder to check the fever. He soon fell into a troubled sleep, and talked wildly about Mr. Bryant, Oscar, new boots, and Ida, all mixed up together.

What do you think comforted his mother, as she bent over his couch during that long night? It was that, even in his dreams, Charley did not feel unkindly or unforgiving toward the wicked boy who had injured him.

Once he called out, "Don't, Oscar, don't! I wouldn't hurt you so;" and again he said, "Poor boy! I'm afraid I should grow wicked, too, if I had no kind mother to love me."

Many, many times the lady was obliged to wipe the tears from her eyes when she heard her poor, sick boy talk so kindly of his cruel companion.

Many times, too, she knelt by his low couch, keeping fast hold of his hot hand, and prayed to Jesus to make him well. Even in the midst of her care and sorrow, there was one thing that made her happy.

Can you guess, Susy, or you, George, what could make her happy at such a time? It was this. She felt sure if God called her darling child away from earth, he would go at once to live with his Saviour in heaven. I suppose you will want to know how she could feel sure of this, and I will tell you.

Charley loved Jesus. Now, if I were to tell you that Oscar, the sullen, impolite, cruel child, loved Jesus, you would say at once, "I don't believe it."

Young as you are, you know that little boys and girls who love Jesus, do all they can to please him; that they never tell lies, nor take anything that does not belong to them; that they are gentle and kind and forgiving, as dear Charley was; that they try to do good to others, even to those who have injured them. The Bible says, "He that loveth God, loveth his brother, also."

Ever since Charley was five years old he had tried to please the Saviour. His heart was full of love for him; and this made the sweet child love everybody else.

Toward morning the medicine began to take effect, and he fell into a quiet slumber, and did not wake until it was quite late, and the family had breakfasted.

Mr. Monson tried to persuade his mother to lie down herself, and let him watch by their boy; but she only smiled sweetly as she whispered,—

"I am afraid he would miss me even in his sleep; and I am not at all weary."

So she sat there close to the bed, where she could listen to his low and rather irregular breathing, and thought.

Perhaps you would like to know what she was thinking of that made so pleasant a smile linger about her mouth.

First, her thoughts went back to the time when God gave her a tiny baby. She loved it, oh, so much! Every day she used to wash and dress the little fellow, asking her Father in heaven to keep him from sin. Soon he learned to walk and call her by that sweet name, mamma. Then he began to lisp his infant prayer, and loved more than anything else to listen to the stories of the dear Saviour, who took little children in his arms, and blessed them.

Since that time, he would scarcely do anything without first asking, "Would Jesus be pleased?" or, "Would it make Jesus sorry?"

How well she remembered the time when his cousin, a rude girl, was visiting them, and insisted on having all his toys! Charley gave up one after another of his treasures, until they came to a wooden horse and cart, which he greatly prized. This he held behind him, until she snatched it from his grasp.

For one moment his face looked red and angry; but he left his rude playmate and came to his mother's side. Then, when she asked him about it, he only said,—

"I suppose Carrie didn't know any better."

Do you wonder that, when his mother thought of all this, she felt sure that Jesus had given her darling a new heart, and that, whether he lived or died, he would still be happy?