Christian life -- Juvenile fiction; Christmas stories; Dinsmore, Elsie (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction
Lulu's first thought on awaking the next morning, was of the talk of the
previous evening, with her father. He had said she might have the
pleasure of telling Gracie the good news in regard to the money to be
earned by good conduct, and that which was to be given by him in the
name of each of his older children; also the privilege he would accord
them of selecting the particular cause, or causes, to which the money
should go.
Eager to avail herself of the permission, and see Gracie's delight, she
sprang from her bed, ran to the door of communication between their
sleeping rooms, which generally stood open--always at night--and peeped
cautiously in.
Gracie's head was still on her pillow, but at that instant she stirred,
opened her eyes, and called out in a pleased tone, "O Lu, so you are up
first!" speaking softly though, for fear of disturbing their father and
Violet, in the room beyond, the door there being open also.
Lulu hurried to it and closed it gently, then turning toward her sister,
"Yes," she said, "but it's early, and you needn't get up just yet. I'm
coming to creep in with you for a few minutes while I tell you
something that I'm sure will please you."
She crept into Grace's bed as she spoke, and they lay for a while
clasped in each other's arms, Lulu talking very fast, Grace listening
and now and then putting in a word or two. She was quite as much pleased
with what Lulu had to tell, as the latter had anticipated.
"Oh won't it be just lovely to have so much money to do good with!" she
exclaimed when all had been told. "Haven't we got the very best and
dearest father in the world? I don't believe, Lu, there's another one
half so dear and kind and nice. We ought to be ever such good children!"
"Yes, but I'm not," sighed Lulu. "O Gracie, I'd give anything to be as
good as you are!"
"Now don't talk so, Lu; you make me feel like a hypocrite; because I'm
not good," said Grace.
"You are; at any rate you're a great deal better than I am," asserted
Lulu with warmth. "You never disobey papa, or get into a passion; and I
don't think you love finery as I do. Gracie, I want that ring yet; oh I
should like to have it ever so much! and I oughtn't to want it; it's
very selfish, because to buy it would use up money that ought to go to
send missionaries to the heathen, or do good to some poor miserable
creature; and it's wrong for me to want it, because papa says it
wouldn't be good for me; and if I were as good as I ought to be I'd
never want anything he doesn't think best for me to have. But, oh dear,
how can I help it when I'm so fond of pretty things!"
"Lu," said Grace, softly, "I do believe that if you ask the Lord Jesus
to help you to quit wanting it, he will. But if you didn't care for it,
it wouldn't be denying yourself to do without it for the sake of the
heathen."
"Maybe so; but I don't believe papa would let me have it even if I
wouldn't consent to give it up, and begged him ever so hard for it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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