African Americans -- Education -- Juvenile fiction; Sunday school literature
“No,” she replied, stopping short; “do you?”
“Yes,” replied Tom; “I know all the hymn.”
“Well, then, sing it,” she demanded.
Tom looked toward Mrs. Sutherland, but her eyes were turned away, so he
looked down into the waiting face upturned toward him, and softly and
gently gave the sweet words:
“Jesus loves me--this I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to him belong;
They are weak, but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
“Jesus loves me--he who died:
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let his little child come in.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
“Jesus loves me--he will stay
Close beside me all the way;
If I love him when I die,
He will take me home on high.
Yes, Jesus love me.”
She had kept her black eyes fixed upon his face throughout the hymn,
and when he had finished, seeing his earnestness, she asked:
“Do _you_ love Jesus?”
How it startled him! He glanced quickly toward the two listeners, but
Mrs. Sutherland had not changed her position, and the master’s eyes
were on the floor and his face unreadable.
It was a pity they were not looking at him, for as his eyes came back
to the questioner and saw how she was awaiting his reply, all the new
love and allegiance flashed back upon him, and his reply was given with
a smile that was worth seeing.
“Oh yes, I love the Lord Jesus.”
Then he rose and moved toward the door, but his bare feet on the carpet
made no sound. He stopped at the threshold and waited for a word, but
none came; so he said: “Good-evening, Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland.” The
mistress dismissed him with a little bow, without raising her head, and
the master roused and replied,
“Ah! going? Well, good-night. I’ll see you to-morrow.”
So Tom went out into the night, clear and beautiful, with innumerable
stars shining down out of heaven, and the rich earth lying in the
beauty of its early spring dress all about him. Down at the quarters he
could see sparkling lights from the fires which the open doors left in
view. From the little log-barn, long ago out of use, came the voices of
the people who were holding a meeting there. He listened a moment, but
he could not catch the words, so he walked nearer, and stopped beneath
the tree where he had read his precious letters, and there the words
came distinctly to his ear, borne to him by the sweet evening breeze:
“My good Lord’s been here,
Has been here, has been here:
My good Lord’s been here,
And blessed my soul, and gone.
Seeker, where were you
When my good Lord was here?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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