Behavior -- Juvenile fiction; Christian life -- Juvenile fiction; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
"Our Father which art in heaven," slowly reverently, through the sweet
petition, until he came to "forgive us our debts as we"--There he
stopped. He understood that prayer; they had been taking it up in Sunday
school, a sentence at a time, and talking about it, and only the Sunday
before last that sentence had been explained. To-night Tip could not
finish it; there was no getting around the fact that he had not forgiven
either Ellis or Bob. Once more he got up, and took a seat on the edge of
his bed to think. He was never so perplexed in his life. What ought he to
do? Couldn't he pray at all? Mr. Holbrook had said he must never mock God
by asking for what he did not mean, and to say those words, "as we
forgive our debtors," feeling as he did to-night, would be mocking God.
He ought not to feel so, but how could he help it? Suddenly, with a
little sigh of relief, he went down on his knees again: he had thought of
something which he could say. "Oh, Jesus, make me feel like praying for
Bob and Ellis; make me want them to be Christians as hard as I did last
night; make me feel like forgiving them." Then there was silence in the
lonely attic, while Tip, still on his knees, struggled with the evil
spirit within him, and came off conqueror, for presently he added, "Oh,
dear Jesus, I'll forgive them both!" and then he finished the
prayer--"forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." While he went
around after that, making ready for rest and sleep, the "peace of God
which passeth understanding" came down and settled in his heart.
Presently he seemed to come to another difficulty, for he sat down with
one boot in his hand and one still on his foot. This question, however,
was settled promptly: he pulled the boot on again in a hurry, then picked
up his jacket and put that on, seized his hat, and ran down-stairs.
"Kitty," he said, putting his head in at the kitchen door, "I'm going,
after all; come on."
And Kitty joyfully ran for her hood and shawl.
But Tip did not open his lips in prayer-meeting that evening; he felt
bowed down to the very ground with shame; he did not once raise his eyes
to the seat where Howard Minturn, Will Bailey, and others of the
schoolboys were sitting; and, when the short hour was gone, he made haste
to get out from Mr. Holbrook's sight and the sound of his voice. But he
had much reason, after that, to thank God that he did not succeed. He had
just got from under the gaze of the hall-lamp, and stood a minute in the
darkness waiting for Kitty, when he felt Mr. Holbrook's hand on his arm,
and heard his kind, quiet voice:
"Edward, Mrs. Holbrook has some little business to transact' with Kitty
to-night; shall I walk with you?" And, as Tip saw there was no help for
it, and walked by his side, he said, "I didn't see you at school this
afternoon: how was that?"
"Mr. Holbrook, didn't Ellis tell you about it this noon?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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