No. 8.
ERNEST is a little boy who often runs errands for his mamma. Once, she sent him to the store to buy some things for dinner, and gave him a half dollar to pay for them. As it was snowy, he took his sled and started off very cheerfully, as all little boys and girls should do when they are asked to run errands.
His mamma was not in a hurry so he told her that he would go slowly and play with his sled. She was willing that he should enjoy the snow, so Ernest had a fine time for over half of the way. Then something sad happened. In his play he forgot to hold his money tightly in his hand and it rolled out into the snow. When he turned around to look for it, his half dollar was gone. He hunted all about near where it had fallen but could find no trace of it. Then he told the Lord all about what he had done, and asked for help in finding the missing money. After that, he looked again for a long time, but was not successful in his search.
At last he went home and told his mother how he had lost his money. She was a kind: mother and when she saw how sorry he was about his loss, she gave him some change and sent him back again.
Probably most boys and girls would think that the Lord did not listen but it was not so with Ernest. He felt sure that someday his lost money would be his again, and so he looked carefully about whenever he went past the place where he lost the half dollar. At last so many days went by without his finding the coin that he forgot all about it.
Winter passed away and soon the snow and ice began to melt in the warm sunshine. One spring morning Ernest and his little brother were walking along this same roadway when, just in front of them, they saw the lost piece of money. It was a little tarnished, but it taught Ernest a very precious lesson in letting him know that, “The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers.” 1 Peter 3:1212For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. (1 Peter 3:12).
ML 11/23/1902