MERRY party was gathered in Farmer Gilpin's hay-field on the bright July afternoon, about which I am going to write. Indeed, so many little children were having a real good time, that I hardly know where my story ought to begin; but perhaps you will understand it best if I tell you that Farmer Gilpin, who was a great favorite with all the boys and girls who knew him, had told his youngest daughter, Alice, who was the much-loved teacher of the infant class in the Sunday school at Ferndale, to invite all her little scholars to meet in his green field at two o'clock on Wednesday, when, he said, he would be glad of their help in haymaking.
I believe the children thought that Wednesday a very long time coming; but it came at last, and almost before the hands of the village clock pointed to the hour of two, Miss Alice, as the children called her, had welcomed nearly all her expected guests.
“Stand in a row just for a minute," she said pleasantly; "I want to count you, for I miss somebody, and I want to find out who it is.
“All here but Maggie and Lizzie Brown," the teacher continued. "Can any one tell me why they are not here?”
But the cottage in which the Browns lived with their widowed mother, was almost two miles out of the village, so Miss Alice did not get any answer to her question, and the young haymakers were soon at work or play, for I think as much of one as the other was going on. It was great fun to toss handfuls of the sweet-scented hay at each other. Two or three of the very little ones were quite covered up, but as they knew it was all done in play of course they did not cry.
As soon as Miss Alice could get away from the small hands that held her, she returned to the gate, and, shading her eyes with her hand, looked down the road. Three children were coming towards her, she felt sure, as far off as she could see them, that the two girls were her scholars, Maggie and Lizzie Brown; but the third, a boy, who looked very pale, and walked on crutches, was a stranger to her.
As soon as they came near enough to speak, Maggie drew him forward, and, giving her teacher a very earnest look, said, "Please, Miss Alice, may George Day come too? We could not ask you when we were at school, because we did not know him then. He lives in London; but he had a bad fall and broke his leg, so he had to go to a hospital, and when he got better, a kind lady, who knows mother, sent him to stay at our cottage. So you see, teacher, he is a stranger, and we did not mean to be late, only George cannot walk fast, and we had to stop and let him rest, oh, I do not know how many times.”
“Poor boy," Miss Alice said with a smile, "I am sure he cannot be expected to work after such a long walk, so he must come in and rest."And very soon "the stranger," as Maggie had called him, was comfortably seated on a heap of hay, feeling that he had quite a number of very kind friends.
At four o'clock, Farmer Gilpin told his young friends to take their seats, as tea was quite ready. When all were seated, he asked the blessing of the Lord on the food they were about to have. Then Miss Alice and her sisters carried round baskets of bread and butter, followed by a large tray filled with slices of cake; while Mr. and Mrs. Gilpin gave every child a large mug full of sweet fresh milk.
When all had been cleared away, Mr. Gilpin told them he should only ask them to sit still for a very little while, for he could remember that, when he was a little boy, he liked short addresses much better than long ones. He was only going to read one short verse from the Gospel by John. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." (John 3:1414And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (John 3:14).) Then he told them how the Lord Jesus, whose love for little children was so great that when He was a man on earth, He used to take them up in His arms and bless them, was lifted up upon the cross that He might be a Savior, able to save not only grown-up men and women, but little boys and girls who trust in Him. To trust in Him is just to believe in Him. The Bible says, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," and not even a little child can truly say, "I am always good;" though a little girl once got very angry on being told she was a sinner, and began to kick her sister who had told her so.
But the Lord Jesus loves to save, He wants to save every little child old enough to read or hear of the love of Him who was once lifted up upon the cross, but is now a living Savior at the right hand of God.