A VISITOR FOR WILLIE
What made Mrs. Blair sit up late that night, watching the fire, instead of going to bed quickly as she usually did? Willie's question had taken her back in thought to the time when she was a little girl. She remembered the lovely village where she was born; she fancied herself a girl again, running about the sweet-scented lanes and the green fields. She could see the honeysuckle all out in bloom, as it climbed over the cottage door and peeped in at the windows; but, most of all, she thought of her mother and the prayer she taught her to say every night as she knelt at her knee. But her mother was dead, and she had not been near the village for many years. In that time she had forgotten all the lessons her mother had tried to teach her, and now when little Willie wanted her to show him the way to Jesus she was not able to do so. It was many years since she had taken the name of Jesus upon her lips. She had been a hard-working woman all her life, and she had no time to think about Him. But now she wished she had. She would have been glad if she could have told little Willie what he wanted to know.
From this time the boys never forgot to speak to Jesus, as Willie called it, every morning and evening. They went to the mission services regularly every week, and Miss Elton and her brother began to take a great interest in the children. The boys listened eagerly to every word that was said, and carried it faithfully home to Mrs. Blair, for she, poor woman, seemed quite as anxious to find Jesus as the children had been.
Willie's "pretty lady" had quite won the children's hearts, so that Willie had lost all his shyness with her; and as for the lady herself, she delighted to bear him chatter. Bob told her all about their life in Primrose Place, and on the streets since, and what a good friend Mrs. Blair had been to them.
"Why, you see," she said, "Jesus has been taking care of you all the time; only you did not know it."
"'As 'e?" said Bob wonderingly.
"Of course He has," was the reply. "Don't you see how He has let you take care of Willie? All the kind, loving thoughts that you have about are put into your mind by Jesus. It was He made Mrs. Blair so kind to you. She wouldn't have looked after you so well if He had not put the thoughts into her head."
So, little by little, the minds of the children began to open, and they understood something of the way in which Jesus loved them.
In spite of the new clothes that Bob's careful saving up had procured for him, little Willie seemed to feel the cold very keenly, and Bob often felt very anxious about him. He caught cold, and that left him with a bad cough. Several times Bob had to leave him at home while he went to his crossing alone. But these were miserable days for the elder boy. He always declared that people took no notice of him when Willie was not there, and it was very little he could earn. Had it not been for Mrs. Blair, the children would often have had to spend the night out of doors.
One very wet evening in December Bob turned into the mission-room alone. Willie had been too ill to go out with him in the morning, and he wanted to go straight home; he thought Willie would be so lonely.
But Willie would not hear of it. "No, Bob," he said; "go an' see my pretty lady, so's yer can tell me wot she says when yer come 'ome."
Miss. Elton saw him come in at the door, and quickly missed her little favourite.
"Why, Bob," she said, "where's Willie?"
"Please'm," he answered, "'e ain't well. 'E couldn't come out with me to-day."
"Poor little chap!" said the lady kindly. "I hope he isn't very bad.
I must come and see him. Do you think he would like me to?"
"I should jist think 'e would," answered Bob.
"Very well, then, you must tell me the way, and I will come to-morrow."
Bob did so as clearly as he could, then went to his seat. But it was very little that he heard of the address that evening, for his head was so full of the visit that was to be paid that he couldn't take in anything else.
Directly the meeting was over he flew off as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Willie, Willie!" he burst out, as soon as he got into the room.
"Guess wot I've got to tell yer!
"Can't," said Willie. "Do tell me, Bob."
"Some one's comin' to see yer to-morrer."
"To see me!" repeated Willie. "Who, Bob?"
"Who should it be," said Bob, "but yer lady!"
"Truth, Bob? Do yer mean it?" for it seemed almost too good to be true.
"My pretty lady!"
"Yes," said Bob. "Ain't it prime? I know'd yer'd be glad."
Mrs. Blair was almost as excited as the children themselves, at the idea of the visitor, and she declared she would have to be up an hour earlier, in order to be ready for the lady.
The next morning Willie very much wanted his brother to stay at home with him to see the lady, but Bob knew he must not do that.
"It won't do to lose a day now, Willie," he said. "I must go an' earn some money, else wot'll we do?" And with a brave face he shouldered his broom and marched off.
True to her promise, Miss Elton found her way that morning to Mrs. Blair's. She had some difficulty in following Bob's directions, for they were not very clear. But she arrived there at lasts and found Willie eagerly watching for her at the window.
"Why, Willie, my little man," she said, "you didn't come to see me last night."
"No," said Willie, with glistening eyes. "I 'ain't been well; but—-but," hesitatingly, "I'm glad you've come to see me."
[Miss Elton sat down, and drew the boy to her side.] She thought what a frail little fellow he looked, with his flushed cheeks and shining eyes. She talked to him for some time about himself and his brother, and then she said—-"Now, Willie, I want you to make haste and get well. Do you know why?"
Willie shook his head.
"Well," she said, "Christmas will be here in two weeks' time.
Do you know what Christmas is?"
"No," said Willie, "I 'ain't ever see'd one."
Miss Elton smiled.
"You know who Jesus is?" she asked.
"Yes" said Willie. "We talks to 'im every mornin' an' night,
Bob an' me; an' we're tryin' to be good."
"That's right," said Miss Elton. "Well, Jesus used to live down here on the earth once, and we called the day He came Christmas Day. So Christmas Day was His birthday. You know how He loves little children, and wants them to be happy, and we want to make them happy too. So what do you think we are going to do?"
"Dunno," said Willie.
"We are going to give the children a treat at the mission-room.
We want you all to come and have tea there, and some nice games afterwards;
but I'm not going to tell you everything, because I want to surprise you.
That is why I want you to get well."
"Can Bob come too?" he asked.
"Of course; we must have Bob," she answered. "We couldn't get on without him."
For Some moments Willie stood looking at her as though he wanted to say something. Miss Elton waited for him to speak. At last she said gently: "Well, dear, what is it?
"I wish——" he hesitated. "I wish you'd sing."
"Would you like me to?" she asked, smiling. "What shall I sing?"
"'Bout 'Suffer little children.'"
During the singing Mrs. Blair came into the room. Miss Elton spoke to her very kindly for minutes, and asked some questions about Willie, thanking her for what she had done for the children.
"Lor', ma'am," she said, "who could help it; such children as they are? It's wonderful the way that boy looks after the little chap; and as for the little one, why, with his angel-face and pretty ways he'd get round the hardest woman."
"It's very good of you, Mrs. Blair, and God will give you your reward, you may be sure. Will you take this," slipping some money into her hand, "and get Willie some food? He wants nourishment, poor little fellow! I must come and see him again. I want him to be well enough to come to the treat we are giving to the children at the mission-room. Perhaps you would come up in the evening, and see them at play?"
"Thank you kindly, ma'am," she replied. "I'd be glad to come."
Before Miss Elton left she made Willie very happy giving him a book of coloured pictures, telling him it was to keep him from being lonely while Bob was at work.