THE LIBRARY 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 <
 
 
 And Tip rolled over on his back and looked up into the blue cloudless sky. 
 Frontia. p. 27.
 
 TIP LEWIS 
 
 AND HIS LAMP 
 
 BY 
 
 PANSY 
 
 Author of "Ester Ried," "Cunning Workmen," Grandp- 
 Darlings," " Four Girls at Chautauqua," " Mrs. Sol- 
 omon Smith Looking On," "Estei Ried 
 Yet Speaking," " An P^ndless 
 Cham,'' etc., etc. 
 
 BOSTON: " 
 D. LOTHROP & COMPANY. 
 
 FRA.NKUN ST., CORNER OF HAWLEV.
 
 Entered according to Act of CongreM, in th ye* 1861, hj 
 
 HENRY HOTT, 
 IB t&e Offlo* of the Librarian of Congrow, *
 
 THIS 
 
 VOLUME 
 
 IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED TO MY 
 
 DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER, 
 
 WHOSE LOVING ENCOURAGEMENT IN EARLY YEARS TAUGHT 
 MY PEN TO WRITE. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 622660
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 "CABT THT BREAD UPON THX WATKBS." 
 
 r 
 
 "HE room was very full. Children, 
 large and small, boys and girls, 
 and some looking almost old enough 
 to be called men and women, filled 
 the seats. The scholars had just finished 
 singing their best-loved hymn, " Happy 
 Land ; " and the superintendent was walk- 
 ing up and down the room, spying out 
 classes here and there which were without 
 teachers, and supplying them from the vi* 
 
 itor's seat, which was up by the desk. 
 6
 
 TIP LEW IB AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 The long seat near the door was filled, this 
 morning, by half a dozen dirty, ragged, 
 barefooted boys ; their teacher's seat was 
 vacant, and those boys looked, every one, as 
 though they had come thither just to have a 
 grand frolic. 
 
 Oh, such bright cunning, wicked faces, as 
 they had ! 
 
 Their torn pants and jackets, their matted 
 hair, even the very twinkle in their eyes, 
 showed that they were the " Mission Class." 
 
 That is, the class which somebody had 
 gathered from the little black, comfortless 
 looking houses, which thronged a narrow 
 back street of that village, and coaxed to 
 come to the Sabbath school, to this large, 
 light, pleasant room, where the sun shone in 
 upon little girls in white dresses, with blue 
 and pink ribbons fluttering from their shoul- 
 ders ; and upon little boys, whose snowy 
 linen collars, and dainty knots of black rib-
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 bon bad evidently been arranged by carefuJ 
 hands that very morning. 
 
 But those boys in the corner kicked their 
 bare heels together, pulled each others' hair, 
 or laughed in each others' faces in the great- 
 est good humor. 
 
 The superintendent stopped before them. 
 
 " Well, boys, good morning ; glad to see 
 you all here. Where's your teacher ? " 
 
 " Hain't got none ! " answered one. 
 
 " Gone to Guinea ! " said another. 
 
 " She was afraid of us," explained a third. 
 " Tip, here, put his foot through one of her 
 lace flounces last Sunday. Tip's the worst 
 boy we've got, any how." 
 
 The boys all seemed to think this was very 
 funny, for they laughed so loudly, that the 
 little girls at their right looked over to see 
 what was the matter. 
 
 Tip ran his fingers through his uncombed 
 hair, and laughed with the rest
 
 UP LEfrIB AND BIB LAMP. 
 
 " Well," said the superintendent, " I'm 
 going to get you a teacher, one you will 
 like, I guess ; I shall expect you to treat her 
 well." 
 
 There was just one person left on the vis- 
 itor's seat, a young lady who looked shy 
 and quiet. 
 
 "Oh, Mr. Parker!" she said, when the 
 superintendent told her what he wanted, " I 
 can't take that class ; I've watched those 
 boys ever since they came in they look 
 mischievous enough for anything, and act as 
 they look." 
 
 " Then shall we leave then with nothing 
 but mischief to take up their attention ? " 
 
 " No, but they really ought to have a 
 better teacher than I, some one who knows 
 how to interest them." 
 
 " But, Miss Perry, the choice lies between 
 you and no one." 
 
 And while she still hesitated and looked
 
 FIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 distressed, Mr. Parker bent forward a little 
 and said, softly, 
 
 " Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the 
 least of these my brethren, ye did it not to 
 me." 
 
 The lady rose quickly, and gathered her 
 mantle about her. 
 
 " I will go, Mr. Parker," she said, speak- 
 ing quickly, as if afraid her courage would 
 fail her. " Since there is no one else, I wil 
 do the best I can ; but, oh, I am afraid." 
 
 Down the long room past the rows of 
 neatly dressed, attentive children, Mr. Par- 
 ker led her to the seat near the door. 
 
 " Now, boys," said he, " this is Miss Perry ; 
 suppose you see if you can't all be gentle- 
 men, and treat her well." 
 
 Miss Perry sat down in the teacher's chair, 
 her heart all in a flutter ; she taught a class 
 in her own Sabbath school hundreds of miles 
 away, five rosy-cheeked, bright-eyed little
 
 10 Tit LEWIS AAD HIS LAMP. 
 
 girls gathered around her every Sabbath, 
 but they were little girls whose mothers 
 had taught them to love their lessons, to 
 listen respectfully to what their teacher said, 
 to bow their heads reverently in prayer ; and, 
 more than that, they loved her, and she 
 loved them. But these boys ! Still she 
 must say something ; six pairs of bright, 
 roguish eyes, brimful of fire and fun, were 
 bent on her. 
 
 " Boys," she said, gently, u have you any 
 lessons for me ? " 
 
 " Not much," answered Bob Turner, who 
 always spoke first. 
 
 " We don't get lessons mostly. Don't 
 come unless it's too hot to go fishing or 
 berrying." 
 
 " Tip comes 'cause he's too lazy to go past 
 the door." 
 
 ' I don't ! " drawled out the boy they
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 11 
 
 called Tip ; " I come to get out of the sun ; 
 it's hotter than sixty down home." 
 
 " Never mind, boys," said their frightened 
 teacher ; for they were all laughing now, as 
 though the funniest thing in the world had 
 happened. " See here, since you have no 
 lessons, shall I tell you a story ? " 
 
 O yes, they were willing enough to hear a 
 story, if it wasn't stupid. 
 
 " I'll tell you something that happened to 
 a boy when he was about thirteen years old ; 
 his name is Robert; he told me this story 
 himself, so you may be sure it is true. 
 
 " He said one evening he was walking 
 slowly down the main street of the village 
 where he lived " 
 
 " Where was that ? " asked Bob Turner. 
 
 " Oh, it was away out west. He said he 
 felt cross and unhappy ; he had nowhere in 
 particular to go, and nothing to do. As he 
 walked, he came to a turn where two roar' i
 
 12 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 met. ' Now,' thought he, * shall I turn to 
 the left and go home, and hang around until 
 bedtime, or shall I turn to the right and go 
 down to the river a while ? ' 
 
 " You see, Robert hadn't a happy home, 
 his mother was dead, and his father was a 
 drunkard. 
 
 " While he stood thinking, a boy came 
 around the other corner, and called out, 
 
 " ' Going home, Rob ? ' 
 
 " 4 Don't know,' said Robert ; ' I can't 
 make up my mind.' 
 
 " ' Suppose you come on down to our 
 house, and we'll have a game of ball ? ' 
 
 Still Robert waited. He was fond of 
 playing ball, that was certain, and he 
 liked company better than to walk alone; 
 why he should think of wandering off down 
 to the river by himself he was sure he didn't 
 know. Still something seemed to keep say- 
 ing to him, ' Go this way turn to the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 13 
 
 right ; come, go to the river,' until he said 
 at last, 
 
 " * No, I guess I'll take a walk this way, 
 first.' 
 
 " And he turned the corner, then he was 
 but a few steps from the river." 
 
 " What came of the other fellow? " asked 
 Bob. 
 
 " Why, some more boys came up just 
 then, and he walked along with them. 
 
 " There was a large elm-tree on the river- 
 bank, and there was one particular spot 
 under it that Robert called his seat ; but he 
 found a gentleman seated there this time; 
 he had a book in his hand, partly closed, and 
 he was leaning back against a tree, watch- 
 ing the sunset. 
 
 " He looked around as he heard Robert's 
 step, and said, ' Good evening ; will you have 
 a seat?'
 
 14 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " He moved along, and Robert sat down 
 on the grass near him ; then he said, 
 
 " * I heard a boy call out to another just 
 now, " Going home, Robert ? " Are you the 
 boy?' 
 
 " * No,' said Robert ; ' Hal Carter screamed 
 that out to me just as he came round the 
 corner.' 
 
 " * Oh, you are the one he was talking to. 
 Well, I'll ask you the same question. Are 
 you going home ? ' 
 
 " * No,' said Robert, again ; ' I have just 
 walked straight away from home.' 
 
 " * Yes ; but are you going up there f ' 
 And the gentleman pointed up to the blue 
 sky. 
 
 " * That's the home I mean ; I've just been 
 reading about it ; this river made me think 
 of it. Where it says, you know, " And he 
 showed me a pure river of water, clear as 
 crystal;" then it goes on to describe the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 15 
 
 city with its " gates of pearl " and " streets 
 of gold," the robes and crowns that the peo- 
 ple wear, the harps on which they play, and, 
 after this warm day, I couldn't help thinking 
 that one of the pleasantest things about this 
 home was the promise, "Neither shall the 
 sun light on them, nor any heat." Aren't 
 you going to that home, my boy ? ' 
 
 "' 1 don't know," Robert said, feeling very 
 much astonished. 
 
 At this point, the superintendent's bell 
 rang, and Miss Perry had to hasten her 
 story. 
 
 " I haven't time, boys, to tell you all the 
 gentleman said, but after that talk, Robert 
 began to think about these things a great 
 deal, and pretty soon he learned to read the 
 Bible and to pray ; that was more than fifty 
 years ago. He is an old minister now ; I 
 have heard him preach a great many times ; 
 and he told me once he should always be-
 
 16 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 lieve God put it into his heart to turn to the 
 right, that evening, instead of the left." 
 
 " Oh ! " exclaimed Tip, just here ; and 
 Miss Perry stopped. 
 
 " Joe pinched me," said Tip, to explain his 
 part of the noise. 
 
 But their teacher felt very badly ; they 
 had not listened to her story as though they 
 cared to hear it ; they had slid up and down 
 the seat, pulled and pinched and pricked 
 each other, and done a great many mischiev 
 OILS things since she commenced ; and yet 
 now and then they seemed to hear a few 
 words ; so she kept on, because she did not 
 know what else to do. 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Parker ! " she said, when the 
 school was dismissed and her nois^ class 
 had scrambled, some through the \vind^ r 
 and some through the door, " some man, who 
 understands boys, ought to have had that 
 class; I haven't done them any good, but
 
 TIP LEWIS AND UIS LAMP. 
 
 17 
 
 / tried ; " and there were tears in her eyes as 
 she spoke. 
 
 " You did what you could," said the 
 superintendent, kindly ; " none of us can do 
 more." 
 
 Some loving voice ought to have whis- 
 pered in that teacher's ear, " He that goeth 
 forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, 
 shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, 
 bringing his sheaves with him."
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 "BUT OTHER FELL IHTO GOOD GROUND, AND BROUGHT 
 FORTH FRUIT." 
 
 LEWIS yawned and stretched, 
 and finally opened his eyes rather 
 late on Monday morning. 
 
 " Oh, bother ! " he said, with 
 another yawn, when he saw how the sun 
 was pouring into the room, " I suppose a fel- 
 low has got to get up. I wish getting uj 
 wasn't such hard work, spoils all the fun 
 of going to bed ; but then the old cat will be 
 to pay, if I don't get around soon." 
 And with this he rolled out ; and \* hen he 
 
 was dressed, which was in a very fev mi/i 
 18
 
 TAP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 19 
 
 utes after he tumbled out of his ragged bed, 
 he was the self-same Tip who had been at 
 the bottom of most of the mischief in Miss 
 Perry's class the day before, the very 
 same, from the curly hair, not yet combed 
 nor likely to be, down to the bare, soiled 
 feet. 
 
 The bed which he had just left, so far as 
 neatness was concerned, looked very much 
 like Tip ; and the room looked like the bed, 
 and they all looked about as badly as dust 
 and rags and poverty could make them 
 look. 
 
 After running his fingers through his hair, 
 by way of finishing his toilet, Tip made his 
 way down the rickety stairs, to the kitchen. 
 
 It seemed as though that kitchen was just 
 calculated to make a boy feel cross. The 
 table stood against the wall on its three legs, 
 the table-cloth was daubed with molasses 
 and stained with gravy ; a plate, with some-
 
 20 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 thing in it which looked like melted lard, 
 but which Tip's mother called butter, and 
 a half loaf of bread, were the only eatable 
 articles as yet on the table ; and around 
 these the flies had gathered in such numbers 
 that it almost seemed as though they might 
 carry the loaf away entirely, if too many of 
 them didn't drown themselves in the butter ; 
 over all the July sun poured in its rays from 
 the eastern window, the only one in the 
 room. 
 
 Tip stumbled over his father's boots, and 
 made his way to the stove, where his mother 
 was bending over a spider of sizzling pork. 
 
 " Well," she said, as he came near, " did 
 you get up for all day ? I'd be ashamed 
 great boy like you to lie in bed till thia 
 time of day, and let your mother split wood 
 and bring water to cook your breakfast 
 with." 
 
 " You cooked a little for you, too, didn't
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 21 
 
 you ? " asked Tip, in a saucy good-natured 
 tone. " Where's father ? " 
 
 " Just where you have been all day so 
 far," in bed and asleep. Such folks as I've 
 got ! I'm sick of living." 
 
 And Mrs. Lewis stepped back from the 
 steaming tea-kettle, and wiped great beads 
 of perspiration from her forehead ; then 
 fanned herself with her big apron, looking 
 meantime very tired and cross. 
 
 Yet Tip's mother was not so cross after all 
 as she seemed ; had Tip only known it, her 
 heart was very heavy that morning. She 
 did not blame his father for his morning 
 nap, not a bit of it ; she was only glad that 
 the weary frame could rest a little after a 
 night of pain. She had been up since the 
 first gray dawn of morning, bathing his 
 head, straightening the tangled bed-clothes, 
 walking the floor with the restless baby, in 
 order that her husband might have quiet
 
 22 TIP LEWIS AND HIB LAMP. 
 
 O no ; there were worse women in the world 
 than Mrs. Lewis ; but, this morning, her life 
 looked very wretched to her, she thought 
 of her idle, mischievous boy ; of her naughty, 
 high-tempered little girl ; of her fat, healthy 
 baby who took so much of her time, of her 
 husband, who, though she never said it to 
 him, or even to herself, yet she knew and 
 felt was every day growing weaker ; and 
 with these came the remembrance that her 
 <wn tired hands were all that lay between 
 them and want ; and it is hardly a wonder 
 that her voice was sharp and her. words illy 
 chosen. For this mother tried to bear all 
 her trials alone ; she never went for help to 
 the Redeemer, who said, 
 
 " Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are 
 heavy laden." 
 
 " Wah ! " said Johnny, from his cradle in 
 the bit of a bedroom near the kitchen, 
 which kitchen was all the room they had.
 
 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 2b 
 
 tjave two tiny bedrooms and Tip's little den 
 up stairs. 
 
 Mrs. Lewis glanced quickly towards the 
 door of her husband's room, it was closed ; 
 then she called, 
 
 " Kitty, make that baby go to sleep ! " 
 
 " O yes," muttered Kitty, who sat on the 
 floor lacing her old shoe with a white cord, 
 " it's easy to say that, but I'd just like to 
 see you do it." 
 
 " Ah yah ! " answered Johnny from the 
 cradle, as though he tried to say, " So should 
 I." 
 
 Then not being noticed, hs gave up pre- 
 tending to cry, and screamed, in good earn- 
 est, loud positive yells, which brought his 
 mother in haste from the kitchen. 
 
 " Ugly girl," she said to Kitty, as she 
 lifted the conquering hero from his cradle, 
 " you don't care how soon your father is 
 waked out of the only nap he has had all
 
 ft 
 24 TIP LE WJB AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 night. Why didn't you rock the cradle ! 
 I've a notion to whip you this minute ! " 
 
 " I did," answered Kitty, sulkily ; " and 
 he opened his eyes at me as wide as he could 
 stretch them." 
 
 Crash ! went something at that moment in 
 Uie kitchen ; and, with Johnny in her arms, 
 Mrs. Lewis ran back to see what new trouble 
 she had to meet. Tip, meantime, had been 
 in business ; being hungry, he had cut a slice 
 of bread from the loaf, and in the act of 
 reaching over to help himself to some but- 
 ter, hit his arm against a pitcher of water 
 standing on the corner of the table. Over 
 it went and broke, just as pitchers will when- 
 ever they get a chance. This was too much 
 for the tired mother's patience; what little 
 she had vauished. She tossed the slice of 
 bread at Tip, and, as she did so, said, 
 
 " There ! take that, and be off. Don't let 
 me see a sight of your face again to-day
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 26 
 
 March ! this instant, or you will wish you 
 had." 
 
 And in the midst of the din, while his 
 mother looked after the pork, which had 
 seized this occasion for burning fast to the 
 spider, Tip managed to spread his slice of 
 bread, find his hat, and make good his escape 
 froni the comfortless home. 
 
 There was an hour yet to school-time ; or, 
 for the matter of that, he might have the 
 whole day. Tip went to school, or let it 
 alone, just as he pleased. He made his way 
 straight to his favorite spot, the broad, deep 
 pond, and laid himself down on its grassy 
 bank to chat with the fishes. 
 
 " My ! " he said, " how nice they look 
 whisking about; it's cool down there, I 
 know ; they don't mind the sun. I wish I 
 had my fish-pole here, I'd have one of them 
 Bhiny big fellows there for my dinner ; only 
 it's too hot to fish, and it would seem kind
 
 26 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 of mean besides to get him up here in this 
 blazing sun. Hang me, if I make even a 
 fish get out of the water to-day, when it can 
 stay in." 
 
 Of all the scholars in Miss Perry's class, 
 the one who she would have said paid the 
 least attention, was this same boy who was 
 lying on his face by the pond, envying the 
 fishes. Yet Tip had heard nearly every 
 word she said ; and now, as he looked into 
 the water which lay cool in the shade of 
 some broad, branching trees, there came into 
 his heart the music of those words again. 
 
 " Neither shall the sun light on them, nor 
 any heat." 
 
 " I declare ! " he said, as the meaning of 
 those words dawned upon him, " I'd like 
 that ! they'll never be too warm again ; it 
 was a pretty nice story she told us about 
 that boy. He couldn't have had a very good 
 time ; his father was a drunkard. T wish T
 
 TIP LEW IB AND HIS LAMP. *' 
 
 knew just about what kind of a fellow he 
 was ; he turned right square round after that 
 man talked to him. Now he is a minister ; 
 I suppose lots of people like him. It must 
 be kind of nice, the whole of it. I would 
 like to be somebody, as true as I live. 
 I would. I'd like to have the people say, 
 4 There goes Tip Lewis ; he's the best boy 
 in town.' Bless me ! that would be funny ; 
 I don't believe they could ever say it ; they 
 are so used to calling me the worst, they 
 couldn't help it. What if I should reform ; 
 I declare, I don't know but I will." 
 
 And Tip rolled over on his back, and 
 looked up into the blue cloudless sky ; lying 
 there, he certainly had some of the most 
 sober thoughts, perhaps the only really so- 
 ber ones he had ever known in his life. 
 And when at last he slowly picked himself 
 up, turned his back upon the darting fishes, 
 and walked towards the school-house, he had
 
 28 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 in his mind some vague notion that perhaps 
 he would be different from that time forth. 
 Just what he was going to do, or how to 
 commence doing it, he didn't know ; but the 
 story, to which he had seemed not to listen 
 at all, had crept into his heart, had com- 
 menced its work, very dimly was it work- 
 ing, very blindly he might grope for a while, 
 but the seed sown had taken root.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 " INASMUCH AS YE DID IT UNTO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THBBI 
 MY BBETHREN, TE DID IT UNTO MB." 
 
 the corner, and far up the 
 street from where Tip Lewis lived, 
 there stood a large white house ; not 
 another house in the village was so 
 beautiful as this ; many a time had Tip 
 walked slowly by the place, and cast the 
 most admiring glances on the broad green 
 lawns and bubbling fountain, of which he 
 caught glimpses from the road. Often he 
 had stood outside, at the great gate, and 
 fairly longed for a nearer view of that same 
 fountain ; for the truth was, though he was
 
 80 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 such a rough mischief-making, yes, a wicked 
 boy, down in his heart he had a great love 
 for beautiful things. 
 
 On this fourth of July morning, Tip was 
 up and abroad very early he held a horse 
 which had been so frightened by fire-crack 
 ers that it wouldn't stand still -a minute, and 
 the owner of it gave him ten cents, with 
 which he immediately bought fire-crackers 
 for himself, and frightened the very next 
 horse he saw. When the great cannon on 
 the hill was fired, he got in the way, just 
 as much as he knew how, which was a great 
 deal, he contrived to be around when the 
 largest bell was rung, and add his voice to 
 the uproar among the boys, who were gath- 
 ered around the church doors indeed, 
 wherever there was commotion or confusion 
 Tip managed very soon to be, and to do his 
 part towards making the most of it. 
 
 About ten o'clock he had lived out the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 31 
 
 most of his pleasures, having been on hand 
 since a little after three. He had no more 
 money to spend, saw no chance of getting 
 any more ; he had had no breakfast, and 
 was very much in doubt as to whether he 
 would get any, if he took the trouble to go 
 home ; he had some way lost track of all his 
 companions, and, altogether, he was begin- 
 ning to feel as if the Fourth of July were a 
 humbug he felt ill-used, angry ; it seemed 
 to him that he was being cheated out of a 
 good time that he expected to have. He 
 sat down on the edge of an old sugar-barrel, 
 and thought about it a while, then finally, 
 with his hands in his pockets, and whistling 
 " Yankee Doodle " in honor of the day, he 
 sauntered along the street in search of some- 
 thing to take up his time. 
 
 Hurrying towards him, with hands not in 
 his pockets, but full of packages, came Mr.
 
 82 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 Minturn, the owner of the grand white 
 house on the hill. 
 
 To Tip's surprise, the gentleman halted 
 suddenly before him, and eyeing him closely, 
 asked, 
 
 ** Whose boy are you ? " 
 
 "John Lewis's " 
 
 " Where do you live ? " 
 
 " T'other side of the pond, by the mill ? " 
 
 " Oh, your father is the carpenter, I sup- 
 pose I know him. What's your name ? " 
 
 " Tip." 
 
 " Tip ! What kind of a name is that ; is 
 it all the one you own ? " 
 
 " Well," said Tip, " I suppose my name 
 was Edward when I was a little shaver ; but 
 nobody knows it now ; I don't myself." 
 
 " Well, Tip, then, I'll call you that, for T 
 want you to know yourself to-night. What 
 are you going to do ? " 
 
 " When, to-night ? Oh, hang around, T
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 83 
 
 s'pose have some fun, if I can find 
 any." 
 
 "Fun. Is that what you're after? You 
 come up to my house to-night at dark, and 
 see if you can find it there, we are going 
 to have fire-works, and songs, and all the 
 fun we can." 
 
 Tip was not by any means a bashful boy, 
 and it took a great deal to astonish him ; but 
 this sudden invitation almost took his breath 
 away, the idea that Mr. Minturn had actu- 
 ally invited him, Tip Lewis, to come to the 
 white house ; to come near to that wonderful 
 fountain, near enough perhaps to feel the 
 dash of its spray, he could have danced 
 for joy, yet when Mr. Minturn said, 
 
 " Well, will you come ? " 
 
 For the first time in his life he was known 
 to stammer and hesitate. 
 
 "I I don't know, I haven't got any 
 clothes."
 
 34 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 " Clothes ! " repeated Mr. Minturn ; " what 
 do you call those things which you have 
 on?" 
 
 " I call 'em rags, sir," answered Tip, his 
 embarrassment gone, and the mischief twink- 
 ling back into his face again. 
 
 Mr. Minturu laughed, and looked down on 
 the torn jacket and pants. 
 
 " Not a bad name," he said at last. " But 
 you've got water at your house, haven't 
 you ? " 
 
 " Lots of it." 
 
 " Then put your head into a tub of it, and 
 bring a clean face up to my house to-night, 
 and we'll try and find that fun you're look- 
 ing for." 
 
 And Mr. Minturn, who had spent a great 
 deal of time for him, was passing on. " See 
 here," he called, after he had moved forward 
 a few steps, ''if you see any boy raggeder 
 than you are yourself, bring him along,
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 35 
 
 oring every boy and girl you meet who 
 haven't anywhere else to go." 
 
 " Ho ! " said Tip, as soon as the gentleman 
 was at safe distance, " if this isn't rich, then 
 I don't know, fire-works in that great 
 yard, pretty near the fountain may be, and 
 lots of fun. We can take anybody we like. 
 I know what I'U do. I'll hunt up Bob Tur- 
 ner ; his jacket has got enough sight more 
 holes in than mine has. Oh, ho ! ain't it 
 grand, though ? " And Tip clapped his 
 hands and whistled, and at last finding that 
 didn't express his feelings, said, " Hurrah ! " 
 
 * 
 
 in a good strong tone. 
 
 Yes, hurrah ! Tip is right ; it is glorious 
 to think that one man out of his abundance 
 is going to open his heart, and gather in 
 God's poor, and, for one evening at least, 
 make them happy. 
 
 God bless Mr. Minturn ! 
 
 Never had the good man's grounds enter
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 tained such a group as, from all quarters of 
 the large town, gathered before it was quite 
 dark. 
 
 Ragged boys and girls.! If those were 
 what he wanted he had them, sure enough, 
 of almost every age and size. There were 
 some not so ragged ; some in dainty white 
 dresses and shining jackets ; but they went 
 down and mingled with the others, broth 
 ers and sisters for that night at least, and 
 were all, oh, so happy ! 
 
 How they did dance and laugh and scream 
 around that fountain, and snap torpedoes 
 and fire-crackers, and shout with wild de- 
 light when the rockets shot up into the sky, 
 or the burning wheels spun round and round, 
 scattering showers of real fire right in among 
 the crowds of children ! 
 
 Well, the evening hasted away ; the 
 very last rocket took its bright, rushing way 
 np into the blue sky, and Mr. Minturn gatlv
 
 flP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 37 
 
 e 'ed his company around the piazza with the 
 words, 
 
 " Now, children, Mr. Holbrook has a few 
 words to say to you, and after that, as soon 
 as we have sung a hymn, it will be time to 
 go home." 
 
 Mr. Holbrook was the minister ; many 
 'of the children knew him well, and most of 
 them were ready to hear what he had to say, 
 because they knew, by experience, that he 
 was old enough and wise enough not to 
 make a long, dry speech after nine o'clock 
 on the Fourth of July. 
 
 Only Tip, as he turned longingly away 
 from the last dying spark of the rocket, mut- 
 tered, " Bother the preaching ! " 
 
 Mr. Holbrook came forward to the steps, 
 as the boys and girls gathered around him. 
 
 " Children," said he, M we have had a good 
 time ; haven't we ? "
 
 38 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 "Yes, sir!" came in aloud chorus from 
 many voices. 
 
 " Yes, I thought you acted as though you 
 felt pretty happy ; now this has been a busy 
 day, and we are all tired, so I'm not going 
 to keep you here to make a speech to you ; 
 I just want to tell you, in as few words as I 
 can, what I have been thinking about since 
 I stood here to-night. 1 have watched you 
 as you frolicked around that fountain, so 
 many young, bright faces, all looking so 
 happy, and I said to myself, When the 
 time comes for us to gather around that 
 fountain of living water, which is before the 
 throne of God, I wonder if one of these 
 boys and girls will be missing, one of 
 them ? Oh, children, I pray God that you 
 may all be there, every one." 
 
 Just a little speech it was, so little that 
 the youngest there might almost remember 
 the whole of it, yet it meant so much.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 39 
 
 Tip Lewis had wedged his way in among 
 the boys until he stood very near the minis- 
 ter, and his face wore a sober, thoughtful 
 look: it was only two days since his long 
 talk with himself at the pond. Fourth of 
 July, with all the merry-making and mis- 
 chief that it brought to him, had nearly 
 driven sober thoughts from his mind, but the 
 minister's solemn words brought back the 
 memory of his half-formed resolves, and 
 again he said to himself he believed he 
 would reform ; this time he added that if he 
 knew about how to do it he would begin 
 right away. He felt it more than ever 
 when the sweet voices of many children 
 floated out on the evening air, as they 
 sang, 
 
 " I have rea3 of a world of beauty, 
 
 Where there is no gloomy night, 
 Where love is the mainspring of duty, 
 And God is the fountain of light.
 
 * TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " I have read of the flowing river, 
 
 That bursts from beneath the throne, 
 And beautiful flowers that ever 
 
 Are found ou its banks alone. 
 I long, I long, I long to be there 1 " 
 
 If somebody had only known Tip's 
 thoughts as he stood there listening to 
 the beautiful Sabbath-school hymn ! If 
 somebody had only bent down to him, and 
 whispered a few words, just to set his poor 
 wandering feet into the narrow way, how 
 blessed it would have been ! but nobody 
 did. 
 
 Ah, never mind! God knew, and took 
 care of him.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 "THKT THAT SEEK M^ SHALL ram MB." 
 
 'RS. LEWIS'S room was in order 
 for once ; swept, and even dusted ; 
 the cook-stove cooled off, and the 
 green paper curtain at the window 
 let down, to shut out the noise and dust ; it 
 was quiet there, too. 
 
 Kitty stood in the open door, her face 
 and hands clean, hair combed, and dress 
 mended ; stood quite still, and with a sober 
 face, unmindful, for once, that there were 
 butterflies to chase and flies to kill all around 
 
 her. In the only comfortable seat in the 
 41
 
 42 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 room, a large old-fashioned arm-chair, sat 
 the worn, wasted frame of Kitty's father. 
 There was a look of hopeless sadness settled 
 on his face. Neither Tip nor his mother 
 were to be seen. One or two women were 
 moving through the house, with quiet steps, 
 bringing in chairs and doing little thought- 
 ful things in and about that wonderfully 
 orderly room. 
 
 On the table was that which told the 
 whole story of this unusual stillness and 
 preparation. It was a pine coffin, very 
 small and plain ; and in it, with folded 
 hands and brown hair rolled smoothly back 
 from his baby forehead, little Johnny lay, 
 asleep. Somebody, with a touch of tender- 
 ness, had placed a just budding rose in the 
 tiny white hand, and baby looked very sweet 
 and beautiful in his narrow bed. Poor little 
 Johnny ! his had been a sad, neglected baby- 
 hood ; many weary hours had he spent in
 
 TIP LEWIS AND SIS LAMP. 
 
 43 
 
 his cradle, receiving only cross looks from 
 Kitty, and neglected by the mother, who, 
 though she loved Johnny, and even because 
 she loved him, must leave him to work for 
 her daily bread. But it was all over now ; 
 Johnny's cries would never disturb them 
 again ; Johnny's weary little body rested 
 quietly in its coffin ; Johnny's precious self 
 was gathered in the Saviour's arms. 
 
 Tip came out of the bedroom, and softly 
 approached the coffin ; his hair, too, was 
 partly combed, and some attempt had been 
 made to put his ragged clothes in order. 
 His heart swelled, and the tears gathered in 
 his eyes, as they rested on the baby. 
 
 Tip loved his little brother, and though he 
 had not had much to do with him, yet he 
 had this much to comfort him, Johnny 
 had received only kindness and good-natured 
 words from him, which was more than 
 Kitty could say. As she stood there hi the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 dooi> it seemed to her that every time she 
 had ever said cross, naughty words to the 
 poor baby, or turned away from his pitiful 
 cry for comfort, or shook his little helpless 
 self, came back to her now, stood all 
 around his coffin, and looked straight at her. 
 Poor Kitty thought if he could only come 
 back to them for a little while, she would 
 hold him in her arms all night, without a 
 murmur. 
 
 People began to come in now from the 
 lowly houses about them, and fill the empty 
 chairs. Mrs. Lewis came out from the bed- 
 room, and sat down beside the arm-chair, 
 thankful that her tear-stained face and swol- 
 len eyes were hidden by the thick black veil 
 which some thoughtful neighbor had sent for 
 her use. 
 
 In a few minutes a dozen or more people 
 had filled up the vacant spaces in the little
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 46 
 
 room, and Mr. Holbrook arose from his seat 
 at the coffin's head. 
 
 Tip turned quickly at the first sound of his 
 voice, and listened eagerly while he read 
 from the book in his hand, " And I saw the 
 dead, small and great, stand before God." 
 Listening until the closing sentence was 
 read, " And there shall be no more death ; 
 neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall 
 there be any moro pain, for the former 
 things are passed away." 
 
 Tip had never paid such close attention to 
 anything in his life as he did to Mr. Hoi- 
 brook's words ; after that they were very 
 simple and plain spoken, so that a child 
 might understand them, and were about 
 heaven, that beautiful city of which Tip had 
 heard and thought more during the last three 
 weeks than he ever had in his life before. 
 His heart had been in a constant struggle 
 with Satan, ever since that morning in the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Sabbath school. He didn't know enough to 
 understand that it was Satan's evil voice 
 which was constantly persuading him that 
 he could not be anybody, that he was only a 
 poor, miserable, ragged boy, with nobody to 
 help him, nobody to show him what to do ; 
 that he might as well not try to be anything 
 but what he was ; and he didn't know either 
 that the other voice in his heart which strug- 
 gled with the evil counsel, which said to 
 him, " Other boys as poor and ignorant as 
 you are have reformed ; that Robert did 
 about whom the teacher told you ; and then 
 if you don't you will never see that river 
 nor the fountain, nor the streets of gold, 
 was the dear, loving voice of his Redeemer. 
 Now, as he listened to Mr. Holbrook, and 
 heard how Johnny, little Johnny, whom he 
 loved, had surely gone up there to be with 
 Christ forever, and how Jesus, looking 
 down on the father and mother, and the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HTS LAMP. 'J 
 
 children who were left, said to them, 4 *J 
 want you, too, to give me your hearts, 
 so that when I gather my jewels I may 
 come for you." The weak, struggling re- 
 solves in his heart grew strong, and he said 
 within himself, while the tears fell slowly 
 down his cheeks, " I will ; I'll begin to-day." 
 
 The coffin-lid was screwed down, and 
 Johnny's baby-face shut out from them for- 
 ever. A man came forward and took the 
 light burden in his arms, and bore it out to 
 the wagon ; down the narrow street they 
 drove, to the burial-ground, which was not 
 far away. They laid Johnny down to sleep, 
 under the shade of a large old tree ; and the 
 grass waved softly, and the birds sang low, 
 and the angels surely sang in heaven, because 
 another little form was numbered among the 
 thousands of children who stand " around 
 the Throne." 
 
 The people moved slowly from the grave ;
 
 48 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 all but Tip ; he didn't want to leave Johnny ; 
 he wanted to follow him, and he didn't know 
 how. Mr. Holbrook glanced back at the 
 boy standing there alone, paused a moment, 
 then, turning back, laid his hand gently on 
 Tip's shoulder. 
 
 " You can go up there, too, my boy, if you 
 will," he said, in a low, kind tone. 
 
 Tip looked up quickly, then down again , 
 he wanted to ask how ; what he should do ; 
 but his voice choked, he could not speak 
 a word ; and with the earnest sentence, 
 "God bless you, my little friend, and lead 
 you to himself," Mr. Holbrook turned and 
 left him. 
 
 Tip wandered away into the woods for a 
 little ; when he returned, the earth was 
 heaped up fresh and black over the new 
 mound, and Johnny was left underneath it 
 all alone. Tip walked around it slowly, 
 trying to take in the thought that the baby
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 was lying there ; that they should never see 
 him again ; trying, a moment after, to take 
 in the thought that he was not there at all, 
 but had gone up to the beautiful world, 
 which the hymn told about ; then he thought 
 of the chorus, and almost felt it, "I long, 
 I long, I long to be there." 
 
 Tip had heard people pray ; he had been 
 to Sabbath school often enough to catch and 
 remember most of the words of the Lord's 
 Prayer ; he knew enough of God to under- 
 stand that he could hear prayer, and that his 
 help must be asked if one wanted to get to 
 heaven. He hesitated a moment, glanced 
 half-fearfully around him, no one was 
 there, no one but himself, and Johnny, lying 
 low at his feet, and God looking down upon 
 him, presently he knelt down before the 
 little grave, and began, 
 
 " Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed 
 be thy name, thy kingdom come " then
 
 60 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 he Btopped. Tip was in earnest now ; he 
 did not understand that prayer : he felt as 
 though he was not saying what he meant? 
 he commenced again, 
 
 " Oh, Jesus, I want " then he waited 
 
 a minute. What c.id he want ? "I want to 
 be different ; I'm a wicked boy. I want to 
 go where Johnny is when I die ; do show 
 me how ! " 
 
 Did Jesus ever fail to hear such a prayer 
 as that, simple, earnest, every word of 
 \tfeltf Never and he never will. 
 
 Tip rose up from that spot, feeling that 
 something was different. Aye, and always 
 would be different ; the Saviour had reached 
 down and taken hold of the young seeker's 
 hand, and would forever after lead him up 
 toward God.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 'THT WOBD 18 A LAMP TO XT FIUtT. 
 
 Sabbath morning sun awoke Tip 
 from a heavy sleep. He lay still a 
 few moments, thinking who he was. 
 Things were different ; he was not 
 simply Tip Lewis, a ragged little street boy, 
 any longer, this was the morning when he 
 was going to start out under a new motto, 
 with Jesus for his guide. 
 
 He was going to Sabbath school. He 
 had not been since the morning that Miss 
 Perry had taught the class, and told the 
 
 story, which was to be a blessing to him 
 51
 
 t> TIP LEWIS AND HI8 LAMP. 
 
 through all his future life. His evil spirit 
 had been strong upon him during the three 
 Sabbath mornings that had passed since then, 
 and persuaded him to stay away from the 
 school ; but this morning he was resolved 
 to go. He had a secret hope that he should 
 see Miss Perry again, for he did not know 
 that she was hundred of miles away from 
 that village, and would probably never be 
 there again ; all he knew was, that a gen- 
 tleman had brought her to the doo % r, and 
 introduced her to the superintendent as 
 Miss Perry ; that much he heard as he sat 
 gazing at them. 
 
 This morning he judged by the sun, that 
 it was pretty late, yet he didn't get on very 
 fast with the- business of dressing. ; he sat 
 down on the foot of the bed, and looked 
 sorrowfully at his jacket; he even turned 
 it inside out, to see if it wouldn't improve
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 53 
 
 its appearance ; but he shook his head, and 
 speedily turned it back again. 
 
 If he " only had a collar," he said to him- 
 self, "a smooth white collar, to turn down 
 over the worn out edges, it would make 
 things look so much better." But that was 
 something he had never had in his life and 
 he put on the old ragged brown jacket \cith 
 a sigh. Then he put on his shoes, anu took 
 them off again ; the question was, which 
 looked the best, shoes which showed every 
 one of his toes peeping out on the top, 01 
 no shoes at all. Suddenly, a bright idea 
 struck him, if his feet were only white 
 and clean, he thought they would certainly 
 look much better. Down he went to the 
 rickety pump in the back yard, and face, 
 hands, and feet took such a washing as they 
 had never received before ; then the old 
 comb had to do duty. Tip had never had 
 such a time getting dressed ; but, some way.
 
 54 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 he felt a great longing this morning to make 
 himself look neatly ; he had a feeling that 
 it was ever so much more respectable to be 
 neat and clean than it was to go looking 
 as he had always done. Still, to carry a 
 freshly-washed face and hands, and smooth 
 hair, was the very best he could do ; and, 
 if he had but known it, these things made 
 a great improvement. 
 
 He made his way half shyly into the mis- 
 sion seat, for the truth was he did not know 
 just how the boys would receive his attempt 
 at respectability ; but he had no trouble 
 for several of his companions had seen his 
 face when he took his last look into that 
 little coffin the day before, and they felt 
 sorry for him. 
 
 No Miss Perry appeared; and it seemed, 
 at first, that the mission boys were to have 
 no teacher. It was a warm morning; and 
 the visitor's seat was vacant.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H1B LAMP. 55 
 
 But there was at last a great nudging of 
 elbows, and whispers of " Look out now ! " 
 " We're in a scrape ! " " No chance for fun 
 to-day ! " And only Tip's eyes looked glad 
 when Mr. Holbrook halted before their 
 class, with, " Good morning, boys." Then, 
 " Good morning, Edward, I am glad to see 
 you here to-day ; " and the minister actually 
 held out his hand to Tip. Mr. Holbrook 
 never called him Tip ; he had asked him one 
 morning what his real name was, and since 
 then had spoken it " Edward," in clear, plain 
 tones. 
 
 It was a restless, wearying class. It re- 
 quired all Mr. Holbrook's wits and wisdom 
 to keep them in any sort of order, to gain 
 any part of their attention. Yet it was not 
 as bad as usual ; partly because the minister 
 knew how, if anybody did, to teach just such 
 boys, and partly because Tip, hitherto the 
 spirit of all the mischief there, never took hi
 
 56 TIP LEW IB AND HIS LAMP 
 
 eyes from the teacher's face. Mr. Holbrook 
 watched his close attention, and took GOUT 
 age. When the other scholars passed out, 
 he laid his hand on Tip's arm, with the 
 words, " You have been a good listener 
 to-day, Edward. Did you understand the 
 story I told, of the boy who started on a 
 journey to the Holy Land ? " 
 
 " Some of it I did ; you meant that he 
 started for heaven." 
 
 "You understand it, I see Don't you 
 want to take that journey ? " 
 
 " I mean to, sir." 
 
 " Help thou mine unbelief," was Mr. Hoi- 
 brook's prayer, just then ; he had hoped for, 
 longed for, prayed for these boys, especially 
 for this one since the day before ; yet he 
 vras astonished when he received the firm 
 prompt answer, " I mean to, sir." Aston 
 ished, as too many are, that his prayer was 
 heard.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H18 LAMP. 57 
 
 " Have you started, my boy ? " he asked, 
 speaking with a little tremble in his voice. 
 
 "Yes, sir, I've tried; I told God last 
 night that I would, but I don't much know 
 how.' 
 
 " You want a lamp, don't you ? " 
 
 " A what, sir ? " 
 
 " A lamp. You remember in the story 
 *;he boy found dark places every little way ; 
 then he took out his lamp so he couldn't lose 
 the road. Don't you need it ? " 
 
 " I want some help, but I don't know as a 
 lamp would do me any good." 
 
 " Ah, yes ; the one I mean will surely 
 help you, if you give it a chance." Mr. 
 Holbrook took from his pocket a small, red- 
 covered book, and held it up. " Do you 
 know what book this is ? " he asked. 
 
 " It's a Bible, ain't it ? " 
 
 " Yes. Have you ever read in the Bible ? " 
 
 " Some, at school."
 
 63 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " You know, then, that God told men just 
 what to say, and they wrote it here, so you 
 se'e that makes it God's words ; that is what 
 we call it sometimes, the word of God. 
 Now let me show you something." He 
 turned the leaves rapidly, then pointed with 
 his finger to a verse ; and Tip read, " Thy 
 word is a lamp to my feet." 
 
 " Oh ! " he said, with a bright look ; " that 
 is the kind of lamp you mean." 
 
 " That is it ; and, my boy, I want you to 
 take this for your lamp. There is no place 
 on the whole road so dark but that it can 
 light you through, if you try it. When you 
 don't understand it, there is always Jesus to 
 go to, you know." And, taking out his pen- 
 cil, Mr. Holbrook wrote on the fly-leaf, in 
 plain, round letters, " Edward Lewis." Then 
 handing the book to him, with a bow and 
 smile, the minister turned away. 
 
 Tip walked out of the school, and down
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 59 
 
 the road, holding his treasure closely. Such 
 a queer, new feeling possessed him. Things 
 were really to be different, then. The minis- 
 ter had talked with him, had shaken hands 
 with him, and given him a Bible. And here 
 he was walking quietly away from the 
 school, all alone, instead of leading a troop 
 of noisy boys, intent on mischief. 
 
 " Oh, Tip Lewis ! " he said to himself, as 
 he hugged his book, " I don't know but you 
 will be somebody, after all ; you mean to try 
 with all your might, don't you ? and you've 
 got a lamp now ! "
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 "I WILL INSTRUCT THEE, AND TEACH THEE IN THE WAT 
 
 WHICH THOU SHALT GO. I WILL GUIDE THKE WITH MINB 
 KTE. '' 
 
 HY," said Tip, as he sat on the 
 foot of the bed, turning over the 
 leaves of his Bible ; " why, that is 
 the very thing I want. * I will 
 instruct thee, and teach thee in the way 
 which thou shalt go.' Yes, that's exactly 
 it. I want to begin to-day, and do every 
 fea^le thing so different from what I ever 
 did before, that nobody will know me. 
 Now, if he'll help me, I can do it. I'll 
 learn that verse." 
 
 eo
 
 TIP LEWI 8 AND HIS LAMP. 61 
 
 The vorse was repeated many times over, 
 for Tip was not used to study. While he 
 was busy thus, the Spirit of God put another 
 thought into his heart. 
 
 " I must ask Christ to help me now," he 
 said, with reverent face ; and kneeling down 
 he made known his wants in very simple 
 words, and in that plain, direct way which 
 God loves. Then- he went down stairs, pre- 
 pared for whatever should befall him that 
 day. 
 
 Kitty was up, and rattling the kitchen 
 stove. 
 
 " Kitty, what's to pay ? " Tip asked, as he 
 appeared in the door. 
 
 " What's to pay with you ? How did you 
 happen to get up ? " Receiving no answer 
 to this, she continued, " The old cat is to 
 pay, everywhere, and always is ! These 
 nasty shavings are soaked through and 
 through, and the wo^a is rotten, and there
 
 62 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 isn't any wood, anyway, and I can't 
 make this fire burn to save ray life. Mother 
 is sick in bed, can't sit up at all. She 
 told me to make a cup of tea for father, and 
 things look as if it would get made some 
 time next month." 
 
 Kitty was only twelve years old, but, like 
 most of those children who have been left to 
 bring themselves up, and pick up wisdom 
 and wickedness wherever they are to be 
 found, she was wonderfully old in mind ; 
 and was so used to grumbling and snarling, 
 that she could do it very rapidly. 
 
 " Oh ! " said Tip to himself, drawing a 
 long breath, " what a place for me to com- 
 mence in ! " Then he came bravely to Kit- 
 ty's aid. 
 
 " See here, Kitty, don't made such a rat- 
 tling ; you'll wake father. I can make this 
 fire in a hurry. T have made one out of 
 next to nothing, lots of times ; you just put
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 63 
 
 some water in the tearkettle, and we'll have 
 a cup of tea in a jiff." 
 
 Kitty stood still in her astonishment, and 
 watched him while he took out the round 
 green sticks that she had put in, laid in bits 
 of dry paper, and bits of sticks, laid them 
 in such a careless, uneven way, that it 
 seemed to her they would never burn in 
 the world ; only he speedily proved that 
 they would, by setting fire to the whole, 
 and they crackled and snapped in a most 
 determined manner, and finally roared out- 
 right. 
 
 Certainly, Kitty had never been so much 
 astonished in her life. First, because that 
 rubbish in the stove had been made to be- 
 come such a positive fire ; secondly, thai 
 Tip had actually set to work without being 
 coaxed or scolded, and made a fire ! 
 
 There was a queer, new feeling about it 
 all, to Tip himself ; for, strange OH it may
 
 64 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 seem, so entirely selfish had been this boy's 
 life that this was actually the first time he 
 had ever, of his own free will, done anything 
 to help the family at home. His spirits rose 
 with the effort. 
 
 " Come, Kitty," he said, briskly, " here's 
 your fire ; now let's fly round and get father 
 and mother some breakfast. Say, do you 
 know how to make toast ? " 
 
 " It's likely I do," Kitty answered, shortly. 
 "If you had roasted your face, and burnt 
 your fingers, as often as I have, making it for 
 father, I guess you would know how." 
 
 " Well, now, just suppose we make two 
 slices, one for mother and one for father ; 
 and two cups of tea. My ! you and I will 
 be jolly housekeepers, Kitty." 
 
 " Humph ! " said Kitty, contemptuously. 
 
 You see she wasn't in the least used to 
 being good-natured, and it took a great deal 
 of coaxing to make her give other than short,
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 sharp answers, to all that was said. But, for 
 all that, she went to work, after Tip had 
 poured some water in the dingy little tea- 
 kettle and set it over the fire, cutting the 
 two slices of bread, and getting them ready 
 to toast when there should be any coals. 
 
 Tip, meantime, hunted among the confu- 
 sion of all sorts of things in the cupboard, 
 for two clean plates and cups. 
 
 " You're taken with an awful clean fit, 
 seems to me," Kitty said, as she stood 
 watching him while he hunted for a cloth, 
 then carefully wiped off the plates. 
 
 " Yes," answered Tip, good-naturedly ; 
 " I'm going to try it for a spell, and find out 
 how things look after they are washed." 
 
 Altogether it was a queer morning to both 
 of them ; and each felt a touch of triumph 
 when at last the toast lay brown and nice, a 
 slice on each plate, and the hot tea poured 
 into the cups, smelled fresh and fragrant.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 The two children went softly to the bedroom 
 door in time to hear their father say, 
 
 " What makes you try to get up, if your 
 head is so bad ? " 
 
 " Oh, what makes me ! What else is 
 there for me to do ? The young ones are 
 both up, and if I find the roof left on the 
 house I'll be thankful. I never knew them 
 to stay together five minutes without having 
 a battle." 
 
 At almost any other time in her life these 
 words would have made Kitty very angry ; 
 but this morning she was intent on not let- 
 ting her tea spill over on the toast, and so 
 paid very little attention to them. 
 
 Tip marched boldly in with his dish, Kitty 
 following. 
 
 "Lie still, mother, till you get some of 
 our tea and toast, and 1 reckon it will cure 
 you." 
 
 Mrs. Lewis raised herself on one elbow,
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 67 
 
 saw the beautiful brown slices, caught a 
 whiff of the fragrant tea, then asked, won- 
 deringly, 
 
 " Who's here ? " 
 
 "Kitty and me," Tip made answer, proud- 
 ly and promptly. 
 
 Something very like a smile gathered on 
 Mrs. Lewis's worn, fretful face. 
 
 " Well, now," she said, " if I ain't beat 
 it's the last thing on earth I ever expected 
 you to do." 
 
 What spell had come over Tip ? Break- 
 fast was a great success. After it was over 
 he found a great many things to do, the 
 rusty old axe was hunted, up, and some hard 
 knots made to become very respectable- 
 looking sticks of wood, which he piled in 
 the wood-box. Kitty, under tho influence 
 of his strange behavior, washed the dishes, 
 and even got out the broom and swept a 
 little.
 
 68 TIP LEWIS AND BIB LAMP. 
 
 Altogether, that was a day long to be re- 
 membered by Tip ; a day in which he began 
 his life afresh. He made some mistakes ; 
 for he fancied, in his ignorance, that the 
 struggle was over that he had only to go 
 forward joyfully over a pleasant road. 
 
 He found out his mistake ; he discovered 
 that Satan had not by any means given him 
 up ; that he must yet fight many hard, hard 
 battles.
 
 CHAPTER VH. 
 
 " FltAB KOT, FOB I HAVM BKDKKXKD THM." 
 
 61 HEY must have had an earthquake 
 down at Lewis's this morning," 
 
 1 Howard Minturn said to the boys 
 who were gathered around the 
 school-room door. 
 
 " The first bell has not rung yet, and there 
 eomes Tip up the hill." 
 
 Up the hill came Tip, sure enough, with 
 a firm, resolute step. The summer vacation 
 was over. The fall term was to commence 
 this morning, and among the things which 
 
 Tip had resolved to do was this one, to 
 69
 
 70 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 come steadily and promptly to school during 
 the term, which was something that he had 
 never done in his life. The public school 
 was the best one in the village, so he had 
 the best boys in town for school companions, 
 as well as some of the worst. 
 
 " Hallo, Tip ! " said Bob Turner, coming 
 partly down the hill to meet him ; " how are 
 you, old fellow ? " 
 
 Bob had been away during most of the 
 vacation, and knew nothing of the changes 
 which there had been in his absence. Tip 
 winced a little at his greeting ; shivered a 
 little at the thought of the temptation which 
 Bob would be to him. 
 
 The two had been linked together all their 
 lives in every form of mischief and wrong, 
 they seemed almost a part of each other, 
 at least they had seemed so until within 
 these few weeks. Now, Tip felt rather than 
 knew how far separated they must be.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 71 
 
 The bell rang, and the boys jostled and 
 tumbled against each other to their seats. 
 
 Bob Turner, as usual, seated himself be- 
 aide Tip ; but then Bob only came to school 
 about two forenoons in a week, so perhaps 
 they might get along. 
 
 When the Bible reading commenced, Tip 
 hesitated, and his face flushed ; he had never 
 owned a Bible to read from before, but this 
 morning his new one lay in his pocket, 
 the question was, Had he courage to take 
 it out? "What would the boys think? 
 What would they say ? How should he 
 answer them ? " 
 
 He began to think he would wait until to- 
 morrow morning; then he grew hot and 
 ashamed as he saw that he was already try- 
 ing to hide his colors. Suddenly he drew 
 out his Bible, and began very hurriedly to 
 turn the leaves. 
 
 Bob heard the rustling, and glancing
 
 T2 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 around puckered his lips as if he were 
 going to whistle, and snatching the book, 
 read the name which Mr. Holbrook had 
 written therein ; then he whispered, " You 
 don't say so ! When did we steal a Bible, 
 and turn saint ? " 
 
 The blood growing hotter and redder in 
 Tip's cheeks, was his only answer ; but he 
 felt that his temptation had begun. The 
 next thing was to read ; when he had finally 
 found the place, even though there were 
 
 more than fifty voices reading those same 
 
 
 words, yet poor Tip imagined that his 
 
 would be louder than all the rest, and he 
 choked and coughed, and made more than 
 one trial before he forced his voice to join, 
 even in a whisper, at the words, " And they 
 clothed him with purple, and platted a crown 
 of thorns and put it about his head." 
 It did not help him, in his reading, that
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. T3 
 
 Bob made his lips move with the rest, but 
 said, loud enough for him to hear, 
 
 " The man in the m*n 
 Came down too seen," 
 
 and continued to repeat some senseless or 
 wicked rhymes, through the reading of the 
 beautiful chapter. 
 
 How thankfully Tip bowed his head that 
 morning ; his heart had taken in some of the 
 sweet words. That sacred head had been 
 crowned with thorns, indeed, but he knew 
 it was crowned with glory now, and he 
 knew that Christ had suffered and died for 
 him ! He joined with his whole heart in 
 Mr. Burro ws's prayer ; and though Bob 
 pulled his hair and tickled his foot and 
 stepped on his toes, the bowed head was not 
 lifted, and his spirit gathered strength. 
 
 But Tip never forgot the trials of that day, 
 nor the hard work which he had to endure 
 them. Bob was, as usual, overflowing with
 
 74 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 mischief, and failing in finding the willing 
 helper which he had expected in his old com 
 panion, took revenge in aiming a great many 
 of his pranks at him. Such senseless, silly 
 things as he did, to annoy ! Tip spread his 
 slate over with a long row of figures which 
 he earnestly tried to add, and having toiled 
 slowly up the first two columns, Bob's wet 
 finger was slyly drawn across it, and no 
 trace of the answer so hardly earned ap- 
 peared. 
 
 Then, too, he had his own heart to strug- 
 gle against ; he was so used to whispering to 
 this and that boy seated near him, to eating 
 apples when the teacher's back was turned, 
 to making an ugly-looking picture on a piece 
 of paper and pinning on the back of a small 
 boy before him. He was so unused to sitting 
 still, and trying to study. 
 
 What hard work it was to study, any way ! 
 [t seemed to him that he could never get
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H18 ^AMP. 76 
 
 that spelling-lesson in the world ; the harder 
 he tried, the more bewildered he grew ; a 
 dozen times he spelled the two words, re- 
 ceive and believe, standing so closely togeth- 
 er, each time sure he was right, and each 
 time discovering that the i's and e's must 
 change places ; he grew utterly provoked 
 and disheartened, and would have fairly 
 cried, had not Bob been beside him to see 
 the tears, and grow merry over them. 
 
 Finally, he lost all patience with Bob, and 
 turning fiercely to him, after he had for the 
 third time pitched the greasy old spelling- 
 book upside down on the floor, said, 
 
 " Look here, now, if you come that thing 
 again, I'll pitch you out the window quicker 
 than wink ! " 
 
 " Edward Lewis marked for whispering,'' 
 said Mr. Burrows. "Edward, you have 
 commenced the term as usual, I see ; the 
 first one marked for bad conduct."
 
 76 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 How Tip's ears burned ! How untrue it 
 was ! He had not commenced this term as 
 usual ; how differently he had tried to com- 
 mence it, only he and God knew. And now 
 to fail thus early in the day ! His head 
 seemed to spin and his brain reel ; he bowed 
 himself on the seat again, but Bob's head 
 went down promptly, and he whispered, 
 
 " Little Po Pep has lost her hep " 
 
 How often Tip had thought such things as 
 these so very funny that he could not possi- 
 bly help laughing ; how silly and meaning- 
 less, yes, and cruel, did they seem to 
 him now ! Oh, Satan was struggling for Tip 
 to-day : he was reaping the fruits of long 
 weeks -*pent in evil company and folly. 
 
 He 'ooked over t 'he back seats where 
 sat H <vard Mintur and Ellis Holbrook, 
 hard at vork on then Igebra lesson, nobody 
 thinking I such a ihi .<_: as disturbing them ;
 
 Tit* LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 77 
 
 and, as he looked, sighed heavily. If he had 
 only gained such a place as they had in the 
 school, how easily he could work to-day. 
 They were very little older than he, yet 
 here he was trying to do an example in addi- 
 tion, doing it over four times before it was 
 right, and they were at the head of the 
 class in algebra. If he could only jump to 
 where they were, and go on with them ! 
 And the hopelessness of this thought made 
 his spelling-lesson seem harder : so it was no 
 wonder, when the class formed, and he took 
 his old place at the foot, that he stayed 
 there, and spelled believe ei after all ; no- 
 body was surprised, but nobody knew how 
 very, very hard he had tried: 
 
 The long day, crowded full of trouble and 
 temptation to poor Tip, wore away. At 
 recess he wandered off by himself, trying 
 hard to get back some of the strong, firm 
 hopes of the morning.
 
 78 TIP LEWIS AND ma LAMP. 
 
 One more sharp trial was in store for him. 
 Towards the close of the afterooon Bob's 
 fun took the form of paper balls, which, at 
 ^very turn of Mr. Burrows's back, spun 
 through the room in all directions ; two or 
 three of the smaller scholars joined him, and 
 a regular fire of balls was kept up. The 
 boys complained Mr. Burrows scolded. 
 
 At last he spoke this short, prompt sen- 
 tence : " The next boy I catch throwing 
 paper, or anything else, in this room to- 
 day, I shall punish severely ; and I shall 
 expect any scholar who sees anything of this 
 kind going on to inform me." 
 
 Not five minutes after that Mr. Burrows 
 bent over his desk in search of something 
 within, when whisk ! went the largest 
 paper ball that had been thrown that day, 
 and landed on the teacher's forehead. Some 
 of the scholars laughed, some looked grave
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 79 
 
 and startled, for Mr. Burrows was a man 
 who always meant what he said. 
 
 " Does any one know who threw that 
 ball ? " he asked, closing his desk and speak- 
 ing in a calm, steady tone. 
 
 No reply, silence for a minute. Then, 
 "Ellis Holbrook, do you know who threw 
 that ball of paper ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Very well ; I am waiting to be told." 
 
 " Tip Lewis threw it, sir." 
 
 This was a little too much for Tip. The 
 first time in his life that he had ever been in 
 school all day without throwing one, to be 
 so accused. He sprang up in his seat with 
 fire in his eyes, 
 
 " I didn't ! " he almost screamed. " He 
 knowfc I didn't ; it is a mean, wicked lie ! " 
 
 " Sit down ; " said Mr. Burrows. " Ellis, 
 did you see him throw it ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, I did."
 
 80 
 
 TIP LEWI 8 AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 Mr. Burrows turned to Tip. " Edward, 
 come here." 
 
 Tip was still standing. 
 
 " Say you won't," whispered Bob. " Say 
 you won't stir a step for the old fellow. If 
 he goes to make you we'll see who'll beat." 
 
 But the command was repeated, and Tip 
 went forward, fixing his steady eyes on Mr. 
 Burrows as he spoke. 
 
 " Mr. Burrows, as sure as I live, I did not 
 throw that paper ball." 
 
 And yet poor Tip ! he knew he would 
 not be believed ; he knew his word could 
 not be trusted ; he knew he had often stood 
 there and as boldly declared what was not 
 true, and what had been proved in a few 
 minutes to be false. 
 
 No, nobody believed Tip He had earned, 
 among other things in the school, the name 
 of hardly ever speaking the truth ; and now 
 he must suffer for it. So he stood still and
 
 TIP LEWI8 AND BIS LAMP. 81 
 
 received the swift, hard blows of the ruler 
 on his hands ; stood without a tear or a 
 promise. Mr. Burrows had not a doubt of 
 his guilt, for had not Ellis Holbrook, whose 
 word was law in the school, said he saw the 
 mischief done ? and did not Tip always deny 
 all knowledge of such matters until made to 
 own them ? 
 
 Still, this time the boy resolutely refused 
 to confess that he had thrown a bit of paper 
 that day, and went back to his seat with 
 smarting hands and the stern words of his 
 teacher ringing in his ears. 
 
 What a heavy, bitter heart the poor boy 
 carried out from the school-room that after- 
 noon ; he felt as though he almost hated 
 every scholar there ; quite hated Ellis Hol- 
 brook. 
 
 Mr. Burrows, catching a glimpse of hia 
 face, said to one of the other teachers, " That 
 boy grows sullen ; with all the rest, his
 
 82 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP, 
 
 good-nature was the only good thing which 
 he had about him, and he is losing that." 
 
 Tip heard him, and felt that it was true. 
 He had been punished many a time before, 
 and taken it with the most provoking good 
 humor. But to-day it was different ; to-day, 
 for the first time in his life, he had received 
 a punishment which he did not deserve ; this 
 day of all others, in which he had tried 
 with all his heart to do right. 
 
 " Why didn't you hold on, you simple- 
 ton ? " Bob asked. " Never saw you get up 
 so much pluck in my life. What made you 
 back out, and be whipped like a baby ? " 
 
 " Why didn't you own that you threw that 
 plaguey paper ball, and not sit there like a 
 coward, and see me take your whipping ? " 
 
 " 1 own it, that's a good one ! Ton honor. 
 Tip, didn't you throw that ball ? I thought 
 you did ; 1 was aiming one at Ellis Hoi- 
 brook's head just then, and I didn't see what
 
 So b* stood (till and received the swift, hard blows of the ruler." Pf t ..
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 88 
 
 was going on behind me. Didn't you throw 
 it, honor bright ? " 
 
 " No, I didn't ; and I'll throw you if you 
 say so again." 
 
 And Tip turned suddenly in the opposite 
 direction, but Satan still walked with him. 
 
 " It's no use," said this evil spirit, speak- 
 ing out boldly. " It's no use ; don't you see 
 it isn't ? You might as well give it up first 
 as last ; the boys and the teacher, and every 
 one, think you're nothing in the world but a 
 wicked young scamp, and you" never can be 
 anything else. You've been humbugging 
 yourself these four weeks, making believe 
 you had a great Friend to help you ; why 
 hasn't he helped you to-day ? You've tried 
 your best all day long, and he knows you 
 have ; yet you never had such a hard day 
 in your life. If he cares anything at all 
 about you, why didn't he help you to-day 1 
 you asked him to."
 
 84 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Tip sat down on a log by the side of the 
 road, and gave himself up for a little to 
 Satan's guidance, and the wicked voice went 
 on, 
 
 "Now, you see, you've been cheated. 
 You've tried hard for a whole month to be 
 somebody, and no one thinks any more of 
 you than they did before, and never will. 
 Your mother scolds just as much, and your 
 home looks just as dismal, and Kitty is just 
 as hateful, and the respectable boys in the 
 village have nothing to do with you ; you 
 might just as well lounge around and have 
 a good time. Nobody expects you to be' 
 good, or* will let you, when you want to 
 be." 
 
 Softly there came another voice knocking 
 at Tip's heart. At first he would not notice 
 it, but it would be heard. 
 
 " What of all that ? " it said ; " suppose 
 nobody cares for you, or helps you here.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 85 
 
 Jesus died, you know, and he is y ^ur friend ; 
 you know that is not a humbug ; you know 
 he has heard you when you knelt down and 
 prayed. He has helped you. Then there's 
 heaven, where all the beauty is, and he has 
 promised to take you yes, you there by 
 and by ! Oh, you must not complain because 
 people won't believe that such a bad boy 
 as you have been has grown good so soon. 
 Christ knows about it, so it's all right ; just 
 keep on trying, and one of these days folks 
 will see that you mean it ; they will God 
 has promised. He has given you a lamp to 
 light you. Why have not you looked at it 
 aU this day ? " 
 
 " Oh ! " said Tip, " I can't ; I can't be a 
 Christian ! I have not done right nor felt 
 right to-day. I almost hate the boys, and 
 Mr. Burrows too. I don't know what to 
 do." 
 
 " Go on home," said Satan. " Let the
 
 86 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 lamp and these new notions and all go! 
 Christ don't care anything about you ; such 
 a miserable, wicked, story-telling boy as you 
 have been, do you expect him to notice 
 V ouf" 
 
 But Tip's hand was in his pocket, resting 
 on his lamp, as he had learned to call it ; 
 and the low, sweet voice in his heart was 
 urging him to let its light shine. He drew 
 it out, and turned the leaves, and the same 
 dear Helper stopped his eyes at the words, 
 " Fear not, for I have redeemed thee ; I have 
 called thee by thy name ; thou art mine." 
 
 Then came hot, thankful tears. Oh, pre- 
 cious words, sinking right into the torn, 
 troubled heart. Christ the Redeemer had 
 called him by his name ! He was yes, he 
 would be his! He glanced around. No- 
 body was to be seen ; he was sitting in the 
 hollow at the foot of the hill, and under the 
 shade of a low branching tree. And there
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 87 
 
 he knelt down to pray ; and Satan drew liim- 
 self away, for the spot around that kneeling 
 boy was holy ground. Tip's soul had gained 
 the victory.
 
 CHAPTER VIH. 
 
 FREELT TK H^VS RECEIVED, FRKKLT oiv." 
 
 HETHER Tip felt it or not, there 
 were some changes in his home. 
 Mrs. Lewis, though worried and 
 hurried and cross enough, still was 
 not so much: so as she had been. 
 
 The house was quieter, there was no era 
 die to rock, there were no baby-footsteps 
 to follow and keep out of danger ; she had 
 more time for sewing. Yet this very thing, 
 the missing of the clinging arms about her 
 neck, sometimes made her heavy heart vent 
 
 itself in short, sharp words. 
 88
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS .LAMP. 
 
 But Tip had astonished the family at 
 home, it didn't require wonderful changes 
 to do it, rather the change which they saw 
 in him seemed wonderful. 
 
 The fire which she found ready made in 
 the morning, the full pail of fresh water, the 
 box filled with wood, were all so many drops 
 of honey to the tired mother's heart. The 
 awkward pat of his father's pillow, which 
 Tip now and then gave as he lingered tc 
 ask how he was, seemed so new and delight- 
 ful to that neglected father's heart, that he 
 lay on his hard bed and thought of it much 
 all day. 
 
 Tip got on better at home than anywhere 
 else ; he had not so many temptations. He 
 had been such a lawless, reckless boy, that 
 they had all learned to leave him very much 
 to himself, and as not a great deal of his 
 time was spent there, his trials at home were 
 not many. As for Kitty, she did not cease
 
 90 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 to wonder what had happened to Tip ; she 
 perhaps felt the difference more than any 
 one else, for it had been the delight of his 
 life to teaze her. 
 
 Now from the time that he gathered his 
 books, with the first sound of the school-bell, 
 and hurried up the hill, until he returned at 
 night ready to split wood, hoe in the gar- 
 den, or do any of the dozen things that he 
 had never been known to do before, he was 
 a never-failing subject of thought and won- 
 derment to her ; watching him closely, the 
 only thing she could finally settle on, as the 
 cause of the change which she found in him, 
 was, that he now went every Sabbath morn- 
 ing to the Sabbath school. The mystery 
 must be hidden there. Having decided that 
 matter, Kitty speedily resolved that she 
 would go there herself, and see what they 
 did. Many were the kind hearts that had 
 tried to coax her into that same Sabbath
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 91 
 
 school, and had failed. But this Saturday 
 afternoon's gazing out of the window, with a 
 wonderfully sober face, had ended in her 
 exclaiming, 
 
 "I say, mother, I want a needle and 
 thread." 
 
 " What do you want of a needle and 
 thread ? " asked Mrs. Lewis, stirring away 
 at some gruel in a tin basin, and not even 
 glancing up. 
 
 " I want to mend my dress ; it's torn this 
 way and that, and looks awful. I want 
 some green thread, the color of this wide 
 stripe." 
 
 Now for a minute the gruel was forgotten, 
 and Mrs. Lewis looked at Kitty in amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 " Dear me ! " she said at last ; " I don't 
 know what will happen next. It can't be 
 possible that you are going to work to mend
 
 92 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 your own dress without being scolded about 
 it for a week, and then made to do it." 
 
 " Yes, I am, too ; I ain't going to look like 
 a rag-bag another hour. And I'm going to 
 wash out my sun-bonnet and iron it ; then I 
 mean to go over to that Sunday school to- 
 morrow. I ain't heard any singing since I 
 was born, as I know of, and I mean to." 
 
 The gruel began to burn, and Mrs. Lewis 
 turned to it again, saying nothing, but think- 
 ing a great deal. Once she used to go to 
 Sabbath school herself, when she was Kitty's 
 age ; and she didn't have to mend her dress 
 first, either : she used to be dressed freshly 
 and neatly, every Sabbath morning, by her 
 mother's own careful hand. 
 
 She poured the gruel into a bowl, and 
 then went over to her work-box. 
 
 " Here's a needle and thread," she said, at 
 last, drawing out a snail of green thread 
 from the many snarls in hei box. " Mend
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 93 
 
 your dress if you want to, and I'll wash out 
 your bonnet for you towards night, when I 
 get that vest done." 
 
 It was Kitty's turn to be astonished now. 
 She had not expected help from her mother. 
 
 Tip lingered in the kitchen on Sabbath 
 morning ; he looked neat and clean ; he had 
 a fresh, clean shirt, thanks to the washing 
 which his mother had done " towards night." 
 He was all ready for school, yet he waited. 
 
 Kitty clattered around, making rather 
 more noise even than usual, as she washed 
 up the few poor dishes. 
 
 Evidently Tip was thinking about her. 
 The truth was, his lamp had shown him a 
 lesson that morning like this, "Freely ye 
 have received, freely give." He stopped at 
 that verse, reading no farther. What did it 
 mean? Surely it spoke to him. Had not 
 God given, oh, so many things to him ? Had 
 he not promised to give him heaven for his
 
 TIP L rf7S AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 home ? Now, here was the direction : " Free- 
 ly give." What, and to whom ? To God ? 
 Surely not. Tip was certain that he had 
 nothing to give to God; nothing but his 
 poor, sinful heart, which he believed the 
 Saviour had taken and made clean. 
 
 What could he give to any one? He 
 leaned out of his little window, busy with 
 this thought. Kitty came out to the door, 
 and pumped her pan full of water. He 
 looked down on her. There was Kitty ; had 
 he anything which he could give her ? He 
 shook his head mournfully ; not a thing. 
 But wouldn't it be the same, if he could help 
 her to get something? What if he could 
 coax her to go to Sunday school ; perhaps 
 it would do for her all that it had done for 
 him. And at this moment the unwearied 
 Satan came with his wicked thoughts. 
 
 " Kitty would be a pretty looking object 
 to go to Sabbath school ; not a decent thing
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H/S LAMP. 95 
 
 to wear ; everybody would laugh at her and 
 at you ; besides, I don't believe she would 
 go, if you did ask her ; she would only make 
 fun of you. Better not try it." 
 
 " Oh, Tip Lewis ! " said his conscience, 
 " what a miserable coward you are ! After 
 all you have promised, you won't risk a 
 laugh for the sake of getting Kitty into the 
 Sabbath school ! " 
 
 " Yes, I will," said Tip, and he ran down 
 stairs. 
 
 And this was why he lingered in the 
 kitchen, not knowing just what to say. 
 Kitty helped him. 
 
 " Tip," said she, " I suppose they sing 
 over at that Sunday school ; don't they ? " 
 
 " I guess they do ; " and Tip's eyes bright- 
 ened. " Ever so many of them sing at once, 
 and it sounds grand, I tell you. They play 
 the melodeon, too ; don't you want to go 
 and hear it ? "
 
 96 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " Humph ! I don't know. I don't sup- 
 pose it will be any stupider than staying at 
 home. I get awful sick of that. If, I knew 
 the way, may be I would go." 
 
 " Oh, I'll take you," said Tip, in a quick, 
 eager way. He wanted to speak before his 
 courage failed. 
 
 So Kitty, in her stiff blue sun-bonnet and 
 green calico dress, went to Sabbath school. 
 There was no mission class for girls, so Mr. 
 Parker sent her among the gayly-dressed 
 little girls in Miss Harley's class ; but Mr. 
 Holbrook detained Tip. 
 
 "Edward, you intend to come to Sabbath 
 jchool regularly, don't you ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Then I think we must leave your place 
 fc the mission seat to be filled by some 
 rther boy ; and you may come forward to 
 my class." 
 
 It is doubtful whether Tip will ever see a
 
 flP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 97 
 
 prouder or happier moment than that one 
 in which he followed the minister down the 
 long room to his own class. But when he 
 saw the seat full of boys his face grew crim- 
 son. At the end of the seat was Ellis Hoi- 
 brook, the minister's sou ; the boy who but 
 a few days before had, he believed in his 
 heart, told a wicked story about himself, 
 and gained him a severe punishment. He 
 did not feel as though he could sit beside 
 that boy, even in Sabbath school. But Mr. 
 Holbrook waited, and sit down he must 
 Ellis moved along to give him room, and 
 disturbed him neither by word nor look dur- 
 ing the lesson. But Tip's heart was full of 
 bitterness, and he thought the pleasure of 
 that morning gone. The lesson was of Christ 
 and his death on the cross, and as he lis- 
 tened, hard thoughts began to die out ; the 
 story was too new ; it touched too near his
 
 98 TIP LEW1B AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 heart not to calm the angry feelings and 
 t.o interest him wonderfully. 
 
 As soon as school was dismissed, Mr. 
 Holbrook turned to him. " What disturbs 
 you to-day, Edward ? " 
 
 Tip's face grew red again. "I I 
 nothing much, sir." 
 
 " Have you and Eilis been having trouble 
 in school ? " 
 
 " He has been getting me into trouble," 
 spoke Tip, boldly, finding himself caught. 
 
 Mr. Holbrook sat down again. " Can you 
 tell me about it, Edward ? " 
 
 " He said I threw paper balls, and Mr. 
 Burrows whipped me ; and I didn't." 
 
 u Are you sure you didn't ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Did you say so at the time ? " 
 
 " Over and over again, but he said he taw 
 one."
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H18 LAMP. 99 
 
 "Edward, have you always spoken the 
 truth ? Is your word to be believed ? " 
 
 Tip's eyes fell, and his lip quivered 
 " I've told a great many stories," he said at 
 last, in a low, humble tone : " but this truly 
 isn't one. I'm trying to tell the truth after 
 this, and Jesus believes what I have said this 
 time." 
 
 " So do I, Edward," answered Mr. Hoi 
 brook, gently, even tenderly ; " Ellis was 
 mistaken. But I see you are angry with 
 him ; can't you get over that ? " 
 
 Tip shook his head. " He got me whip- 
 ped for nothing, sir." 
 
 " Suppose Christ should follow that rule 
 Edward, and forgive only those who had 
 treated him well ; would you be forgiven 
 to-day?" 
 
 This was a new thought to Tip, and made 
 him silent. Mr. Holbrook held out his hand 
 for the little red Bible.
 
 100 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND a 18 LAMP 
 
 " Let me show you what this lamp of 
 yours says about the matter." 
 
 And Tip's eyes presently read where the 
 minister's finger pointed, " If ye forgive not 
 men their trespasses, neither will your Father 
 forgive your trespasses." 
 
 ' Trespasses mean sins," explained Mr. 
 Holbrook ; then he turned away. 
 
 All this time Kitty had been standing 
 waiting, not for Tip, she didn't expect his 
 company, but for the stylish little girls to 
 get fairly started on their way to church, so 
 she could go home without having any of 
 them look at or make fun of her. 
 
 Kitty had not been having a very good 
 time ; she had the misfortune to fall into the 
 hands of a teacher who thought if she asked 
 the questions in the question-book, and if 
 one scholar could not answer, passed on to 
 the next, she had done her duty. So the 
 singing was pretty nearly all Kitty had cared
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 101 
 
 for. God was leaving most of the work for 
 Tip to do, after all. He went ever to her 
 now, and walked down the road with her. 
 The boys had all gone, as well as the girls, 
 so there was nothing to hinder their walking 
 on quietly together. 
 
 " How did you like it, Kitty ? " he asked. 
 
 " Oh, I didn't think much of it. I sat by 
 the ugliest girl in town, and she made fun 
 of my bonnet and my shoes. I hate her." 
 
 Tip had a faint notion in his heart that 
 Kitty, also, needed the verse which had just 
 been given him ; but he had other thoughts 
 about her. God's spirit was at work. Hav- 
 ing taken her to Sabbath school, having 
 begun a good work, he wanted it to go on. 
 It was very hard to speak to Kitty ; he 
 didn't know what to say ; but all the way 
 down the hill there seemed to ring in his 
 ears the message, "Freely ye have receive/, 
 freely give."
 
 102 TIP LEWIS AND BIB LAMP. 
 
 " Kitty," he said, at last, " don't you want 
 to be a Christian ? " 
 
 " I don't know what a Christian is." 
 
 " But wouldn't you like to love Jesus ? " 
 
 " How do /know?" replied Kitty, shortly. 
 " I don't know anything about Jesus." 
 
 " Oh, didn't you hear in the lesson, to-day, 
 about how he loves everybody, and wants 
 everybody to love him, and how he died so 
 we could ? " 
 
 " I don't know a thing about the lesson. 
 I counted the buttons on Miss Harley's dress 
 most all the time ; they went up and down 
 the front, and up and down the sides, and 
 everywhere." 
 
 " Oh, but Kitty, you surely heard the 
 hymn, 
 
 ' Jesus loves me, this I know, 
 For the Bible tells me so.' " 
 
 ** Yes," Kitty said ; " the hymn was pretty
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 enough, only nobody gave me a book, and 
 I could just hear a word now and then." 
 
 Altogether, Tip didn't feel that he had 
 done Kitty a bit of good. But he knew this 
 much, that since he had begun to think 
 about and talk to her, he longed, yes, 
 longed, with all his heart, to have her 
 come to Christ. 
 
 " Ellis, come here a moment," said Mr. 
 Holbrook, turning towards his study door, 
 as the family came in from church. " What 
 is it about this trouble in school with Ed- 
 ward Lewis ? " 
 
 " No trouble, father ; only Tip threw a 
 paper ball, just as he always is doing, and 
 as Mr. Burrows asked me if I knew who 
 threw it, of course I had to tell him, and 
 that made Tip mad. Why? Has he been 
 complaining to you, father ? " 
 
 " Ellis, did you see Edward throw paper ? "
 
 104 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Are you positive ? " 
 
 " Yes, why, that is v I glanced up from 
 my book just in time to see it whiz, and it 
 came from Tip's direction, and his hand was 
 raised, so I supposed of course he threw it. 
 I thought a minute ago that I knew he did." 
 
 "But now you would not say positively 
 that some boy near him might not have done 
 it?" 
 
 "Why, no, sir, Alex. Palmer might 
 have thrown it ; but I didn't think of such a 
 thing." 
 
 " Well, Ellis, my verdict is that you were 
 mistaken ; I don't think Edward told a 
 falsehood this time. I'll tell you why ; he is 
 trying to take the Saviour for his pattern. 
 I believe. he is a Christian. Now, there is 
 one thing which I want you to think of. 
 Edward Lewis, who has never been taught 
 anything good, who has never had any one to
 
 TIP LEW/8 AND HIS LAMP. 105 
 
 help him, has given his heart to Christ ; and 
 
 my boy. for whom I have prayed with all 
 
 my soul every day since he was born, hag 
 not."
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 " HlTHKBTO HATH THE LORD HELPED US." 
 
 'OYS," said Mr. Burrows, one Monday 
 afternoon, " you may lay aside your 
 books ; I want to have a talk witL 
 you." 
 
 Books were hurriedly gathered and piled 
 in their places, and the boys sat up with 
 folded arms, ready for whatever their teacher 
 had to offer. 
 
 Mr. Burrows drew out his arm-chair from 
 behind the desk, and sat down for a chat. 
 " Who will tell me what an acrostic is ? " 
 
 Several hands were raised. 
 106
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 107 
 
 " Well, Howard, let us hear what you 
 think about it." 
 
 " It's a piece of poetry, sir, where the first 
 letter of every line spells another word." 
 
 " Do you mean the first letter alone spells 
 a word?" 
 
 The boys laughed, and Howard explained 
 promptly. " No, sir ; I mean the first letters 
 of each line taken together form a name." 
 
 " Must an acrostic always be written in 
 poetry ? " 
 
 This question called forth several answers, 
 and made a good deal of talk ; but it was 
 finally decided that there could be acrostics 
 in prose as well as in rhyme ; and Mr, Bur- 
 rows asked, 
 
 " How many understand now what an 
 acrostic is ? " 
 
 A few more hands were raised, but many 
 of the boys did not understand yet ; it must 
 be made plainer.
 
 108 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HI 8 LAMP. 
 
 " Howard," said Mr. Burrows, " come to 
 the board and give us an acrostic on the 
 word boy." 
 
 Howard sprang up. " Must it be a sensi 
 ble one, sir ? " 
 
 " Sense or nonsense, just as you please, so 
 as it shows us what an acrostic is." 
 
 " I can take my parsing-book and give you 
 one, I think, sir." 
 
 And Howard came forward and wrote 
 rapidly, 
 
 " B Bat yon shall hear an odd affair, indeed, 
 O Of which all Europe rings from side to side " 
 
 Then he paused, turning the leaves of his 
 parsing-book eagerly. 
 
 " I can't find anything in Y to finish this 
 up with," he said at last. 
 
 " Can't you give us a line from your own 
 brain ? " 
 
 And at this Howard's eye brightened with
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 109 
 
 foil, and turning to the board after a moment 
 of thought, he dashed off the closing line, 
 
 " Y You who can finish this may have the job." 
 
 Then took his seat amid bursts of laughter 
 from the boys, who all began to understand 
 what an acrostic was. 
 
 Ellis Holbrook's hand was up, and his eyes 
 were full of questions. 
 
 " Mr. Burrows, why is that called by such 
 a queer name as acrostic ? " 
 
 His teacher smiled. 
 
 " You must study Greek, Ellis. We get 
 it from two words in the Greek, or from one 
 word made up of two others, which mean 
 extreme, or beginning and order. In an 
 acrostic the beginnings of the lines are 
 arranged in order. Do you understand how 
 we get that word now ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Well, now, you would all like to know
 
 110 TIP LEWIS AND HI8 LAMP. 
 
 what this talk is for. I want every boy in 
 Bchool who can write, to -bring an acrostic on 
 his own name for his next composition." 
 
 The boys groaned, and exclaimed, " They 
 couldn't do it, they were sure ; they couldn't 
 begin to do it !" 
 
 " Yes, you can," said Mr. Burrows ; "I 
 don't give my scholars any work that they 
 can't do. You may quote it, or make it 
 original, as you please ; but I want every one 
 of you to try" 
 
 Johnny Thorpe, the smallest boy in school 
 who could write, now seemed in trouble, and 
 stretched up his arm to its full length. 
 
 " Well, Johnny, what will you have ? " 
 asked his teacher. 
 
 " If you please, sir, I don't know what you 
 mean by quote." 
 
 Mr. Burrows laughed pleasantly. 
 
 " I must remember, I see, to speak plain 
 English ; I mean you may borrow your essay
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Ill 
 
 from a book, or a dozen books, if you like, so 
 that you don't try to make us believe the 
 thoughts are your own. You may write in 
 poetry or not, as you please ; but I want each 
 to choose a subject, and stick to it better than 
 Howard did just now. I have given you 
 something to do that will keep you hard at 
 work, but you will succeed at last." 
 
 Tip went home in a tumult. What could 
 he do ? He had never written a composition 
 in his life, having made it a point to run 
 away from school on composition-day ; but 
 running away was done with now. It didn't 
 seem possible that he could write anything ; 
 certainly not in such a new, queer way as 
 Mr. Burrows wished them to. 
 
 Supper and wood-splitting were hurried 
 over for that evening, and Tip took his way 
 very early to the seat under the elm-tree 
 down by the pond. He wanted to think, to 
 ee how he should meet this new trouble ; it
 
 112 TIP LEWIS AffD HIS LAMP. 
 
 was a real trouble to him, for he had set out 
 to do just right, and he saw no way of get- 
 ting out of this duty, and thought he saw no 
 way of doing it. 
 
 " There is no place on the road so dark 
 but this lamp will light you through, if you 
 give it a chance." 
 
 This is what Mr. Holbrook had said 
 when he gave Tip his Bible. And Tip had 
 thought of his words very often, had al- 
 ready proved them true more than once ; but 
 he didn't see how it could help him now. 
 
 He took it out, and slowly turned the 
 leaves ; it couldn't write his composition for 
 him, that was certain. But oh, the bright 
 thought that came to Tip just then ! Why 
 not find his acrostic in the Bible, and write it 
 out ? among so many, many verses, he would 
 be sure to find what he wanted. But, then, 
 how very queer it would be for him, Tij 
 Lewis, to copy anything from the Bible
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 What would the boys think ? What would 
 Bob Turner say ? Still, what else could he 
 do ? Besides his spelling-book and a worn 
 arithmetic, it was the only book that he had 
 in the world. 
 
 " I don't care," he said suddenly, after a 
 few moments of troubled thought. " I guess 
 I ain't ashamed of my Bible, it's the only 
 thing I've got that I needn't be ashamed 
 of, I'll do it. The boys have got to know 
 that I've turned over a new leaf ; I wish they 
 did ; the sooner they know it the better. I 
 say, my lamp shall help me out of this scrape, 
 that's as true as can be ; it helps me when- 
 ever I give it a chance." 
 
 He fumbled in his pocket and drew out an 
 old stump of a pencil ; the next thing was a 
 piece of paper ; he dived his hand down into 
 another pocket, producing a rusty knife, 
 pieces of string, a chesnut or two, and, 
 finally, a crumpled piece of paper on which
 
 114 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Bob Turner had scrawled what he called a 
 likeness of Mr. Burrows, and given to Tip 
 for a keepsake. He spread it out on a flat 
 stone which lay near him, and began his 
 work. 
 
 A long, slow work it was for Tip. Hours 
 of that day, and the next and the next, 
 every day, until the fading light drove him 
 home, did he sit under the elm-tree turning 
 the leaves of his Bible, poring over its con- 
 tents, writing words carefully now and then 
 on his bit of paper. Remember it was new 
 work to him. 
 
 At last, one evening, the sun went dowL 
 in the bright red west, the stars shone out 
 in all their twinkling, sparkling glory, the 
 shadows began to fall thick and fast around 
 the old tree, when Tip, with a little sigh of 
 relief, folded the precious piece of paper, 
 laid it carefully away in his Bible, and 
 turned his steps homeward. His acrostic
 
 TIP US Witt AMD til a LAMP. 
 
 115 
 
 was finished, and into nis heart had crept 
 some of the beauty 01 tnose precious words, 
 which he had found for the first time. 
 Words they were which would go with him 
 through all his life, and sweetly comfort 
 some dark and weary hours. 
 
 The school books were all piled neatly on 
 the desks that Friday afternoon ; the shades 
 were dropped to shut out the low afternoon 
 sun, and forty boys were still and expectant 
 The acrostics lay in a great white heap o) 
 Mr. Burrows's desk, not a name written 01 
 any of them. Mr. Burrows was to read 
 and the boys were to have the pleasure of 
 spelling out the names of the owners, as 
 he read. 
 
 A merry time they had of it that after- 
 noon ; some wonderful acrostics were read. 
 Ellis Holbrook had a very clever one, 
 arranged from his lesson in Virgil. Howard 
 Minturn had borrowed from his father's
 
 116 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 library, a copy of Shakspeare and worked 
 hard over his ; the boys and their teacher 
 thought it a success. 
 
 Even Bob Turner had written ; the idea 
 had happened to strike him as a very funny 
 one, and Bob always did everything that he 
 thought funny. He had found three lines in 
 rhyme which just suited him, and by the 
 time the eager boys had spelled out BOB 
 which was the only name the boy saw fit 
 to own the schoolroom fairly shook with 
 their laughter. 
 
 Next to his lay a paper which Tip kne\v , 
 and his heart beat so loudly when Mr. Bur- 
 rows took it up, that he thought every one 
 in the room must notice 
 
 The room had now grown quiet, and Mr. 
 Burrows after opening the paper, announced 
 the title,
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 "WHAT JESUS CHBIST SAYS." 
 
 Phen read slowly and reverently, while the 
 wondering scholars spelled out the name. 
 
 " E Even the night shall be light about thee. 
 D Depart from evil and do good. 
 W Whosoever cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast 
 
 out. 
 
 A A new heart will I give you. 
 K Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 
 D Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to 
 
 thee. 
 
 L Lo, I am with you alway. 
 E Ever follow that which ia good. 
 W Whosoever abideth in Him, sinneth not. 
 I I will go before thee, and make the crooked paths 
 
 straight. 
 S So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my 
 
 helper." 
 
 What a silent and astonished company 
 listened to this reading, and spelled the 
 name Edward Lewis !
 
 118 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " Edward," Mr. Burrows said, at last, 
 " who found those verses for you ? " 
 
 " T found them, sir, in my Bible. I've 
 got them all marked ! " Speaking eagerly, 
 willing this time to bring proof that he was 
 telling the truth. 
 
 Mr. Burrows voice almost trembled as he 
 answered, 
 
 " It is a beautiful collection of some of the 
 most precious verses in the Bible. It was a 
 fine idea ; I am very much surprised and 
 pleased. I wish that you, and every scholar 
 of mine, could feel in your hearts the full 
 meaning of those words of Jesus." 
 
 "I can't to-night, Howard," said Ellis 
 Holbrook, in answer to his friend's coaxings 
 tc accompany him home ; " I've got some- 
 thing else to attend to. Hallo, Tip! Tip 
 Lewis ! Hold on a bit, I'm going your way
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 No, Howard, I'll come up in the morning ; 
 I really can't to-night." 
 
 Tip waited in wondering silence while the 
 boy, whom he counted an enemy, hurried 
 towards him. 
 
 Ellis was a bold, prompt boy; when he 
 had anything to say he said it ; so he came 
 to the point at once. 
 
 " See here, Tip, did I blunder the other 
 day, when I told Mr. Burrows you threw 
 paper ? I thought I saw you ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Tip, "you did. I didn't 
 throw a bit of paper that day." 
 
 " Well, father said he thought I was mis- 
 taken. I'm sure I supposed I was telling 
 the truth. I'm sorry. I'll say so to Mr. 
 Burrows and the boys, if you like, and let 
 him find out who did it, and then was mean 
 enough to see you whipped for it." 
 
 Tip struggled a little. " No," he said, at 
 last, " let it go ; the whipping is done, and
 
 A 20 TIP LEWIS AND BIS 
 
 can't be undone ; I don't want to make any 
 more bother about it." 
 
 Ellis eyed him curiously. 
 
 " You're a queer fellow," he said, at last. 
 " I expect you had about the best acrostic, 
 this afternoon, that can be written." 
 
 Tip's heart was throbbing with pleasure 
 as he walked on home after Ellis had left 
 him. For the first time in his life he had 
 earnest, warm, hearty praise from his teacher. 
 Ellis had said, " Father told me he thought 
 I was mistaken." Mr. Holbrook, then, did 
 believe and trust him. Besides, there was 
 another thought which seemed delightful to 
 him. Tip Lewis, the worthless, yes, wicked 
 boy that everybody thought him, had walked 
 down the main street side by side, and talk- 
 ing earnestly with Ellis Holbrook, the minis- 
 ter's Bon.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 EBTKK HOT ISTO THE PATH OF THB WICKKD." 
 
 ITTY hung on the gate and watched 
 them pass by ; the long train of 
 high wagons with grated windows, 
 out of which strange animals peered 
 with their great fierce eyes ; the two ele- 
 phants in their scarlet and gold blankets ; 
 the tiny ponies tossing their shaggy manes ; 
 the splendid carriage drawn by eight gayly- 
 blanketed, gayly-plumed, dancing horses, and 
 every seat filled with splendidly dressed men 
 and women ; the bright-red band-wagon, with 
 
 the sun glittering over the wonderful brass 
 121
 
 122 TIP LEWI 8 AND BIS LAMi.. 
 
 instruments, and turning them into gold 
 Kitty watched all this ; watched, and lis 
 tened to the loud, full bursts of music, until 
 her heart swelled and bounded. She sprang 
 from the gate, and stamped her foot on the 
 ground. 
 
 " I wish, oh, I wish I could go ! " she 
 almost screamed at last. " I want to ; I 
 want to ; oh, I never wanted to go anywhere 
 so bad in my life." 
 
 " I reckon you'll take it out in wanting," 
 said her mother, who had also leaned on the 
 fence and watched the show pass by. " Folks 
 who have to dig as I do, from morning to 
 night, just to get something to eat, don't have 
 any money to spend on circuses." 
 
 Kitty shook her head with rage. " I don't 
 go anywhere," she screamed. " Never ! I 
 never went to a circus in my life, and all the 
 boys and girls around here go every year. 
 Tip always goes, always ; he manages to slip
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 123 
 
 in. Oh, Tip ! " And she opened the gate 
 and went out to him on the sidewalk, a new 
 thought having come to her. 
 
 "Can't you do something to get some 
 money, and let me go to the circus with you ? 
 Can't you manage some way ? Oh, Tip, do ! 
 ['11 do anything for you, if you only will ; I 
 never wanted anything so bad before." 
 
 And Tip's face, as he walked towards the 
 village ten minutes after that, was a study, 
 it looked so full of trouble. 
 
 Kitty wanted to go to that circus ; wanted 
 to go so very much that she had coaxed and 
 begged him in a way that she had never 
 done before. Besides, if the truth be told, 
 Tip wanted to go himself; every time the 
 wind wafted back to him a swell of the dis- 
 tant music, it made his heart fairly jump. 
 It was true, as Kitty had said, he always 
 managed to slip in some way ; and the 
 oftener he went, the oftener he wanted to go
 
 124 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Well, then, what was the matter with 
 Tip ? What he had done so many times be- 
 fore, he could surely find a way to do again. 
 O yes ! But Tip Lewis to-day was different 
 from any Tip Lewis there had ever been before 
 on circus day. Wasn't he trying to do right ? 
 But then, what had circuses to do with that ? 
 He tried to think what were his reasons for 
 being troubled! Why did a small voice 
 down in his heart keep telling him that the 
 circus was no place for him now ? 
 
 Looking at the matter steadily, the only 
 reason Tip knew was, that Ellis Holbrook 
 and Howard Minturn never went; their 
 fathers had taught them differently. Ellis, 
 he knew, rather looked down on people who 
 did go ; called them low. This had never 
 troubled Tip before, because he had always 
 known himself to be low ; but now, wasn't 
 he trying to climb ? Didn't respectable
 
 TIP LEW IB AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 125 
 
 people generally think that circuses were 
 bad things ? 
 
 No, poor Tip, they didn't ; there was 
 Mr. Bailey, a rich man, so rich and so 
 respectable, that his son wouldn't stoop to 
 lend Tip his spelling-book at school, yet 
 Mr. Bailey went to the circus last year and 
 took all his children. So did Mr. Anderson 
 and Mr. Stone, and oh, dozens of others, 
 rich, great men. Well, did good people go ? 
 and Tip's thoughts strayed back to Mr. Hoi- 
 brook, and Mr. Parker and Mr. Minturn, 
 yea, and others, whose voices he had heard 
 on the streets and in stores, condemning the 
 circus. 
 
 But then, after all, where was the harm ? 
 There was Kitty, how much she wanted to 
 go ; if he could manage to take her how 
 glad she would be ! At this point Satan 
 thought there was a chance for him to speak ;
 
 126 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 so he walked along with Tip, talking like 
 this; 
 
 " Kitty has never asked you to do anything 
 for her before ; you want to help her ; you 
 want to get her to go to Sunday school and 
 to read the Bible ; now's your time ; if you 
 take her to the circus, very likely she will 
 do what you want her to." 
 
 This was a little too absurd, even for Tip, 
 who wanted to believe it all so badly ; but 
 whoever heard of taking any one to a circus 
 in order to get them to love Jesus ! Tip 
 knew altogether too well for his comfort, that 
 day, that Mr. Holbrook's example was the 
 safe one. At last he drew a little sigh of 
 relief ; he needn't think about it any more, 
 for he had no money ; he had never owned 
 fifty cents at one time in his life ; so the 
 question, after all, would settle itself. 
 
 No, it wouldn't. Mr. Dewey stood in the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 127 
 
 door of his market looking up and down the 
 street. 
 
 " Halloa, Tip ! " he called, as Tip turned 
 the corner ; " you're the boy I must have 
 been looking for, I guess. If you'll carry 
 home packages for me for an hour, and not 
 steal one of them, I'll give you two ticket? 
 for the circus." 
 
 Tip's cheeks glowed at the word steal, and 
 he came near telling Mr. Dewey to carry his 
 own packages, if he were afraid to trust him. 
 
 But then, those two tickets ! Here was a 
 chance for Kitty ; the conflict commenced 
 again. 
 
 A whole hour in which to decide it, for 
 Tip meant to do the work any way. Up and 
 down the streets, stopping at this house and 
 that, with his parcels, back again to the mar- 
 ket for more, all the time in a whirl of 
 thought; the question was almost decided 
 when the two green tickets were placed in
 
 128 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 his hand; it closed over them eagerly; he 
 hurried towards home. 
 
 Towards home, led him past the brick 
 hotel. In the bar-room sat some of the cir- 
 cus men; he knew them by their heavy 
 beards which almost covered their faces ; 
 knew them also because he knew every man 
 in town, just who were strangers and who 
 were not. Well, these circus men were very 
 busy drinking brandy, and playing cards. 
 Tip stopped and looked in at them ; and, 
 ignorant boy as he was, the thought that 
 good, respectable people would go to see and 
 hear such men as these, seemed very strange. 
 It couldn't be right, could it ? How was it ? 
 A great many nice people must have blun- 
 dered terribly if it were wrong ; and, on the 
 other hand, if it were not wrong, how did 
 the minister happen to be so afraid of these 
 things ? Why did he himself have so many 
 queer feelings about the matter ?
 
 TIP LFWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 129 
 
 What a trouble he was in ! If only he 
 oould find somebody or something that 
 would decide it for him ! Long before this 
 he had walked away from the hotel ; now he 
 had crossed the bridge, gone around behind 
 the mill, and was very near his seat under 
 the elm. Down he sat when he came to it, 
 still holding fast the two green tickets, but 
 with the other hand diving down in his pock- 
 et for the little Bible. That was getting to 
 be a habit with him, to hunt for this lamp of 
 his whenever he was in darkness ; he turned 
 the leaves now with a perplexed face ; if he 
 only knew where to turn for help ! 
 
 " Let me see," he said. " Where was that 
 verse that I learned for the Sunday-school 
 concert ? I liked the sound of that ; it was 
 somewhere in this book full of short, queer 
 verses. I can find it ; yes, I see it. ' For 
 the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall 
 keep thy foot from being taken.' "
 
 130 TIP LE wis AND ma LAMP. 
 
 It didn't seem to help him ; he shook his 
 head slowly, still glancing on over the 
 verses, until suddenly his listless look van- 
 ished, and he read aloud : " Enter not into 
 the path of the wicked, and go not in the 
 way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, 
 turn from it, and pass away." 
 
 " That means them," said Tip, " and me. 
 They're wicked men, that's certain ; they 
 were drinking and gambling ; swearing, too, 
 I guess ; and this verse reads about them 
 just as plain as day. It says ' don't go near 
 them ; ' says it over and over again ; and I'll 
 mind it, I will. I'll take these tickets right 
 back to Mr. Dewey, so they won't be here to 
 put me in mind of going." 
 
 No sooner said than done ; he turned 
 around and fairly galloped up the hill, 
 around the corner, and landed nearly breath- 
 less at the market. 
 
 ' k Here. Mr. Dewey," he said, promptly,
 
 TIP. LEWIS AND H18 LAMP. 131 
 
 " I've brought back your tickets ; I don't 
 want 'em this time." 
 
 " What's up now ? " asked Mr. Dewey, 
 coming out from behind his desk, and eyeing 
 the panting boy curiously. " Won't the 
 tickets pass ? " 
 
 " Not if they wait till I pass 'em," an- 
 swered Tip, in his prompt, saucy way ; " I 
 ain't going to the circus, not an inch" he 
 added, at if to assure himself that he meant 
 it. 
 
 " But, why not ? " 
 
 " Oh, I've got reasons." 
 
 " Well, now, Tip," said Mr. Dewey, " that's 
 really astonishing; suppose you give us a 
 few of your reasons ; we don't know what to 
 make of this." 
 
 Tip didn't know what to say, he hesitated 
 and thought, and finally did the best thing 
 he could ; spoke out boldly. 
 
 " I've made up my mind that I won't go to
 
 132 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 any more circuses, ever ! I don't believe in 
 'em as much as I did." 
 
 That wasn't it, yet he had not owned hiy 
 Master in the answer. Neither was Mr 
 Dewey satisfied. 
 
 "But, Tip, give us the reasons ; this in 
 such a sudden change, you know." 
 
 " Well," said Tip, u I've been reading 
 about them just now." 
 
 " About whom ? " 
 
 " Why, them circus fellows. They're up 
 here at the tavern ; they're drinking and 
 fighting, and I don't know what ; and 1 
 guess, by the looks of things, they're pretty 
 wicked. The book I was reading said, 
 Don't go near wicked men, turn around and 
 go the other way ; and I mean to." And, 
 with this, Tip whisked out of the house and 
 around the corner. 
 
 Mr. Dewey shrugged his shoulders.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 ' The world turns around, sure enough," 
 he said, at last. 
 
 " How do you know that ? " and Mr. Min- 
 turn tjgb his market basket on the step, and 
 fanned himself with his hat. " I'm my own 
 boy to-day, you see ; give me something for 
 my dinner. How did you find out that the 
 world turned around ? " 
 
 " Why, Tip Lewis has taken to preaching 
 against circuses. Will you have a roast to- 
 day, Mr. Minturn ? I gave him a ticket, and 
 he just rushed in with it and informed us he 
 wasn't going to circuses any more, because 
 the Bible says they are wicked fellows ; 
 what do you think of that ? " 
 
 " Humph ! " said Mr. Minturn. " The Bi- 
 ble says it would be better for a man, some- 
 times, if a millstone were about his neck, 
 and he were in the bottom of the sea. I'd 
 look out for that, if I were you. Hurry up 
 vith your meat ; I ought to be at the store.''
 
 184 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 Tip went home to Kitty. She still swung 
 on the gate ; at least she was there when he 
 came up. 
 
 "Oh, Tip!" she said, "aie you r .gping to 
 take me ? Oh, Tip, do. I never asked you 
 for anything before." 
 
 Tip walked slowly up the yard, with his 
 hands in his pockets, troubled, not know- 
 ing what to say, or how to say it. At last 
 he stopped and wheeled about, " Kitty, I 
 can't ; I can't go. I could get tickets if I 
 dared, but I don't mean to go any more ; 
 they're bad, wicked men, and I'm trying to 
 be " 
 
 But Kitty twitched herself away from 
 him, and wouldn't hear any more. 
 
 " Do gu off ! " she said. " You're a mean, 
 ugly, hateful boy. I'm sorry you got so 
 awful good, if you can't do that little much 
 for me. Go away, and let me alone." 
 
 Even in his sore trouble, a little flash of
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 135 
 
 joy shot through Tip's heart. He was dif- 
 ferent, then. Kitty had noticed it, she knew 
 he was trying to be different. There must 
 be a little bit of change in him.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 4 AVOID IT, PASS NOT BY IT, TURN FROM IT, AND PASS AWAT." 
 
 VER and over in his mind did Tip 
 repeat this verse ; it seemed to sound 
 all around him, and mixed up with 
 everything he did. A ' yet he 
 went out of the house that evening, and 
 turned straight down the street in the 
 direction leading to the tented circus 
 grounds. Walking along slowly, talking to 
 himself. 
 
 "It won't do any harm just to listen to the 
 music. I don't mean to go in, of course I 
 
 don't. Suppose I'd do that, after all I said 
 136
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 13-; 
 
 to Kitty ! Besides, I couldn't if I would. I 
 haven't got any ticket. I'm just going to 
 walk down that way, and see if there's lots 
 of folks going; and if the music sounds 
 nice." 
 
 " Avoid it, pass not by it." O, yes, Tip 
 knew ; he heard the voice, yet on he went ; 
 beginning to walk swiftly, only saying in 
 answer, " I ain't going in ; I couldn't, if I 
 wanted to ; and I don't want to." 
 
 By and by he came within sight of the 
 tents and within sound of the music, which, 
 to his untaught ears, was wonderfully beauti- 
 ful ; came up even to the very door of the 
 large tent, bewitched to go just a step 
 nearer, though he didn't mean to go in, not 
 he. 
 
 Yes, the people were crowding in. Mr. 
 Douglass stood by the door. Tip knew him 
 very well ; that is, he knew he lived in a 
 large house and had plenty of money ; and
 
 138 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 he knew when the men were trying to raise 
 any money, some one was sure to say, " Go 
 to Mr. Douglass ; he's always ready to give." 
 
 Everybody liked Mr. Douglass. He turned 
 around now from looking down the road, and 
 looked down at Tip. 
 
 " Well, Tip," he said, " going to the cir- 
 cus ?" 
 
 Tip shook his head. 
 
 "What's the matter no money? pity to 
 get so near and not go in ; isn't it, pet ? " 
 
 This last, to the dainty little girl whose 
 band he held. 
 
 " Yes," she answered, with a happy smile. 
 " Papa, why don't mamma come ? " 
 
 " Oh, she'll be along soon. Here, sir," 
 to the door-keeper, handing him twenty-five 
 cents, " let this ragamuffin in. In with you, 
 Tip, and practice standing on your head for 
 a month to come." 
 
 It was all done in a hurry ; the door-keeper
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LJLMP. 139 
 
 stepped aside, the crowd jostled and pushed 
 against him, the music burst forth in a new 
 loud swell. A moment more, and Tip stood 
 in the brightly-lighted room, staring eagerly 
 around him : there was enough to see, the 
 seats were filling rapidly with gayly-dressed 
 ladies and gentlemen. He knew them, many 
 of them, had seen them on the streets often 
 and often ; had seen some of them in Sabbath 
 school, seated before their classes. 
 
 Tip was speedily giving himself up to 
 enjoyment ; hushing the small voice in his 
 heart. One of the nicest men in town had 
 let him in ; yes, and there he was now with 
 his wife and little girl ; Mrs. Douglass was 
 not only a teacher in the Sabbath school, but 
 a member of the church. If she could go 
 to the circus why couldn't he ? So Tip rea- 
 soned, and nobody told him that his lamp 
 said, " Every one of us shall give account 
 of himself to God."
 
 140 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND fII8 LAMP. 
 
 Presently, the wonderful little shaggy 
 ponies trotted out ; and back behind the cur- 
 tains was one of the riders ; he got a peep 
 of her every now and then, in her splendid 
 dress ; he knew she would be out pretty 
 soon, and then she would ride. 
 
 Oh, that music ! how it rolled around the 
 ring. Tip was too busy looking and listen 
 ing to keep out of people's way, he stepped 
 back, still jostled by the crowd who were 
 pouring in, and stepped directly in front of a 
 man who was trying to make his way through 
 the crowd around the entrance. Tip knew 
 him in an instant : he was one of the circus 
 men ; the one with the ugly face that he had 
 noticed in the morning ; it was ugly still, and* 
 led with liquor. He turned a pah- of fiery 
 eyes on Tip, and a dreadful oatli fell from his 
 lips as he swung him angrily out of his way. 
 
 Oh, Tip Lewis ! No wonder your heart 
 fairly stops its beating for an instant, tfien
 
 TIP LEWIS AND B/8 LAMP. 
 
 bounds on with rapid throbs. Only a fev 
 days ago you listened to the story of a bleed- 
 ing, dying Saviour ; bleeding and dying for 
 you ; and you promised, with honest tears, 
 that for this you would love and serve and 
 honor him forever. And yet, to-night, here 
 you are, watching the tricks of men, who 
 can speak that sacred name in such a way 
 that it will make even you, who are used to 
 this, shudder and turn cold. " In the name 
 of the Saviour whom you love, what do you 
 here ? " 
 
 It was to Tip as if Christ himself had 
 asked that question. He turned suddenly, 
 and with both hands pressed to his ears, 
 fairly fought his way through the crowd. 
 
 " Let me out ! let me go ! " He fairly 
 shrieked the words at the astonished door- 
 keeper, who stood aside to let him pass. 
 Up the hill with swift, eager steps he ran, 
 trying still to shut out the ring of that awful
 
 142 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 oath. The sound of that hateful voice, 
 speaking the name which had so lately be- 
 come to him the one dear and precious name 
 in earth or heaven. On, on, up the hill, 
 and then down on the other side, stopping 
 finally at the great tree under the hill, just 
 across the pond. Stopping and sitting down, 
 he tried to think. What had he done ? He 
 had been warned, he had been tempted, and 
 he had fallen. It didn't help him now to 
 think that good men and women were there. 
 Perhaps God had not so plainly shown them 
 the wrong. Perhaps they had never found 
 that verse : " Avoid it, pass not by it." 
 Perhaps oh, anything it was nothing to 
 him now. This much was certain, he had 
 done wrong. Such a heavy, heavy heart as 
 Tip had to-night. What should he do? 
 What would Kitty say, if she found it out ? 
 Oh, what would Mr. Dewey think, or Mr. 
 Holbrook ? and then above all else came the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 143 
 
 thuight, What could Jesus, looking down on 
 him now from heaven, what could he think 
 of him ? This thought brought the bitter 
 tears, but it brought him also on his knees ; 
 and he said, 
 
 " Oh, Jesus Christ, in spite of it all, you 
 know I love you ; won't you forgive me, and 
 let me try again ? " Long he knelt there, 
 faying to get close to Christ, and his Saviour 
 did not leave him alone. It was only yester- 
 day he had learned the verse, and it came to 
 him softly now : u Thou art a God ready to 
 pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, 
 of great kindness. 
 
 In his sore trouble, Tip's lamp had not 
 failed him.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 'Hi HONORKTH THEM THAT FEAK THX LOBD." 
 
 'LOWLY, but surely, as the late 
 autumn days came on, Tip was 
 growing into a better place in the 
 school-room, in the opinion of his 
 teachers and his schoolmates. In Mr. Bur- 
 rows' school, ten was the perfect mark, 
 and x was the very lowest grade a boy coul .1 
 reach. It had once been an every-day joke 
 with Tip, that, being x he must be perfect, 
 because it said in the spelling-book that x 
 was ten. 
 
 But it had been a good many days since 
 144
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 145 
 
 Tip had said x ; the boys had ceased to be 
 amazed when he answered " ten " in prompt, 
 proud tone. 
 
 They were growing many of them, to be 
 surprised and sorry for him, when in his 
 days of failures he answered, with drooped 
 eyes, and very red, ashamed face, " seven," 
 or it might be " six." 
 
 Though he was still anything but a good 
 reader, no one could fail to see that he blun- 
 dered less and less every day, and Mr. Bur- 
 rows was growing patient with his blunders, 
 growing helpful in his troubles. 
 
 The boys saw him working hard over his 
 spelling-book, and few of them now had the 
 meanness to laugh when a word passed him. 
 
 Mr. Burrows's tones were not so harsh to 
 
 ' him as they used to be, and nowadays 
 
 when he was accused of breaking rules, 
 
 instead of being called up and unhesitatingly 
 
 punished, his teacher, who grew every day
 
 146 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 less and less sure that he was at the bottom 
 of all the mischief done, always gave him a 
 chance to speak for himself, and was learn- 
 ing to believe him. 
 
 O yes ! things were different, and were 
 all the time growing more so. Bob Turner 
 saw this plainly ; he began to find Tip a 
 very stupid companion, and stayed away 
 from school more afternoons than ever. 
 
 But poor Tip noticed the change less, 
 yes, much less than any of the others. \ou 
 don't know how hard it was for him. Do 
 you think Satan was willing to leave him, 
 and let him grow quietly into a good boy ? 
 Not a bit of it. You see he had been born 
 bubbling over with fun and frolic ; he had 
 never learned to have them come in at the 
 right place or the right time. 
 
 Sometimes he felt willing to give up all 
 trying to do right, for the sake of having 
 a grand frolic just when and where he
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HI8 LAMP. 147 
 
 wanted it, no matter what might be going 
 on just then. Sometimes, when he failed, 
 he felt fierce and sullen, and told himself 
 it was all humbug, this trying to be good. 
 Sometimes he felt so utterly sad and discour- 
 aged, that it seemed to him he never could 
 try again; yet through it all he did try 
 heartily. 
 
 His arithmetic was the hardest. He was 
 still in the dunce class, so the boys called 
 it, because it was made up of the drones 
 from several classes, and was constantly be- 
 ing put back to addition. 
 
 It was a sharp winter's morning. No more 
 make-believe winter for a while, the snow 
 lay white and crisp on the ground, and the 
 frosty air stung every nose and every finger 
 it could reach. 
 
 Tip's study, at the foot of the hill under 
 the elm, had been quite broken up, and he 
 found it very hard to study at home,
 
 148 TIP LE WIB AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 especially this morning. His father's cough 
 had been bad all night, and this made his 
 mother troubled and cross. 
 
 Kitty, these days, seemed trying to see 
 just how cross and disagreeable she could 
 be, and the kitchen at best, a dismal 
 place was just now at the worst. The 
 wet wood in the stove, sizzled and stewed 
 and made a smoke ; and in the midst of Tip's 
 fifth trial on an example, which was puzzling 
 him terribly, he was called on to split some 
 kindlings. 
 
 " This instant I won't wait a minute ! " 
 Kitty said, in a provokingly commanding 
 tone ; and Tip went at it sullenly, saying, 
 with every spiteful drive of his axe, through 
 the pine board which he had picked up, " It's 
 no use ; I can't do that sum, and I ain't going 
 to try. I don't know anything, and never 
 will. I've done it over fifty times, and 
 twisted it every way I can think of. There's
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 149 
 
 no sense to it. any way, sixteen sheep stood 
 him in two dollars apiece. What does that 
 mean, I'd like to know? He had forty 
 sheep and twenty-five cows. I know it all 
 by heart; but I can't do it, and that's the 
 whole of it. I wish his sheep had chocked 
 to death, and his old cows run away, before 
 I ever heard of them. I'll go over it just 
 once more" (Tip was back by the kitchen 
 window now, with his slate and book). 
 *' Let's see, twenty-five cows at thirty-four 
 dollars apiece," and he worked away in 
 nervous haste, until he came to " stood him 
 iu." If he only could find out what that 
 meant, he felt sure he could do it. If he 
 had somebody to help him ; but he hadn't. 
 There would be no time after he went to 
 school before the class was called. 
 
 Just then he thought of his father ; he 
 used to be a carpenter before he was sick, 
 and he used to make a great many figures
 
 150 TIP LEWIS AND HI8 LAMP. 
 
 sometimes on smooth boards. Tip remem- 
 bered it was just possible that he might 
 know something about the sum ; suppose he 
 should ask him ? 
 
 He started up suddenly, and went towards 
 the bedroom door. 
 
 "Father," he said, softly, "can't you tell 
 me what ' stood him in ' means ? " 
 
 The sick man turned himself on his pillow, 
 and looked wonderingly at Tip. 
 
 " What do you mean ? " he asked, at last. 
 
 " Why," said Tip, in a despairing tone, " it 
 says ' stood him in ' in the arithmetic, 
 the sheep stood him in two dollars apiece, 
 and 1 don't see any sense to it." 
 
 " Oh ! " said Mr. Lewis, " I see what you 
 mean," then he went back to his long-ago 
 deserted carpenter's shop. 
 
 " Why, Tip, if I bad ten pounds of nails, 
 and they were worth eight cents a pound, 
 they would stand me just so much, that
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 151 
 
 is, they would be worth that to me, and if 
 I should sell them I'd get so much for them. 
 Don't you see ? " 
 
 Light began to dawn on Tip's mind. 
 
 " Then it means," he said, " that the man 
 didn't sell his sixteen sheep ; he just counted 
 them worth two dollars apiece. Yes, I see ; 
 if that's it I'll try it." And he rushed to 
 his work again. 
 
 And Tip will never forget the eargerness 
 with which he presently turned to the answer 
 in his arithmetic, and from that back to the 
 one on the slate, nor the way in which the 
 blood bounded through his veins when he 
 found that they agreed perfectly. 
 
 "It's exactly it," he called out to his 
 father, in a hearty, grateful voice. kk I've got 
 it, and I've been at work on it this whole 
 morning." 
 
 Ellis Holbrook, about that time, conquered
 
 152 TIP LEWIS AMD HIS LAMP. 
 
 st most puzzling example in algebra ; but he 
 felt not prouder than did Tip. 
 
 "Thomas," said Mr. Burrows to the head 
 boy in Tip's arithmetic class, " you may take 
 the twenty-third example to the board." 
 
 " Can't do it," answered Thomas, promptly. 
 
 " Henry may do it then." 
 
 " I couldn't get it either," was Henry's 
 answer. So on down the class ; Tip's heart 
 meantime beating eagerly, for the twenty- 
 third example was about his troublesome, 
 but by this time very much beloved sheep. 
 
 " Robert ? " said Mr. Burrows, more for 
 form's sake than because he had the slightest 
 doubt about Robert's reply. 
 
 ." My ! " said Bob Turner, good-naturedly, 
 " I can't do it." 
 
 Tip sat next, and something in his face 
 made Mr. Burrows put the question to him, 
 though he had nearly resolved to waste no 
 more time in the matter.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 153 
 
 " Can you do this, Edward ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir," said Tip, promptly and proud- 
 ly; "lean." 
 
 And no nobler figures or firmer lines did 
 chalk ever make on a blackboard, than was 
 made while that troublesome example was 
 being done. 
 
 He was roused from his flutter of satisfac- 
 tion by hearing Mr. Burrows' voice. 
 
 " Do you know anything about the lesson, 
 any of you ? " 
 
 "I'm sure 1 don't," answered Bob, still 
 good-naturedly. 
 
 Mr. Burrows was growing utterly out of 
 patience ; this same scene had been acted too 
 often to be endured longer. He turned back 
 to the first pages in the book. 
 
 " Very well," he said, at last ; " you may 
 take the first page in addition, to-morrow 
 morning, and we'll see if you can be made to 
 know anything about that."
 
 154 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 Tip's hopes fell ; his heart was as heavy 
 as lead. Not one of the others cared ; they 
 were used to it ; so indeed was he, only now 
 he was trying, he did so long to go on ; just 
 when he was working so hard, to be put 
 away back to the beginning again, made him 
 feel utterly disgraced. 
 
 " Wait a minute, Tip." Mr. Burrows' eye 
 fell first on him, then on the neatly and 
 correctly worked example ; then he turned, 
 and asked, " Charlie Wilcox, on what page 
 is your arithmetic lesson for to-morrow ? " 
 
 " We commence multiplication, sir," an- 
 swered Charlie, a bright little boy, who 
 belonged to a bright class, that did not idle 
 over any pages in their work. 
 
 " Edward," said Mr. Burrows, turning 
 back to Tip, "you have done well to-day; 
 you mean to study, after this, I think ; I 
 have been watching you for some time. 
 The third arithmetic class take the first page
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 155 
 
 in multiplication for their net lesson, to- 
 morrow ; you may take your place in that 
 class, and remain there as long as you can 
 keep up with it." 
 
 Now Tip was too much astonished to 
 speak or move ; his wildest dreams had not 
 taken in promotion, at least Pot for a long, 
 long time. 
 
 Bob Turner leaned over, and looked at 
 him in actual sober wonder, that Tip was to 
 be in a higher class. 
 
 Not a word did Tip say. He did not 
 even raise his eyes to his teacher's face ; and 
 that teacher had not the least idea how the 
 boy before him felt. He did not know how 
 Tip's heart was throbbing, nor how he was 
 saying over and over to himself, " Things are 
 different ; they're surely different." He did 
 not know how those few words of his. 
 spoken that winter morning, were going to 
 help make the boy a man.
 
 156 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 It was that very morning, standing in that 
 room before the blackboard, with his toe on 
 the third crack from the wall, that Tip re- 
 solved to have an education.
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 " THE RICH AND POOR MEET TOGJITHKB; THE LORD U THB 
 MAKLEK OF THEM ALL." 
 
 boys gathered around the stove 
 before school, and talked. The 
 boys, not all of them, by any 
 means. Only that small, select 
 number who were above, and led all \he 
 re^t. Tip wandered outside of the circle, 
 feeling very forlorn ; he didn't belong any- 
 where these days. Bob and his friends had 
 very nearly deserted him ; there was scarce- 
 ly any of their fun in which he had time 01 
 desire to join, and the other cliques in school 
 
 had never noticed him ; so he stood outside, 
 157
 
 158 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 and wondered what he should do with him- 
 self. Howard Minturn wheeled suddenly 
 away from the boys, and call- to him. 
 
 " Tip, see here." 
 
 And Tip went there. 
 
 " What do you want ? " he asked crossly ; 
 for, some way, he felt out of sorts with that 
 company of finely-dressed boys around the 
 stove. 
 
 " Want you to come over to-night. It's 
 my birthday, you know, and some of the 
 boys are coming to take tea, and spend the 
 evening. Can you come ? " 
 
 Tip's wide-open eyes spoke his astonish- 
 ment. " What do you want of me ? " he 
 asked, at last, speaking boldly just what he 
 thought. 
 
 " Why, I want you to come and help have 
 a nice time," returned Howard, with great 
 kindness, but just a little condescension in 
 bis tone,
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 159 
 
 Tip heard it, and his bitterness showed 
 itself a little. " It's a new streak you've got, 
 ain't it ? " he said, still speaking crossly. 
 " You've had lots of birthdays, and this is 
 the first one I've heard of." 
 
 " Oh, well ! " said Howard, proudly, flush- 
 ing as he spoke ; " if you don't want to 
 come, why " 
 
 Mr. Burrows' hand was laid on Howard's 
 arm. " Don't spoil a good, noble thing, my 
 boy ; it is all new to Edward ; urge him." 
 
 Mr. Burrows spoke low, so no one else 
 could hear him, and turned away. 
 
 At recess Howard sought out Tip. 
 
 " I honestly hope you'll come to-night, 
 Tip, for you're a good fellow to play games 
 with, and the boys would all like to have 
 you." 
 
 Tip had quarrelled with his ill-humor, and 
 it had vanished, 
 
 ** I'll come ! " he said, in a cheery tone ;
 
 160 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " only I'll look like a big rag-bag by the side 
 of you fellows." 
 
 "Never mind," said Howard, turning to 
 join the boys, " you come." 
 
 Why had Howard Miuturn invited him to 
 the grand birthday party? This was the 
 question that puzzled Tip. Had he known 
 the reason, it would have been like this; 
 Mr. Minturn had never quite lost sight of 
 Tip since the circus. He wanted to help 
 him ; wanted to do it through his son, 
 only he wanted the son to think that he did 
 it himself. Knowing Howard pretty well, 
 he said, when they were seated at breakfast 
 that morning, 
 
 " I've just been reading about a real hero." 
 Howard longed to be a hero ; he looked 
 up eagerly. 
 
 " Who was he, father ? What did he do ? " 
 
 " He was a rich young man, and he had the 
 
 courage to take for his friend, a poor fellow
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 who hadn't two cents to his name. To pay 
 him, the time came when he was proud to 
 be noticed by the great man who was once 
 io low." 
 
 This thought was still iu Howard's mind 
 when he walked with Ellis to school. So 
 when Ellis said, " there goes Tip Lewis ; 
 father thinks we boys ought to notice him ; 
 he is trying real hard nowadays to behave 
 himself, you know," it was easy for Howard 
 to mingle Tip in with his thoughts. 
 
 " Ellis," he said, after a moment's silence, 
 " suppose I invite him to come 'to our house 
 to-night ? He's a splendid good fellow to 
 have a game ; never gets mad, you know." 
 
 " S'pose he'd come ? " asked Ellis. 
 
 " Yes, of course ; jump at the chance. /'// 
 do it. Our boys will think it odd, I sup- 
 pose ; but I guess I have courage enough to 
 do as I please."
 
 162 TIP LEW 1H AMD HIS LAMP. 
 
 And Howard drew himself up proudly, 
 and thought of his father's hero. 
 
 So this was why Tip was invited to the 
 birthday gathering at the grand house on the 
 hill. 
 
 Mrs. Lewis sewed, that afternoon, on his 
 jacket, mending it up more neatly than ever 
 before. She had said very little about this 
 invitation, but she couldn't help feeling 
 proud and gratified over it. It was cer- 
 tainly a wonderful jump for Tip, from 
 mingling with the worst and lowest boys 
 in town, to find himself taking a long 
 stride, and reaching the very top. So Mrs. 
 Lewis sewed, and Kitty, as she sat watch- 
 ing the ueedle fly back and forth, spoke her 
 thoughts. 
 
 " All of the boys down to Mr. Burrows' 
 school wear white collars on their jackets." 
 
 " Well," answered her mother, snappishly, 
 '" what's that to me ? S'posing they wear
 
 TIP LEWIS AND El 8 LAMP. 163 
 
 on their jackets ? I could get him 
 one just as easy as t'other," 
 
 It was a sore subject with Mrs. Lewis. 
 From her very heart she wished she could 
 dress Tip in broadcloth, to-day, just as fine 
 as that which Howard Minturn himself wore, 
 and a collar so white and shiny that it would 
 fairly dazzle the eyes of the others to look 
 upon it ; but, since she was so powerless to 
 do what she would, it made her cross. 
 
 The bedroom door was open, and Tip's 
 father heard. By-and-by, when his cough 
 was quieter, he called, " Kitty ! " and the 
 little girl went in to him. "Is the jacket 
 fixed, Kitty?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Does it look nice ? " 
 
 " Some." 
 
 " Would you like to find a collar for Tip 
 to wear ? " 
 
 " Well enough," said Kitty, wonderingly.
 
 164 TIP LEW IB AND BIB LAMP. 
 
 u Well, now, I've got two or three that 1 
 don't wear any more, and never shall, I 
 guess " (this last spoken sadly) ; " s'pose you 
 take one of 'em they're in that square box 
 under the table and see if you can't sew it 
 on the jacket, and make it look like what 
 the other boys wear ? Now, you try what 
 you can do, just to see what Tip will say." 
 
 Kitty went slowly over to the box. This 
 was new work for her, but her father was 
 very pale to-day, and those sadly-spoken 
 vords, "and never shall, I guess," had 
 quieted her ; so she made no answer, but 
 drew out one of the collars. It looked nice 
 and white, and shone, too. Mrs. Lewis had 
 done it up late one night, with tears in her 
 eyes, because she could not hope that it 
 would be worn again. 
 
 " What are you doing with that ? " she 
 asked, sharply, as Kitty appeared from the 
 bedroom.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 165 
 
 " Father wants Tip to wear it," answered 
 Kitty. 
 
 " I'll lend it to him," spoke the sick man ; 
 *' we want him to look as decent as we can 
 to-day, you know." 
 
 Mrs. Lewis said no more, but it seemed to 
 her like giving up one more hope of her 
 husband's life. 
 
 Tip came down from the garret, with neat- 
 ly-brushed hair, and dressed in his clean 
 shirt, nicely mended jacket, and the Eliiny 
 collar. It was wonderful what a difference 
 that collar made ; he didn't look like the 
 same boy. 
 
 "Kitty," he said, his face all aglow with 
 pleasure, " where did I get a collar ' " 
 
 " It's father's ; he said wear it," answered 
 Kitty. 
 
 " And how did it get on my jacket ? " 
 
 " Jumped on, likely." 
 
 Kitty spoke in a short, half provoke^
 
 166 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 tone ; she was so unused to doing a kind 
 thing, that she really felt half ashamed of it. 
 " Well," said Tip, smiling all over his face, 
 " if that's so, it's the best jump it ever took, 
 and I thank it from the bottom of my heart." 
 Then he carried his bright, good-natured 
 face out of the little house in the hollow, 
 and went towards the great house on the 
 hill.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " EVERT IDLE WORD THAT MEN SHALL SPEAK, THEY SHALL 
 GIVE ACCOUNT THEREOF IN THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT." 
 
 OWARD MINTURN was a king 
 among the school-boys ; so, though 
 some of them nudged each other 
 and laughed a little when Tip 
 swung open the iron gate and appeared in Mr. 
 Minturn's grounds the most of them, seeing 
 how quickly Howard sprang forward, and 
 how heartily he greeted the new-comer, did 
 the same. Howard was his father over 
 again ; if he did a thing at all he did it well. 
 Every moment of that afternoon was enjoyed 
 as only boys know how to enjoy holidays ;
 
 168 TIP LEWIS AJfJ) IJ18 LAMP. 
 
 the whole round of winter fun was gone 
 through with, coasting, snowballing, build- 
 ing forts, rolling in the snow, each had their 
 turn. 
 
 Tip was not one whit behind the rest in 
 all these matters, and if ever boy enjoyed an 
 afternoon, he did that one. The sun had 
 set in its clear, cold beauty, and the sharp 
 winter night was coming down ; the boys 
 stood at the foot of the hill waiting for Ellis 
 and his sled, which were at the top ; they 
 came at last, shooting down the glassy sur- 
 face. 
 
 "Hurry up," called out Howard, as he 
 spun along ; " what the mischief became of 
 you ? We thought you had gone to hunt up 
 Sir John Franklin and crew." 
 
 " Hurry down, I should say you meant," 
 answered Ellis, guiding his sled skilfully 
 around the curve, and springing to his f*t
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 169 
 
 "' 1 waited for the rest of you ; thought you 
 were coining back." 
 
 "No," said Howard, "we just ain't; we 
 appointed a committee to find out how many 
 were frozen up altogether entirely ; and found 
 that every single one of us were ; so we're 
 going in to the library-fire to get thawed out 
 by tea-time." 
 
 " All right," said Ellis, shouldering his 
 skaies ; " Howard, where's your skates ? " 
 
 " Oh, bother ! they're at the top of that 
 awful hill ; never mind, you walk on slowly, 
 ind I'll run back and get them." 
 
 The boys obeyed, and Ellis Holbrook was 
 just swinging open the little gate that led to 
 Mr. Minturn's grounds, when Howard called, 
 as he ran down the hill, " Hold on ! Don't go 
 that way, it will lead you right through the 
 deepest snow there is ; take the big gate." 
 And by the time he reached them panting 
 and breathless, they were at the big gate.
 
 170 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP 
 
 " This is jolly," said Will Bailey, throw- 
 ing himself into a great arm-chair before the 
 glowing fire. " My ! I believe I'm a snow- 
 ball." 
 
 'You'd have been an icicle if you had 
 gone the way Ellis was leading you ; why, the 
 snow is so high," said Howard, raising his 
 hand almost on a level with his head. 
 
 Ellis laughed. " I'm sure I thought I was 
 going right," he said : "I must have been 
 thinking of yesterday's lesson in Sunday 
 school, ' Enter ye in at the strait gate." 
 
 " Ho," said Will Bailey, " for that matter, 
 one gate is as straight as the other." 
 
 "You don't understand the Bible, my boy," 
 said Howard, laying his hand on Will's 
 shoulder, with a provoking little pat, " or 
 you'd know that strait means narrow." 
 
 " I'll bet a dollar that you were no wiser 
 yourself until father explained the verse yes- 
 terday," said Ellis, laughing.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H18 LAMP. 171 
 
 Tip, meantime, stood apart flushed arid si- 
 lent ; he knew about the Sunday lesson, and 
 remembered the solemn talk which Mr. Hoi 
 brook gave them ; and remembered how he 
 urged them, while they were young, to enter 
 into that strait gate; he felt shocked and 
 troubled at the sound of Ellis's careless words. 
 
 " I know one thing," he said, abruptly. 
 
 " Do you ? " said Will Bailey, in a mocking 
 tone. "That's very strange!" WiU felt 
 above Tip, and took care to let him know it. 
 
 Ellis turned a quick, indignant glance on 
 him ; then spoke to Tip in a kind and inter- 
 ested tone : " What were you going to say, 
 Tip." 
 
 " That, if I were the minister's son, 1 
 wouldn't make fun of the Bible." 
 
 Ellis's face was crimson in an instant. 
 * What do you mean by that ? " he asked, 
 haughtily. 
 
 " Just what I say," was Tip's cool reply.
 
 172 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " Do you pretend to say that 1 make fun 
 oJ the Bible ? " 
 
 ' Humph ! Didn't I hear you ? " 
 
 " No ! " said Ellis, in a heat, " you didn't ; 
 und I'd thank you not to say so neither." 
 
 " Well, now," said Tip, " I'll leave it to any 
 boy here if you didn't. When a fellow 
 takes a thing in the Bible and twists it 
 around, and makes believe it means some 
 little silly thing that it don't mean at all, 
 I call that making fun." 
 
 " Poh ? " said Howard, coming to the 
 rescue of his friend. " What a fuss you're 
 making about nothing. You're getting wise, 
 aren't you, Tip ? Ellis was only saying that 
 verse in fun, just as lots of people do. 
 I've heard good men quote the Bible and 
 laugh over it." 
 
 "Can't help that," said Tip, boldly; "I say 
 it's wicked, and Ellis Holbrook's father 
 says so too. I heard him tell Will Bailey
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 178 
 
 </nce that folks ought to be very careful how 
 they said things that were in the Bible." 
 
 " Did he tell you to go around preaching 
 for him through the week ? How much does 
 he pay you for your services ? Come, let's 
 hear." 
 
 This was said in Will Bailey's most dis- 
 agreeable tone. Before Tip had time to 
 answer, Ellis spoke again, 
 
 " Well, I don't pretend to be as good as 
 some people are, but I really can't see any 
 awful wickedness in anything that I've said 
 to-night." 
 
 " Neither can anybody else, except Tip," 
 said Will, " and he's good, you know ; he 
 never does anything wrong, except to tell 
 lies and swear, or some little matters." 
 
 Ellis was an honest boy. " No," he said 
 gravely, " there is no use in saying what 
 isn't true, for the sake of helping my side 
 along. Tip don't do either of those things
 
 174 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HI 6 LAMP. 
 
 nowadays, I believe; but I'm sure I don\ 
 thank him for his good opinion of me." 
 
 Howard was glad at this moment to heai 
 the tea-bell peal through the house, for the 
 boys were growing cross. . Most of them had 
 been so astonished at the bold stand which 
 Tip had taken, that they said nothing, only 
 gathered round, and waited to see what 
 would come next. Howard sprang up, 
 u There's something I, for one, am ready for ; 
 come, boys," and he led the way to the 
 dining-room. Oh, that dining-room, with 
 its bright lights and splendid table, was 
 such a wonderful sight to Tip ! It was a 
 very nice birthday supper, plates of warm 
 biscuit, platters of cold chicken, dishes of 
 beautiful honey, silver cake-baskets, filled 
 with heavily-frosted cake. Tip, for one, 
 had never seen such a sight in his life before, 
 and he was so bewildered with the dazzle
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 and glitter that he didn't know which way 
 to turn. 
 
 " Howard," said Mrs. Minturn, turning to 
 her son, after she had welcomed his friends, 
 " do you want your father to take the head 
 of the table, or would you and the boys pre- 
 fer having the room to yourselves ? " 
 
 "No, ma'am" answered Howard, with 
 energy ; " we want you and father both. 
 I guess I want you to my party, whoever 
 else I have." 
 
 Tip watched the bright light on Howard's 
 face with surprise, how much he seemed 
 to love his mother, and how much she 
 loved him, how queer it was. The sup- 
 per was a great success ; the boys forgot 
 their excitement and ill-humor, and enjoyed 
 everything. 
 
 It was almost nine o'clock, the hour when 
 it was generally understood that the party 
 was to break up. The boys had been very
 
 176 TIP LEW1B AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 merry ail the evening, the discussion which 
 had taken place just before tea, seemed to 
 have been forgotten, save by Ellis, who v 
 genial and hearty enough with the others, 
 was cold and haughty to Tip. Still they 
 kept apart, and the fun had gone on famous 
 ly. There was a sudden lull in the uproar 
 when Mr. Minturn opened the door. 
 
 " Are the walls left ? " he asked, coming 
 forward. 
 
 " The walls ? " said Ellis, inquiringly ; 
 " why, sir, did you expect to miss tLem ? " 
 
 " Well, I had some such fears, but I see 
 they're all right. What are you up to ? " 
 
 " Ellis was telling a story, that's what we 
 were laughing at when you came in," said 
 Howard. " Go on El. never mind father, 
 he likes to hear stories. 
 
 *' No," said Ellis, blushing crimson, " I 
 think I'll be excused."
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 177 
 
 " Go ahead," said Mr. Minturn, " I'm very 
 fond of stories." 
 
 ' I was only telling, sir, how Joe Barnes 
 talked to his father when I was down there 
 this morning." 
 
 " Yes, and father, you'd be perfectly aston- 
 ished to hear him," chimed in Howard. "I 
 never heard a fellow go on so hi my life ; 
 he makes fun of every single thing his father 
 says." 
 
 "Do you think there is anything very 
 surprising in that ? " asked Mr. Minturn, 
 coolly. 
 
 " Surprising ! I guess you'd think so. 
 Why, when his father is talking to him real 
 soberly, he mimics him, and laughs right 
 in his face." 
 
 " But I shouldn't suppose you would thin* 
 there was anything strange about that." 
 
 The boys looked puzzled. " Why Mt
 
 178 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 Minturn ! " said Ellis, " wouldn't you think 
 it strange if Howard should do so ? " 
 
 " Well, no ; I don't know as I should have 
 any reason to be astonished." 
 
 Howard looked not only surprised, but 
 very much hurt. " I'm sure, father," he said 
 in a voice which trembled a little, " I didn't 
 know I was so rude to you as all that." 
 
 " No," said Mr. Minturn you never have 
 been, but I rather expect you to commence. 
 I shall have no reason to be surprised if 
 you and Ellis and Will Bailey, and a host 
 of others, all go to making fun of what your 
 fathers say to you after this." 
 
 The boys seemed perfectly astonished. 
 " /, for one," said Ellis Holbrook, proudly, 
 * tliink too much of my father, to be in any 
 men danger." 
 
 " You do ? " said Mr. Minturn ; " well, 
 now, I am amazed. I supposed you would 
 be the very worst one."
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 179 
 
 Howard left the table and came over to 
 lere his father had seated himself. 
 
 " Father, what do you mean ? " he asked, 
 in an earnest, anxious tone. 
 
 '' Why, I mean," said his father, " that I 
 wa s in that room over there just before tea, 
 and I heard the discussion which came up 
 between you boys, and I came to the con- 
 clutrion that boys who thought it such a 
 little matter to make fun of solemn words 
 which God has said to them, need not be 
 expected to show much respect for what 
 their father or anybody else said." 
 
 A perfect stillness settled over the boys 
 at these words, and not only Ellis Hoi- 
 brook's cheeks, but his whole face, glowed. 
 
 Howard came to the rescue at last, very 
 stammeringly, " But, father I don't think 
 do you think I mean well, sir, you 
 know Ellis and the rest of us didn't mean
 
 180 TIP LEWIS AND BjB LAMP. 
 
 to make fun of what God said. Don't you 
 think that makes a difference ? " 
 
 " I don't know, I'm sure. How do you 
 know that Joe Barnes means to make fun 
 of what his father says ? " 
 
 *' He acts like it," Howard said. 
 
 " Exactly ; and so do you, every one of 
 you, except Tip. I don't say, boys, that 
 you are all going to be disrespectful to your 
 elders after this ; I only say I don't see why 
 your earthly friends should expect more 
 reverence from you than you give to God." 
 
 Boys and man were all silent for a little 
 after that, until Mr. Minturn broke the still- 
 ness by repeating, reverently, " ' Enter ye in 
 at the strait gate.' I guess you all know 
 what that means. I would like to know 
 whether there is a boy hear who thinks he 
 has entered in at that gate." 
 
 How still the room was while he waited 
 for his answer! Tip could feel his heart
 
 TIP LE&I8 AND BIB LAMP. A<31 
 
 throb throb with loud, distinct beats ; 
 twice he tried to break the silence, and 
 couldn't. At last he found voice, "I do, 
 sir." 
 
 Mr. Minturu turned quickly. " What 
 makes you think so, Tip ? " 
 
 " Because I love Jesus, and I'm trying to 
 do what he says." 
 
 Mr. Minium's voice trembled a little. 
 " God bless you, my boy ; try to get all the 
 rest to go through the same gate." 
 
 The town clock struck the hour, nine 
 o'clock. The boys made a move to separate. 
 Tip took his cap and walked out alone in 
 the cold, clear starlight. He felt quiet and 
 strong. It was done at last, he had taken 
 his stand before the boys. had " shown 
 his colors." 
 
 They all knew now that he was trying 
 hard, and who was helping him. Things 
 must surely be different after this, forever
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 " AlTD ALL THINGS, WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK IN PRATER, 
 BELIEVING, YE SHALL RECEIVE." 
 
 , was Kitty forgotten ? 
 Not a bit of it. If ever boy 
 prayed for any one, Tip prayed 
 for her. His very soul was in it ; 
 yet thus far his prayers seemed to have been 
 in vain. The lesson, one Sabbath morning, 
 was on " God's answers to prayer." Tip 
 listened closely, yet with an unsatisfied long- 
 ing in his eyes. 
 
 " Mr. Holbrook," he said, waiting after 
 the rest had gone, "is there time for just 
 one question ? " 
 181
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HI 8 LAMP. 183 
 
 " Yes, for two, if you like," said Mr. 
 Holbrook, sitting down again ; " what is it, 
 Edward ? " 
 
 " I want to know why God don't answer 
 folks' prayers right away ? " 
 
 Mr. Hoibrook smiled. " If your questions 
 are all as hard as that, Edward, I don't think 
 there will be time for another to-day. But 
 there may be several reasons ; we will try to 
 find them. Sometimes God doesn't answer 
 our prayers at once, simply to try our faith , 
 to see whether we are willing to take him at 
 his word, and keep on asking, until he is 
 ready to give ; or whether we will grow 
 tired in a little while, and give it up. " And 
 sometimes we spend all our strength in pray- 
 ing, and don't work ; then, often, we don't 
 believe we shall get what we are praying for. 
 Do you understand me ? " 
 
 " No, sir," answerd Tip, promptly. 
 
 " Well, let me see if I can make it plainer.
 
 184 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 For whom are you praying, Edward, that 
 you are troubled this morning because you 
 have not been heard ? " 
 
 " For Kitty ; I have been, this long time. 
 Kitty's my sister, and I want her to love 
 Jesus ; but it don't seem to do any good for 
 me to pray for her." 
 
 "It is possible that God may be trying 
 your patience, but not probable ; I think we 
 can find a better reason. Do you work 
 while you pray ? I mean, do you talk with 
 Kitty ; tell her what you are praying for, 
 urge her to come to Christ, try to show 
 her how ? " 
 
 Tip looked grave. " I did talk a little to 
 her once, but it didn't seem to do her any 
 good, and I haven't said a word since." 
 
 " Did you ever read in the Bible what is 
 said about such praying, about saying, ' De- 
 part in peace, be ye warmed and filled,' and 
 not doing anything ? "
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 185 
 
 \\ shook his head, and Mr. Holbrook 
 'aeid out his hand for the little Bible. 
 
 " Let me find it for you, and when you go 
 iiome you may read it, and see if you, in 
 oraying for Kitty and never saying a word 
 co her, are not a little like that man. Then 
 there's another thing. Do you really believe 
 that God will do what you ask him ? You 
 say every day in your prayer, ' O God, 
 make Kitty a Christian,' and yet, wouldn't 
 you be very much astonished if Kilty should 
 come to you to-day, and say, ' I want to be 
 a Christian ? ' Are you looking out for any 
 such thing ? " 
 
 Tip generally spoke his honest thoughts. 
 
 " No," he said gravely, " I ain't." 
 
 The church bell began to ring, and Mr. 
 Hoiorook arose. " I think if you begin co 
 work and pray together, and then ask God 
 to help you believe, tiiat he will surely do as
 
 186 TIP LEWIS AND HI8 LAMP. 
 
 he has promised ; that you will soon find 
 your prayers answered." 
 
 This he said while gathering up his books 
 ana papers ready to start, and then, 
 
 " Jidward. wny don't you come to our 
 Thursday-evening prayer-meetings ? " 
 
 Tip's eyes were full of astonishment. 
 
 " I never once thought of it," he said ; 
 "why, Mr. Holbrook, boys don't go, do 
 they ? " 
 
 " No,'' said the minister, sadly ; " the) 
 don't, because I don't know of another boy 
 of your age in this whole town who loves the 
 Saviour. Only think what a work there is 
 for you to do ! " 
 
 Tip went home with his brain full of new 
 thoughts. No, he didn't go home ; he only 
 went as far as the elm-tree, and there lie sat 
 down and read what Mr. Holbrook had 
 marked in his Bible. Yes, that was just the 
 way in which he had been praying for Kit-
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H18 LAMP. 187 
 
 ty ; and it was certainly true, as Mr. Hoi- 
 brook had said, nothing could surprise him 
 more than that Kitty should really and truly 
 come to Jesus. 
 
 Before he went from under the tree that 
 day, he prayed this prayer : " O God 
 teach me to believe that you will make Kitty 
 love Jesus, and show me how to help her." 
 
 After this, of course he looked out foi 
 his chances in which to work, and of course 
 he found them ; found one that very day. 
 After dinner Kitty wandered off by herself 
 Tip watched her, and she took the road lead- 
 ing to the cemetery. God put it into his 
 heail to hurry after her ; so when he came 
 up to her, where she sat, on a large stone 
 which she had rolled very near to Johnny's 
 grave, his heart was beating at the thought 
 of the great work which he had to do. 
 
 " What did you come for ? " said Kitty, 
 looking up.
 
 188 TIP LEWIS AND EI8 LAMP. 
 
 Tip hesitated a minute, then told the plain 
 truth. 
 
 " I came after you." 
 
 " I suppose I know that ; you didn't come 
 before me." 
 
 " I mean I came to see you." 
 
 " Well, look at me then, and go off ; I 
 don't want you here." 
 
 Clearly, whatever was to be said must be 
 said quickly, and Tip's heart was very full 
 of its message, so his voice was tender. 
 
 " Oh, Kitty, I came to ask you if you 
 wouldn't be a Christian. I do want it so, 
 it seems as if I couldn't wait." 
 
 Kitty looked steadily and gravely at her 
 brother. " What do you mean by ' be a 
 Christian ? ' " she asked, at last. 
 
 "I mean, love Jesus, and do as he says." 
 
 "What'llllovehimfor?" 
 
 " 'Cause you can't help it, when you find
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 189 
 
 out how much he loves you, and all the 
 things he does for you." 
 
 " What does he say do ? " 
 
 " He says be good ; try to do right things 
 all the tune." 
 
 Kitty's eyes flashed. " Now ain't you 
 mean ! " she said angrily, " to come and tell 
 me such things, when you know I ain't 
 good, and can't be good. Isn't mother ugly 
 and cross, and scolding to me all the time ? 
 and don't I have to work and work, always, 
 and never have anything? And I'm cross 
 and get mad, and I will, too. I can't help 
 it." 
 
 " Oh, but Kitty ! " Tip interrupted, eager 
 'y " y u don't know about it ; he helps you, 
 Jesus does. When anything is the matter, 
 when you feel cross and bad, you just go 
 and kneel down and tell him all about it, 
 and he helps you every time. And up in 
 heaven, where you can go when you die,
 
 190 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 nobody ever gets cross and scolds ; and it's 
 beautiful there, they sing, and have foun- 
 tains, and wear gold crowns, and and 
 Johnny is there, you know, and I'm going, 
 and I do want you to come along." 
 
 Kitty's face had been growing graver and 
 graver with every word her brother spoke, 
 and when at last he stopped, with his eyes 
 turned towards Johnny's little grave, Kitty's 
 shawl was crumpled up in her two hands, 
 and held tightly to her face ; and she was 
 crying, not softly and quietly, but rocking 
 herself back and forth, and giving way to 
 great sobs which shook her little form. 
 
 Tip looked distressed ; he didn't know 
 what to say next; he stooped down to her 
 at last, and spoke softly, " Oh, Kitty ! 1 in 
 sorry for you ; if you only would love Jesus 
 it would make you happy." 
 
 " I want to, I want to," sobbed Kitty ; " I 
 would if I knew how."
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 1 
 
 Tip's heart gave a bound of jcy ; a sur 
 prised bound, too, he had not expected it 
 so soon. 
 
 " It's easy, Kitty ; it is, truly, if you only 
 just ask God to do it ; you see he can hear 
 every word you say ; he hears you now, but 
 he wants you to ask him about it. Say, 
 Kitty, I'll go off and leave you, I'll go 
 where I can't see nor hear you, then you 
 kneel down and tell Jesus about it, and he'll 
 help you." 
 
 " Stop ! " said Kitty, as Tip was turning 
 away ; " wait, I don't know what to say." 
 
 " Why, just tell him, just as you did me, 
 and ask him to help you. You see, Kitty, 
 you can't do a thing without that ; he's got 
 to look after you every single minute, or it's 
 nothing at all." 
 
 Tip went away, and Kitty was left alone ; 
 alone in the spot where her brother had first 
 found the Saviour. She felt very strangely ;
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIB LAMP. 
 
 she had been left there alone to otter her 
 first prayer. 
 
 Kitty had never been taught to kneel 
 down by her bedside every evenipg, and 
 repeat " Our Father," it was all new aiid 
 strange to her. She sat still a long time, 
 with the sober look deepening on her face. 
 At last she got down on her knees ana rested 
 her little hard hands on the hard snow 
 which covered Johnny's bed, and she said, 
 "Jesus, I want to be what Tip says. I 
 want to love you if you'll let me. Nobody 
 loves me, I guess. Tip says you'll help me 
 all the time. If you will, I'll try." 
 
 After she had said this, slowly and 
 thoughtfully, stopping long between each 
 sentence, she didn't feel like rising up ; she 
 wanted to say more, so she repeated it, add- 
 ing, " Tip says I must be good. I can't be 
 good, but I'll try."
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 193 
 
 Over and over was the simple, earnest 
 prayer repeated. 
 
 Tip did not go back to Johnny's grave ; he 
 took a side road down through the edge of 
 the grove, and so went home ; and when he 
 reached home, he went up to his attic-room, 
 and knelt down and prayed for Kitty as only 
 those can pray, who have been working, as 
 well as asking, for what they want. 
 
 Kitty was stirring the pudding for supper 
 when he saw her again ; stirring away hard 
 at the heavy mass wb'.ch grew thicker and 
 harder to stir ever 7 mo Lent. He went over 
 to her. 
 
 " Kitty, let me do this," and she gave up 
 the pudding-stick. Tip stirred away. 
 
 By-and-by she leaned over the kettle to 
 put in some salt, and as she sprinkled it 
 around she caught his eager, longing look. 
 She nodded her head. " I guess he heard,'' 
 she said, softly.
 
 194 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 'I know he did," Tip answered, his eyes 
 very bright; in his heart he sang " Glory" 
 And the angels in heaven sang for joy ; for 
 that night there had been laid aside a white 
 robe and a crown of gold for Kitty Lewis.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 WHOSOEVER THEREFORE SHALL, CONFESS ME BKFORB 
 MBN, HIM WILL I CONFESS ALSO, BEFORE MY FATHER WHICH 
 13 IN HEAVEN." 
 
 was very undecided what to do. 
 He went ovrt on the steps and 
 looked about him in the moon- 
 light ; thon he came in and took a 
 long look out of the window ; at last the 
 question, whatever it was, seemed to be 
 settled; he turned with a resolute air tr 
 Kitty, who was washing the tea-dishes. 
 
 " Kitty, don't you want to go to prayer 
 meeting up at the church ? " 
 
 Kitty dropped her cup back into the dish 
 106
 
 TIP LEWIS AND R IB LAMP. 
 
 pan, and stood looking at him a good deal 
 surprised ; at last she said, 
 
 " I'd like to, Tip, but I don't look decent tc 
 go anywhere. I've only this dress and my 
 old hood." 
 
 " I wouldn't mind that," said Tip. "I've 
 only this awful old jacket either, but I mean 
 to go ; hurry up the dishes, and let's go." 
 
 "Well," said Kitty at last, "I will; but 
 what will mother say ? " 
 
 "I'll fix that." And Tip stepped softly 
 into the bedroom. " Are you better to-night, 
 father ? " 
 
 " Not much better, I guess. How's arith- 
 metic to-day ? " 
 
 " First-rate ; Mr. Burrows said I was get- 
 ting ahead fast. Mother, may Kitty go out 
 with me to-night? I'm going up to the 
 church to prayer-meeting ? " 
 
 Mrs. Lewis turned from the basket, where 
 she had been hunting long, and as yet in
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 197 
 
 vain for a piece of flannel, and bent a search- 
 ing bewildered look on her son. 
 
 " I don't care," she said at last ; " she can 
 go if she likes ; but I doubt if she will." 
 
 She did, however ; in ten minutes more the 
 two were walking along the snowy path. 
 Kitty was sober. " Tip," she said, presently, 
 " don't you never get real awful mad, so mad 
 that you feel as if you'd choke if you 
 couldn't speak right out at somebody ? " 
 
 " Well, no," said Tip, " not often ; yes, I 
 do too ; I get mad at Bob Turner sometimes, 
 mad enough to pitch him into a snow-bank ; 
 but it don't last long." 
 
 " Well, mine does," said Kitty ; " I begin 
 in the morning ; something makes me cross, 
 and I keep on getting crosser and Grosser 
 every minute, till it seems as if I should fly. 
 Do you suppose I'll always do just so ? " 
 
 " No," answered Tip, positively, " I don't. 
 You keep on trying a little bit harder every
 
 198 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 ay, and by-and-by you'll find that you don't 
 get cross more than half as easy as you used 
 to. I know it will be so, because I've tried 
 it in other things ; when I first began to be- 
 have myself in school it was the hardest 
 work my ! You can't think how I wanted 
 to whisper, and things kept happening all 
 the time to make me laugh, but I just kept 
 trying, and now I hardly ever think of whis- 
 pering. Kitty, does mother know ? " 
 
 " No," said Kitty, "she don't." 
 
 " If I were you I'd tell her." 
 
 " Oh, Tip, I can't ; she never looks at me 
 without scolding me ; I can't talk to her 
 about this." 
 
 " Yes, you can ; I'd surely do it if I were 
 you ; it will be a great deal easier to try hard 
 if mother knows you are trying." 
 
 They were almost at the church door. 
 
 " Kitty," said Tip, suddenly, " let's pray
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 199 
 
 for father to-night. I've been praying for 
 him this long time ; you help me." 
 
 Step by step, God was leading Tip Lewis 
 in the narrow way. No sooner was he 
 seated in the bright, warm little room, and 
 had listened to Mr. Holbrook's earnest 
 prayer, that every Christian there might do 
 something for Christ that night, than the 
 struggle began ; what ought he to do for 
 Christ? People all around him were, one 
 after another, offering prayer or saying a 
 few words. Ought he to ? Could he ? Oh, 
 he couldn't ? Who would want to listen to 
 him ? It wouldn't do any good. There was 
 Mr. Burrows right in front of him, he would 
 be ashamed of him, perhaps. Yes, but then, 
 ought he not to own his Saviour ? Mr. Hoi- 
 brook had spoken of the verse, " Whosoever 
 will deny me before men," and had made 
 the meaning very plain. Mr. Minturn had 
 just prayed that no one there might be
 
 200 TIP LEWIS AND BIB LAMP. 
 
 ashamed of Christ The end of it all was. 
 that Tip slipped off his seat down on his 
 knees, and said, "Our Father which art in 
 Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Show me 
 how to pray. I don't want to deny Christ. 
 I want to love him. I want the boys in our 
 school, and my father, and everybody to 
 love him. I'll try to work for Jesus. I'll try 
 to work for him. Help me every day, and 
 forgive my sins for Jesus' sake. Amen." 
 
 Tip had never felt so near to God as he 
 did when he arose from his knees. Mr. Hoi- 
 brook's voice trembled with feeling, when, 
 soon after, he prayed for the young disciple 
 who had early taken up his cross. 
 
 At the close of the meeting, the minister 
 pressed his way through the little company 
 of people who were waiting to speak with 
 him. 
 
 " Good evening, all," he said, hurriedly , 
 " excuse me to-night, brother," to Mr. Min-
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 201 
 
 turn, who would have stopped him any way , 
 " I want to speak to some people before they 
 get away from me," and those who watched, 
 saw him hurry on until he overtook Tip Lewis 
 and his sister. 
 
 " Good evening, Edward ; this is Kitty, 
 I think. How do you do, my little girl ? 
 Edward, do you know such a Bible verse as 
 this : ' I love the Lord, because he has heard 
 my voice and my supplication ? ' ' 
 
 " No, sir," answered Tip, eagerly ; " is 
 there such a verse ? " 
 
 " Yes, somewhere in the Psalms you will 
 find it. I don't remember just where. Can 
 you feel the truth of it when you think of 
 your sister ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, I can. God did hear me." 
 
 " And you think you love Jesus to-night, 
 Kitty ? " 
 
 Kitty felt a great awe for the minister, and
 
 202 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 her "yes, sir." was low, and spoken in a 
 timid voice. 
 
 " What makes you think so ? " 
 
 "I I don't know ; only I pray, and he 
 hears me, and I like to." 
 
 " Well, now, Kitty, almost the first thing 
 which people think of after they have found 
 Jesus, is something to do for him ; they be- 
 gin to look around to see what they can find. 
 What are you going to do ? " 
 
 " I don't know, sir ; I haven't got anything 
 I can do." 
 
 " Ah ! that's a mistake ; you can find plenty 
 of work if you look for it ; only don't look 
 too far, because it is the little bits of things, 
 which come right in your way, that Jesus 
 wants you to do. When you brush up the 
 room, and set the table neatly, and brighten 
 the fire, and do little thoughtful things that 
 help your mother, then you are pleasing 
 Jesus, doing work for him. Isn't it pleasant
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 203 
 
 to think that in all those little things he is 
 watching over you, and that you make him 
 glad when yu do them well ? Do you know 
 that one of God's commands is, Honor thy 
 father and thy mother ? ' : 
 
 " No," said Kitty, softly. 
 
 " It is ; those are the very words ; Edward 
 can find them for you in the Bible, s.nd 
 honor means more than obey ; it means, try 
 to please them in the very smallest thing:*." 
 
 They were very near thb corner where Mr. 
 Holbrook must leave them. He laid his hand 
 gently on Tip's shoulder, a^ he said, " Speak- 
 ing of Bible verses, Edward, I have one for 
 you this evening, in the Saviour's own words: 
 ' Whosoever shall confess me before men, 
 him will I also confess before my Father 
 which is in heaven.' Good-night." 
 
 Tip understood him, and there was a bright 
 look hi his eyes. The two walked on in si- 
 lence for a, little, presently Kitty said, '* I
 
 204 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 guess Mr. Holbrook don't know just how 
 mother is, or he wouldn't talk so." 
 
 " Yes, but," said Tip quickly, " God knew 
 all about it always, you know ; and yet he 
 said that verse." 
 
 " So he did," answered Kitty, giavely.
 
 CHAPTER XVH. 
 
 '' BEHOLD HOW GREAT A MATTER A UTTLK FIKJB KIJTDL.ETH. " 
 
 AH," said Will Bailey, you're fooling, 
 Howard Minturn ! " 
 
 " As true as I live, I'm not," an- 
 swered Howard, earnestly ; " you 
 can ask Mr. Burrows." 
 
 "What's up?" inquired Ellis Holbrook, 
 joining the two. 
 
 " Why., Howard is telling the biggest yarn 
 you ever heard ; he says Tip Lewis went 
 to prayer-meeting last night and made a 
 prayer." 
 
 " Tip Lewis ! " and Ellis Holbrook's voice 
 206
 
 206 
 
 TIP LEW IB AND BIS LAV P. 
 
 was full, not only of surprise, but scorn ; " I 
 should like to hear him." 
 
 " Well, it's true," repeated Howard ; " my 
 father told us about it this morning, and he 
 said it was a good prayer too he said, 
 Ellis, that your father couldn't keep the tears 
 out of his eyes when he heard him, and Mr. 
 Burrows walked up town with father, and 
 told him that Tip had changed wonderfully, 
 that he was one of the best boys in school." 
 
 " Well," said Will Bailey, " if Tip Lewis 
 has turned saint, I'll give up. Why, he's 
 the meanest scamp in town, my father says 
 he's bad enough for anything." 
 
 " O well now," answered Ellis, " there's 
 no use in being stupid enough not to see that 
 what Mr. Burrows says is true. I never 
 saw any one change as he has in my life, 
 but I'll be hanged if I like him as well as I 
 did before he was so awful good ; he's too 
 nice for anything nowadays."
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 207 
 
 "Especially when he trips you, the minis- 
 ter's son, up, about twisting the Bible.'* 
 
 Ellis's face glowed, but he was an honest 
 boy. " He was right enough about that," 
 he said, promptly ; " my father says it's 
 wrong; but if it will do you any good to 
 know it, I haven't liked Tip so well since." 
 
 " Say, Tip ! " said Will Bailey, hailing him 
 at recess, " come here, and give an account 
 of yourself; they say you turned parson 
 last night ; did you ? " 
 
 " No," said Tip, with the greatest good 
 humor, " I didn't." 
 
 " Didn't you apeak in meeting ? " 
 
 A quiet gravity spread itself over Tip's 
 face. " I prayed in meeting," he answered, 
 soberly. 
 
 " Oh ! well, what did you pray for ? come, 
 let's know." 
 
 " I prayed for you. 1 ' Tip spoke with quiet 
 dignity.
 
 208 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " Humph ! Now that's clever, certainly ; 
 much obliged." 
 
 And Will said no more. 
 
 Certainly, the boys had never talked so 
 much about any prayer-meeting in their 
 lives as they did about this one. So that 
 was the way it commenced ; such a little fire 
 kindled it. Tip didn't know it ; he never 
 found it out ; probably he never will, until 
 he takes his crown in heaven. From the 
 humble little prayer which Tip had offered, 
 sprang the first buddings of the great revival 
 which God sent down to them. 
 
 " Say," said Howard Minturn to Ellis, on 
 the next Thursday evening, " let's go over to 
 prayer-meeting to-night ; I really am dread- 
 fully anxious to hear Tip speak." 
 
 "No," answered Ellis, speaking heartily, 
 more heartily than he often did to Howard, 
 " I'm sure I don't care in the 'east to hear
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 209 
 
 him, and I have enough to do, without going 
 there." 
 
 Howard was determined to go, and to find 
 company. 
 
 " Will, let's go to meeting to-night," he 
 said, the next time he came across Will 
 Bailey. 
 
 Will looked at him in -amazement. " What 
 for ? " 
 
 " To hear Tip." 
 
 " Oh ! " said Will, " good ! I'U go ; let's 
 get a lot of the boys and go over ; just to 
 encourage him, you know." 
 
 And they went. Tip and Kitty were 
 there again ; and again, with Tip, the strug- 
 gle had to be gone through ; his coward 
 spirit whispered to him that the boys would 
 only make fun of him if he said a word, and 
 it would do more harm than good. His 
 conscience answered, " Whosoever will deny 
 me on earth, him will I also deny before my
 
 210 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Father which is in heaven." The solemn 
 
 
 
 words conquered, and again Tip knelt down 
 and prayed. 
 
 " My ! " said Mr. Minturn, talking with 
 his wife after they reached home, " when I 
 thought of the bringing up which that boy 
 has had, no bringing up about it, he has 
 just come up, the easiest way he could, 
 but when I heard him pray to-night, and 
 then thought of our boy, who has been 
 prayed for and watched over every day since 
 he was born, I declare I felt as though I 
 would give all I'm worth to have Howard 
 stand where Tip Lewis does now." 
 
 Howard heard this, as he waited in the 
 sitting-room for his father and mother ; 
 heard it in great amazement, and at first it 
 made him indignant. The idea of compar- 
 ing him with Tip Lewis ! Then it made 
 him sorrowful ; his father's tones were so 
 wad ; after all that had been done for him,
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 211 
 
 it was hard that he should disappoint his 
 parents. 
 
 He listened to his father's prayer that 
 night very closely, and its earnestness 
 brought the tears to his eyes. Altogether, 
 Howard went to school the next morning 
 with a somewhat sober face, and took no 
 part whatever in the boys' fun over the 
 meeting. 
 
 Mr. Burrows' heart had been warmed by 
 the voice of prayer from one of his scholars, 
 and he began to pray, and long for others 
 of them to work also ; and the great God, 
 who knows the beginning and the end, led 
 his first words of anxiety to Howard Min- 
 turn. They stood at the desk, teacher and 
 scholar, Howard bending over his slate. 
 
 " Can't you get it ? " Mr. Burrows asked. 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Howard, are yon working with all youi 
 thoughts to-day ? "
 
 212 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " No, sir." And a bright flush mounted 
 to his forehead. 
 
 " What is it, Howard ? " 
 
 " I don't know, sir ; not much of anything, 
 I guess." 
 
 " Are you not quite satisfied with yourself 
 to-day ? " 
 
 " Satisfied ! I why I don't know what 
 you mean, sir ; I have tried to do the best I 
 could, I believe." 
 
 " Do you really think so, Howard ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir/ 
 
 " Did you think so last evening, in the 
 prayer-meeting ? Can a boy, who is as well 
 taught as you have been, feel that he is 
 doing as well as he can, when he knows that 
 he is every day cheating God ? " 
 
 Howard's face fairly burned. 
 
 " I don't understand you, sir." 
 
 " Don't you ? " and Mr. Burrows' voice 
 was very kind. " T wish that God's own
 
 TIP LEWIS AND 'BIS LAMP, 
 
 213 
 
 Spirit might help you to understand it. 
 Didn't your father and mother promise God, 
 when you were born, to try to 'train you up 
 for him, because you belonged to him, and 
 they knew it ? Now, haven't they done their 
 duty ? is it their fault that you are not a 
 Christian ? " 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Then it comes back to you. You belong 
 to God, body and soul ; he made you ; he 
 has kept you ; he would save you, only you 
 will not let him. You can't help the fact 
 that you belong to him ; all you can do is to 
 refuse to give him your love, and let him 
 lead you to heaven, and this you are doing. 
 Is it right ? " 
 
 Howard was growing haughty. 
 
 " I don't feel the need of any such things, 
 Mr. Burrows," he answered coldly. 
 
 " Suppose you don't, does that help the 
 matter any ? Does it change the fact that
 
 214 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 you belong to God ; that you are cheating 
 him out of his own property ? The question 
 I ask is, are you doing right ? " 
 
 Howard stood, with eyes fixed on his slate, 
 saying nothing. 
 
 " Won't you answer me, Howard ? " Mr. 
 Burrows asked gently ; " is it right ? " 
 
 And after a long, long silence, the boy's 
 honest, earnest eyes were raised to his 
 teacher's face, and he spoke steadily. 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Are you willing to go on doing wrong ? " 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 "Will you turn now, Howard, and start 
 right ? " 
 
 Now came another long silence. Howard 
 Miuturn, the honest, faithful boy, always 
 getting a little nearer right than any of the 
 others, had been condemned by his own 
 words, and knew not what to say. At last 
 he spoke. " I can't promise, Mr. Burrows.'
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 215 
 
 "Howard! such an answer from you, to 
 whom I have only needed to point out what 
 was right, in order to have it done ! " 
 
 " But I can't trust myself, sir ; I shall not 
 feel to-morrow as I do now." 
 
 " That is, you feel like doing your duty to- 
 day, but you expect if you wait until to-mor- 
 row that you will feel less like it; so you 
 mean to wait. Is that right ? " 
 
 The silence was much longer this time ; so 
 long, that the boys began to look curiously 
 at the two figures over by the desk, and 
 wonder why the bell was not rung. But at 
 last he raised those clear, truthful eyes once 
 more. 
 
 " Mr. Burrows, I'll try." 
 
 And the next Thursday evening, when, 
 in the house of prayer it was very still, be- 
 cause Mr. Holbrook had just said, " Is there 
 not one here to-night, who wants us to pray 
 for him, and if there is, will he not let us
 
 216 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 know it now ? " suddenly there was a row of 
 astonished faces in the seat where the school- 
 boys were sitting, because, from among them 
 arose Howard Minturn, and his face was 
 pale and grave, and his voice was steady ; 
 they all heard his words, 
 
 " I want to be a Christian ; will you pray 
 for me ? " 
 
 Oh, wouldn't they ! Was there ever such 
 another prayer as that which Mr. Min- 
 turu offered for his son ! Did any one who 
 heard it wonder that such prayer was an- 
 swered ? and that in the next meeting, 
 Howard, speaking with a little ring of joy 
 in his voice, said, "I love Jesus to-night. 
 I want every one to love him. I am very 
 happy." 
 
 From this the work went on. The little 
 lecture-room grew full and overflowed, and 
 the crowd now filled the church ; and every
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 217 
 
 oight some new voice was heard, asking for 
 prayer. 
 
 Will Bailey seemed filled with the spirit 
 of torment ; teased the boy's unmercifully, 
 went to the meeting every evening, and 
 made fun of it all day ; but the boys were 
 praying for him, and God's pitying eye was 
 on him. 
 
 One evening there were two who arose to 
 ask the prayers of Christians ; one was Will 
 Bailey, the most hopeless, so the boys 
 thought, of all the boys in town ; the other 
 was Will Bailey's gray-haired father, the 
 most hopeless, so the good men feared, of 
 all the strong, self-satisfied men in town. 
 
 Yet there were two, for whom daily, earn- 
 est prayer was offered, who, in this blessed 
 time, held themselves aloof; two boys, so 
 far separated, that it seems strange and sad 
 that their names should be coupled just here. 
 Bob Turner and Ellis Holbrook, the lowest
 
 218 TIP LE W1S AND HIS LAMP, 
 
 and the highest ; the worst boy in school 
 and the best ! Yet they were united in this 
 one thing, that they would have nothing to 
 do with Christ. Tip had prayed for both, 
 worked for both; but this was his success 
 one afternoon. 
 
 "Say, Bob, won't you go to meeting to- 
 night, just to please me ? " 
 
 " Couldn't Tip, no way in the world. I'd 
 do most anything to please you, too, for the 
 sake of old times when we used to steal 
 apples together ; but I've promised to go 
 with Nick Hunt to-night, and tie old Bar- 
 low's cat fast to his front-door knob, and 
 that's got to be done while the old man it 
 at meeting you know. 'Tain't no matter, 
 either, about my going ; you just do the 
 praying for you and me too ; then it will be 
 all right." 
 
 Tip turned away with a sigh and a shud- 
 der. Could it be possible that that boy had
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 219 
 
 ever been his only companion ! Ellis was 
 round by the ball-ground, and he went 
 thither. 
 
 " Ellis, won't you go down to-night with 
 the boys ; it's almost the last meeting, you 
 know ? " 
 
 Ellis wheeled around, and spoke in his 
 coldest tone. 
 
 " Tip Lewis, you seem to take a wonder- 
 ful interest in me, and I'm sure I'm much 
 obliged to you ; but I'll be a great deal more 
 so if you'll attend to your own affairs 
 after this, and let mine alone." 
 
 Poor Tip ! how discouraged he felt. Yet 
 that very evening, going home from school, 
 he met Mr. Holbrook ; the minister turned 
 and walked up town with him. 
 
 " Edward," he said, " are you praying foi 
 my boy ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir."
 
 220 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H18 LAMP. 
 
 " Will you never stop praying for him 
 while you live, until he comes to Christ ? " 
 
 " I never witt, sir," answered Tip, with 
 energy.
 
 CHAPTER XVm. 
 
 'THY FATHER AND THT MOTHER SHALL BK GLAD, ATO 
 BHX THAT BORE THEE SHALL REJOICE." 
 
 \ 
 
 OW did Mr. Holbrook know so well 
 what Kitty needed to help her ? His 
 C\f3J1J wor( is had given her such new 
 thoughts; some way it was all new 
 to her, the idea that she had any duty to per- 
 form towards her mother. She stood think- 
 ing of it that bright winter day, stood before 
 the little fire, and wondered how it was that 
 she ought to commence. She was to be 
 alone all day. Mrs. Stebbens, their next 
 
 neighbor, had fallen down and sprained he' 
 281
 
 222 
 
 LEWI 8 AND HI 8 LAMP. 
 
 ankle, and sent to know if Mrs. Lewis 
 could do her promised day's work in the vil- 
 lage. Kitty was left in charge of the house 
 and her sick father. She looked around the 
 room ; what an ugly, dreary little room it 
 was, dust, dirt, and cobwebs everywhere ; 
 her hood and shawl lying in one corner ; her 
 mother's apron on the floor in the middle 
 of the room ; the breakfast-dishes not yet 
 washed ; the stove all spattered with grease 
 from the pork gravy ; the hearth thickly 
 covered with ashes ; the paper window- 
 curtain hanging by one tack ; and on the 
 mantel-piece, behind the stove, such an array 
 of half-eaten apples, matches, forks, sticky 
 spoons, broken teacups, aud duly candle- 
 sticks, as would have frightened any one less 
 used to it than was Kitty. As she looked 
 around her, a forlorn smile came over her 
 face, for she thought of Mr. Holbrook's
 
 TIP LEWJS AND HJ8 LAMP. 223 
 
 words: "When you brush up the floor, or 
 
 brighten the fire to please your mother " 
 
 " He don't know," she said to herself, 
 "that mother don't care for sweeping and 
 such things ; he don't know how we live. I 
 wonder if mother would notice now if things 
 were different ; what if we did live like other 
 folks, had nice things, and kept them put 
 up, and the room swept ; suppose I try it. 
 What could I do ? I might sweep and wash 
 off the stove, and and clean off the man 
 tel-piece. I'll just do it ! and see if anybody 
 in this house will care." 
 
 No sooner thought than commenced. 
 Kitty went to work. The dishes were 
 washed until they shone ; those clean dishes 
 shouldn't go in such a disorderly cupboard. 
 There was no help for it, the shelves must be 
 washed ; down came the bottles and bundles, 
 papers of this and boxes of that, which had 
 been gathering, Kitty didn't know how long,
 
 224 TIP LEWIS AND BI8 LAMP. 
 
 and the astonished shelves felt soap and 
 water once more. How they were scrubbed ! 
 
 " Kitty ? " called her father from his bed- 
 room, hearing the racket, " what are you 
 doing ? " 
 
 " I'm cleaning house," answered Kitty, 
 promptly. 
 
 .And her father, because he did not know 
 what else to do, let her work. From the 
 cupboard she went to the mantel-piece, bun- 
 dled the things all off in a heap, washed it 
 thoroughly, and put everything in order. 
 What a day it was to Kitty ! One improve- 
 ment led to another, and as things began to 
 grow clean in her hands, she grew wonder- 
 fully interested, and only stopped at noon to 
 warm her father's gruel. 
 
 It was Saturday, and Tip had gone to pile 
 wood for Mr. Bailey. He was to get his 
 dinner and a grammar for his pay. He had 
 wanted a grammar all winter, so he worked
 
 TIP LEWIS ANJ HIS LAMP 
 
 225 
 
 with a will ; and Kitty saw neither him nor 
 her mother through all the busy day. The 
 early sun had set long before. Kitty thought 
 he certainly would not know that room the 
 next morning, it was all so changed. The 
 paper curtain was mended and tacked up in 
 its place ; the old lounge cover was mended 
 and fastened on smoothly ; the mantel-piece 
 shone, and glowed in the firelight ; the two 
 shiny candle-sticks, and beside them, the little 
 box of matches, were all that remained there 
 of the rubbish of the morning ; the floor was 
 just as smooth and clean as soap and ashes, 
 with plenty of hot water and an old broom 
 could make it ; hoods, and shawls, and 
 aprons, and old shoes, had all disappeared ; 
 nothing was lying around, the table was 
 drawn out, the clean, smooth plates arranged 
 so as to hide the soiled spots on the table- 
 cloth, the pudding was bubbling away in the 
 astonished kettle, and Kitty's joy had been
 
 226 
 
 TIP LEWIS AA> HIS LAMP. 
 
 complete, when only a few minutes before, 
 after a great deal of stamping and pounding, 
 she had opened the door to Howard Minturn, 
 who said, 
 
 " Mother sent you some milk for your sup- 
 per ? Where's Tip ? Isn't it cold though ? 
 There'll be prime skating to-night. 
 Give me the pitcher right away, please." 
 All this in one breath. 
 
 Now they would have beautiful fresh milk 
 for supper, and if there was anything which 
 Tip liked, it was pudding and milk. 
 
 So Kitty set the old arm-chair in the 
 warmest corner for her mother, fastened her 
 father's door wide open so he could see the 
 new room, then stirred her pudding, and 
 watched and waited. Her mother came first. 
 Kitty's heart had never beat more anxiously 
 than when she heard the slow, tired step on 
 the hard snow. Would she notice anything 
 different. In she came, tired, cross, and
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 227 
 
 cold, expecting to find disorder, discomfort, 
 and cold inside. Could anybody, having 
 eyes, fail to notice the changes which had 
 been wrought in that little room since she 
 went out from it in the early morning ? She 
 shut the door with a little slam, and then the 
 flush of the firelight seemed to blind her a 
 little ; she brushed her hand over her face, 
 and looked around her with a bewildered 
 air. Kitty went over to her ; some way she 
 felt a great kindness in her heart for her 
 mother, a great longing to do something for 
 her. 
 
 '* Is it cold, mother ? " she asked, brightly, 
 " take that chair," pointing to the seat in the 
 warm corner. " Supper's all ready, and I've 
 made a cup of tea for you." 
 
 Mrs. Lewis took off her hood and shawl 
 in silence, untied her wet shoes, and placed 
 her cold feet on the clean, warm stove- 
 hearth ; took in the brightness of the room.
 
 228 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 the shiny candle-sticks, the neatly-spread 
 tea-table, took whiffs of the steaming tea 
 all in utter silence, only, when Kitty'i 
 father, looking out, said, " There's been 
 business done here since you went away," 
 something in her mother's voice, as she 
 answered, " I should think there had," made 
 the blood rush warmly into Kitty's cheeks, 
 and made her whisper to herself, as she 
 stooped to place the wet shoes under the 
 stove to dry. "Mr. Holbrook told me 
 true, I do believe. I guess I have pleased 
 Jesus to-day ; I feel so." 
 
 While she was taking up the pudding, 
 there was a merry whistle outside, a brisk, 
 crushing step on the snow, and Tip whizzed 
 into the room. 
 
 Oh, there was no mistaking the look of 
 delight on his face, nor the glad ring in his 
 voice, as he said, " Oh, Kitty ! why Kitty 
 Lewis ! what have you been doing ? Why,
 
 " Bv-and-by Tip brought out his grammar." Page MO.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HI 8 LAMP. 
 
 229 
 
 it looks most as nice here as it does at 
 Howard Minturn's." 
 
 All that evening there seemed a spell 
 upon the Lewis family. Mrs. Lewis didn't 
 say one cross or fretful word ; indeed, she 
 had no cause, for in Kitt} r 's heart there was 
 a strange, new feeling of love for her mother, 
 of longing to please and give her comfort ; 
 and never was mother waited on with 
 a more quiet care than Mrs. Lewis received 
 that night. 
 
 This was the first coming of home-comfort 
 to the family. Tip had apples in his pocket, 
 which Howard Minturn had given him; he 
 roasted them before the fire, and his father 
 ate very little pieces of them ; and his 
 mother darned stockings by the light of the 
 candle in the clean little candle-stick set or 
 the clean little stand ; and they were happy. 
 
 By-and-by Tip brought out his grammar
 
 230 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 and finding Kitty very much interested in 
 examining it, said, 
 
 ' What if you should begin, and study 
 grammar with me ? " 
 
 " What if I should ? " answered Batty. So 
 that evening she commenced her education, 
 and, though grammar was a queer study to 
 begin with, still it was a beginning. 
 
 The pleasant evening wore away ; the 
 town clock had struck nine, Kitty's father 
 had gone quietly to sleep, and the bedroom 
 door was shut to keep all sounds from dis- 
 turbing him. Tip had taken his candle and 
 gone. Mrs. Lewis sat toasting her feet 
 before the dying fire, yet still Kitty lin- 
 gered. She wanted to take Tip's advice, 
 and tell her mother about her dear, new 
 friend, and this evening, of such wonderful 
 peace, seemed the good time for doing so ; 
 but she didn't know how, if her mother
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 231 
 
 would only say something to help her ! and 
 presently she did. 
 
 " Kitty, what fit came over you, to go to 
 work and clear up at such rate ? " 
 
 " I wanted to please you, I guess." 
 
 Kitty knew that this answer would sur- 
 prise her mother, and it did, into utter 
 silence ; but after what seemed to Kitty a 
 long, long time, she spoke again. 
 
 " What did you want to do that for ? " 
 
 Now for it ! this was the best chance she 
 could ever hope to have, and her voice 
 trembled a little. 
 
 " I wanted to please Jesus too, mother, 
 and Mr. Holbrook said if I did things to 
 help you, and that you would like, he would 
 be glad Jes"us would, you know." A little 
 silence, and then, " I want to please Jesus all 
 the time, now, because I love him, and I'm 
 going to try to do right." 
 
 It was all out now, and her heart was
 
 232 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 beating so that it almost stopped her voice. 
 Her mother shaded her face with her hand 
 and neither spoke nor moved. Kitty waited 
 a little, then moved slowly towards the door 
 of her bit cf bedroom ; it was moonlight, 
 so she needed no candle. 
 
 " Good-night, mother," she found courage 
 to say, at last. 
 
 " Good-night," and her mother's voice 
 sounded strangely, coming from behind the 
 closely-held hand. 
 
 There was something like a great sob in 
 Kitty's throat as she went to her room that 
 night in her heart was a great longing 
 for mother-love. She would have liked to 
 kiss her mother good-night, but she felt how 
 queerly that would look ; even to say good- 
 night was something very unusual. So she 
 knelt down beside her bed, and prayed for 
 her mother. 
 
 I don't think Mr. Holbrook knew that the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 233 
 
 few kind words which he spoke tc Kitty 
 Lewis, on her way home from prayer-meet- 
 ing, were seeds which were going to spring 
 up and bear fruit into everlasting life.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 AST) ALL THT CHILDREN SHALL BE TAUGHT OF THE LORD." 
 
 BATHER," said Tip, as, after hav- 
 ing carefully measured out and 
 given him some cough-drops, he 
 sat down for a chat with him before 
 school , " father, didn't you and Mr. Bailey 
 go to school together when you were 
 boys ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Mr. Lewis. " Our fathers 
 lived side by side, and we used to walk more 
 than a mile to school together every morn- 
 ing we were in the same class too, and 
 the best scholars in school. My ! times are 
 
 changed since that day, my father was 
 834
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 235 
 
 considerably better off than his was, and now 
 he's a rich man and I'm nobody." 
 
 "Was he such a boy as Will Bailey is 
 or, I mean, as Will used to be ? " 
 
 "I don't know much about Will; but I 
 know his father was a sorry scamp, and 
 many's the scrape he got me into. He took a 
 notion to me ; we lived near by, and were al- 
 ways together ; and then I was full of pranks 
 as he was, I suppose ; but he was a regulai 
 tyrant over the rest of the boys ; they were 
 nore than half afraid of him ; I don't know 
 Out what I was myself; any how, I know I've 
 thought I'd have been different may be, if I 
 hadn't followed him so close in all his 
 scrapes." 
 
 " Father, did you know Mr. Bailey was 
 different now ? " 
 
 " Different how ? What do you mean ? " 
 
 " Why, he comes to prayer-meeting, and 
 speaks and prays, and seems to love tc "
 
 236 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " Tlie mischief he does ! " said Mr. Lewis. 
 surprised out of his usual quiet tone. " 1 
 should think he was different. Why, he 
 used to make great fun of all such things." 
 
 " Yes, that's what he says ; but, I tell you, 
 he don't make fun now." 
 
 " When did all that happen ? " 
 
 " A few weeks ago, when the revival was, 
 you know ; he got up one night and asked 
 them to pray for him, and now he most al- 
 ways speaks or prays in the meetings." 
 
 " Well," said Mr. Lewis, after a pause, 
 and with a little sigh, " I'm sure I ain't sorry ; 
 I only hope it will last ; he needed it as bad 
 as any one I know of." 
 
 " It will last," Tip said speaking positive- 
 ly. " God will look out for that." 
 
 Then he waited a little before he spoke 
 again but he had been praying for his 
 father long enough and earnestly enough to 
 feel. bold.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BJS LAMP. 
 
 23', 
 
 " I thought, last night, that you must have 
 been pretty good friends once," he said pres- 
 ently, " for he most broke down when he was 
 praying for you, and the tears just blinded 
 him." 
 
 Mr. Lewis turned himself on his pillow, 
 and looked steadily at his son. " Did Mr. 
 Bailey pray for me!" he asked, at last. 
 
 '* Yes, he did, and he prayed as if he meant 
 it." 
 
 " How came he to ? " 
 
 " Why, I asked 'em to all the folks in 
 meeting you know. I wanted you to be a 
 Christian, and prayed for you, and then I 
 asked them if they'd pray, and Mr. Bailey 
 got right up. You don't mind that, do you, 
 father ? All the folks down there ask us to 
 pray for their friends." 
 
 " No," answered Mr. Lewis at last, speak- 
 ing slowly, " I don't know as I do. I need 
 praying for, I suppose, if anybody does. I'm
 
 238 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 going where I can't be prayed for, pretty 
 fast, I guess." 
 
 Tip had no answer to make to that, 
 
 " So you prayed for me too, did you ? " 
 his father asked presently. 
 
 " Yes, and I do every day, father ; I do 
 want you to know Jesus." 
 
 A long silence followed, and then the sick 
 man spoke again. 
 
 " Well, Tip, I'm glad that you've got right, 
 gladder than I can tell you. My father was 
 a good man, and tried to make me do what 
 was right ; but I went all wrong, wasted my 
 whole life, and brought up my children to do 
 so too ; but you're getting on without my 
 help, and I'm glad you'll grow up to be a 
 good man, and be a comfort to your mother 
 when I'm gone ; but I don't know as you 
 need ask folks to pray for me ; it's too late 
 I've gone too far to get back."
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 239 
 
 Tip's bold, prompt manner did not forsake 
 him now ; he answered, quickly, 
 
 " Father, I don't believe any such thing. 
 God doesn't say anything about it's being too 
 late, and he says if we want anything very 
 much, and pray for it, and it's good to have, 
 he'll give it to us ; and I'm bound to believe 
 him. Once I prayed for Kitty, and prayed 
 and prayed, and it didn't do a bit of good, 
 until at last Mr. Holbrook told me that may 
 be it was because I didn't really believe any 
 of the time that God was going to do what I 
 wanted him to ; and I found out that was it. 
 Just as soon as I began to think he would 
 hear me, it all came out straight ; and now 
 I'm bound to believe him every time. I've 
 asked him to make you a Christian, and I'm 
 going to keep on asking, and he'll do it. 
 Father," Tip's voice took a softer tone, for he 
 knew there was one very tender spot in his
 
 240 TIP L W1S AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 father's heart, " don't you want to see little 
 Johnny up in heaven ? " 
 
 The muscles around Mr. Lewis's mouth, 
 began to twitch nervously, and a tear rolled 
 down his cheek. 
 
 " I'm pretty near it," he said, at last, "and 
 I think sometimes I'd give the world, if I 
 had it, to be ready to go ; but it's all too late. 
 I've known the right way all my life, and 
 I've gone the other way ; now I must just 
 take my pay." 
 
 The very Spirit of Christ must have shown 
 Tip what to say next ; he spoke the words 
 earnestly and solemnly ; he meant no dis- 
 respect, 
 
 " Father, do you know more about it 
 than God ? Because, you see, it don't say 
 any such thing anywhere in the Bib j ; I 
 know it don't, for we talked about it ir Sun- 
 day school once, and Mr. Holbrook said,
 
 LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 241 
 
 ' No matter how old a man was, nor what he 
 had done, he could be a Christian." 
 
 " I always thought it looked mean and 
 sneaking in a man, to have nothing to do 
 with such things all his life, and then turn 
 around just because he was going to die, and 
 pretend to be very good. God can't be 
 pleased with any such thing as that. I've 
 always said that I'd never do it." 
 
 Tip couldn't answer this ; it didn't sound 
 true ; he felt sure it was not true ; but he had 
 no wisdom with which to meet it. He went 
 to school with those last words of his father's 
 ringing in his heart, and his thoughts took 
 shape, and spoke in the very first sentence 
 that he addressed to Mr. Holbrook whom he 
 evertook as he came out of the post-office. 
 
 " Mr. Holbrook. can I ask you a ques- 
 tion?" 
 
 And the minister, always ready to help any
 
 TIP LE WIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 one out of trouble, smiled and bowed, and 
 walked on by the side of the troubled boy- 
 
 " If a man should tell you he thought it 
 would be mean in him to turn around and 
 go to serving God, after he had found out he 
 had but a little while to live, when he had 
 cheated him out of all the rest of his life, 
 what would you say ? " 
 
 " I think," said Mr. Holbrook, " I would 
 be very likely to ask him whether he sup- 
 posed he would feel any less mean for 
 cheating God, out of the last year of his life, 
 simply because he had been doing so all the 
 other years ; because a man has been doing 
 wrong for forty years, I don't know why he 
 should add another year of wrong ; I should 
 think he might much better turn around, and 
 make all the amends he could." 
 
 u Oh ! " said Tip, drawing a long breath ; 
 " why couldn't I have thought of that V I
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 243 
 
 *new it was wrong, I saw it plain enough ; 
 but I couldn't think of a word to say." 
 
 Mr. Holbrook looked earnestly at the 
 eager boy. " Edward," he said at last, " do 
 you think your father would see me this 
 morning ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Tip decidedly, "I know nu 
 would. If you would only go and see him, 
 Mr. Holbrook, and explain that to him, I 
 would be so glad." 
 
 And looking back soon after, he had the 
 satisfaction of seeing Mr. Holbrook walk 
 quickly down town in the direction of his 
 home. And now Tip felt hopeful for his 
 father ; he had prayed for him, he had 
 worked for him, and now Mr. Holbrook had 
 gone to him ; surely, he could iea-ve th 
 in God's hands.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 "LET HIM THAT THINK KTH HE STANDBTH, TAKE HKKD 
 LKHT HE KAIJ>." 
 
 ERE, Tip!" said Howard Minturn, 
 " hold this frame steady while I try 
 
 CACTI that nail. Will, don't put that one 
 
 of>fj 
 
 up so high, it ain't even with the 
 others. Hold on, Ellis catch hold of this 
 stool, it's tipping. There, now it's all nice 
 and in order : isn't it, Mr. Burrows ? " And 
 he sprang 1 from his stool, as their teacher 
 entered the school-room door. 
 
 "Very likely," answered Mr. Burrows, 
 smiling ; " only I didn't hear what 
 said." 
 
 244
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 246 
 
 " I say we're ready for examination, room 
 and all." 
 
 " The room is, certainly ; and I hope your 
 brains are. Ellis, I'd move that chair a lit- 
 tle to the left ; it will be in the way of the 
 classes as it stands now. Do you feel brave 
 to-day, Edward ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir," answered Tip, promptly ; 
 " pretty brave." 
 
 And he did, besides feeling eager and 
 excited. The long winter term was over; 
 to-day and to-morrow were to be days of 
 examination ; the boys had been working 
 hard for it ; none harder than had Tip. It 
 was the first examination which had ever 
 come to him in this exciting way. Always 
 before he had been among the few inevita- 
 ble dunces, running away from examination 
 altogether, or else laughing good-naturedly 
 over his own blundering ignorance. But 
 to-day it was different; he stood there on
 
 246 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 the stage among the workers, proudiy an- 
 swering his teacher's questions, and looking 
 proudly over at the group of idlers, Bob 
 Turner at their head, who loitered near 
 the windows, wondering that he could ever 
 have been of their number. This was going 
 to be a great day for Tip ; it is true he 
 was far behind some others of his age, so 
 far that not a single class of Howard Min- 
 turn's and Ellis Holbrook's were to be ex- 
 amined that day, the advance classes 
 being put for the next day, while all of 
 his came that morning; but then, Tip knew 
 there was change enough in him to call the 
 attention of every one present ; he felt the 
 change in himself ; his mother felt it when 
 she, that morning, brushed his hair for him. 
 and fastened a clean collar on his jacket; 
 the boys in school felt it ; he had taken his 
 place among the workers. 
 
 The bell rang at last, and the scholars
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 247 
 
 filed in and took their places. There were 
 visitors, even in the early morning; the 
 people liked to attend Mr. Burrows' exam- 
 inations. Tip's class in reading came first 
 on the list, and never had his eyes been 
 so bright or his face so eager. Tip had 
 learned to read. Patiently, earnestly, he 
 had plodded on through the long winter ; 
 now his sad blunderings in that line were 
 over forever ; not a boy in school read more 
 slowly, distinctly, and correctly than Tip 
 Lewis. The selections were to be made by 
 the committee, immediately after class, of 
 those who were considered ready to enter 
 the history class on the following term. 
 This was the highest reading class in the 
 school, and Tip's eyes fairly danced when 
 Mr. Holbrook, who was chairman of the 
 committee, out of a class of thirteen, 
 read but two names, " Thomas Jones " and 
 " Edward Lewis."
 
 248 
 
 IIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " Hollo, Tip ! " Howard Minturn had said 
 to him at recess ; " let's shake hands ; wel 
 come to history ; it's awfully hard and inter 
 esting." 
 
 And Tip did shake hands, and laughed ; 
 and looked over at the other clique the 
 dunces with a half patronizing nod to 
 Bob Turner ; and wondered how he could 
 have borne it to have been numbered with 
 them that day ; then he felt that he was 
 climbing into the first set, and climbing fast 
 
 In spelling, too, he came off conqueror : 
 spelled down the class, spelled until Mr 
 Burrows closed his book with the words. 
 " I presume you are tired of this, gentlemen, 
 and as our examinations are confined to the 
 lessons, I think it will hardly pay to go fai 
 ther, for Edward has not missed since the 
 second week in the term." 
 
 So again, flushed and excited, Tip went to 
 his seat victorious. Only arithmetic now,
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 249 
 
 and he would be through with the working 
 part of the day. It was the last recitation 
 in the morning, and he was so eager and 
 anxious to do well that he began to grow 
 nervous. 
 
 The class was called at last. They had 
 gone slowly and carefully through long 
 division, and would be ready for fractions 
 next term. The recitation passed off finely. 
 Tip had not studied day and night during 
 the winter for nothing. He wus at the 
 board, working an example in long division ; 
 it was almost finished. The hand of the 
 clock pointed to ten minutes of twelve. In 
 ten minutes ha would be through, and his 
 name would stand on that honored list, 
 among those who had not missed one word 
 or made one mistake during the examina- 
 tion! His hand began to tremble. What 
 was the matter with that example ? Oh, 
 what was the matter ! The remainder was
 
 250 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 too large ; no, it was too small ; no it wa& 
 he didn't know what ! Everybody was 
 watching him ; he heard a boy laugh softly. 
 He had made a mistake, then ; what was it ? 
 where was it ? Mr. Burrows' voice came to 
 him, calm and kind. 
 
 " Edward, don't get excited ; look at your 
 remainder closely ; take the first figures of 
 divisor and remainder ; nine in thirty-one, 
 how many times ? that will help you." 
 
 Ellis Holbrook stood but a step from the 
 blackboard, just behind him. Tip heard 
 his low whisper, " seven," and without wait- 
 ing to think indeed he was too nervous to 
 think he caught at the number. 
 
 " Seven times ! " he said, hurriedly. 
 
 Then he heard bursts of laughter from the 
 boys, and dashed down his chalk in an agony 
 of shame and pain. And the clock struck 
 twelve ! 
 
 The honor was lost.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 251 
 
 The boys gathered around him after school 
 was closed. 
 
 " It was too bad Tip," Howard Mintura 
 said, in a tone of honest sympathy. " You'd 
 have had it in a minute more." 
 
 "I'd have had it if it had not been for 
 Ellis Holbrook, and he's a mean scamp ! " 
 Tip answered, in a rage. 
 
 " Whew ! " said Will Bailey ; " what did 
 Ellis do ? " and Ellis turned, and proudly 
 confronted the angry boy. 
 
 " He told me wrong just on purpose ; 
 that's what he did, and he knows it." 
 
 And Tip broke away from them, and 
 dashed out of the room. 
 
 Howard Minturn stood aghast ! That Ellis 
 Holbrook, his best friend, and the very pink 
 of honor among the boys, should do so mean 
 a thing, he could not think, and yet it was 
 hard to think that Tip had not told the 
 truth.
 
 25*2 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " What does he mean, Ellis ? " he asked, 
 at last. 
 
 " You'll have to ask him if you find out,* 
 said Ellis, haughtily. " He knows bettei 
 than anybody else does what he means, 1 
 guess. 
 
 The boys started homeward presently in 
 a body. Bob Turner and his friends sur- 
 rounded Tip, and Bob, who never lost a 
 good opportunity for teasing, commenced at 
 once. 
 
 " Poor little fellow missed his lesson, so 
 he did. Don't him cry ; him shall have a 
 penny to buy a multiplication-table with." 
 
 " Hold your tongue ! " answered Tip, too 
 angry to see how foolish it was to let such 
 words, coming from a boy who didn't know 
 a single line of the multiplication-table, pro- 
 voke him. 
 
 " Such a pity ! " began Bob again ; " wheo 
 it had spelled its lesson all so nice, and had
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 258 
 
 its face washed and its hair combed so pretty. ; 
 mustn't cry, now, to spoil its face. Poor lit- 
 tle fellow!" 
 
 Tip turned towards his tormenter a face 
 perfectly white with rage, and the boys 
 hardly knew his voice. 
 
 " Bob Turner, if you say another word I'll 
 knock you down and thrash you within an 
 inch of your life. I will " 
 
 Oh, Tip Lewis ! God forgive you for the 
 way in which you, in your blind rage, have 
 finished that sentence ! For the use which 
 you have made of that great name, which, 
 above all others, you profess to reverence 
 and fear. The awful word, once spoken, 
 recalled him to himself; he clapped both 
 hands over his face and ran wildly up the 
 h-11, then down out of sight. 
 
 The boys had all heard it. Howard, Ellis, 
 Will Bailey, and a half dozen others, were 
 just behind him.
 
 254 TIP LEWIS AND HI 8 LAMP. 
 
 Ellis Holbrook's pride rose high. 
 
 " There's your wonderful boy," he said, 
 " who was so changed and has taken it upon 
 himself to preach so many sermons to me. 
 I'm sure I never finished any of my angry 
 speeches with an oath, if I am so far below 
 him. 
 
 What an afternoon that was to Tip ! he 
 will never forget it ; he went no farther than 
 the great tree, which was budding out in 
 spring green. Down he sat on a stone, and 
 once more covered his face with his hands, 
 and such a storm of rage and pain swept 
 over him as he had never known before. 
 
 " How could he, how could he have said 
 that word?" 
 
 Ever since he had learned to pray, he had 
 been afraid of that sin ; afraid he might forget, 
 and go back to his old habits, and he had 
 watched and guarded his lips with such care 
 and prayer. But lately he had given up all
 
 TIP LEWIS ANJ) HIS LAMP. 256 
 
 feai ; it had been such a long time, and he 
 had iierer once fallen, he felt si 1 re that he 
 never would again. 
 
 He had felt so sure and proud and strong, 
 that he had asked no help from God that 
 day ; he had been so eager to spend every 
 moment on his arithmetic that he had found 
 no time to go to his Bible for strength. No 
 wonder. Oh, no wonder that he fell ! He 
 had been standing too firmly, feeling no need 
 of help. Now, what should he do? How 
 low he felt, how mean ! Could God forgive 
 him ? Yes, he could. 
 
 Tip felt in his soul that there was nothing 
 which God could not do, and yet he felt too 
 mean and fallen to dare to ask him for any- 
 thing more ; he forgot, for the moment, that 
 Jesus Christ died to save sinners. 
 
 The sun went on over his head, and com- 
 menced his afternoon work ; then there came 
 up the hill the sound of the school-bell, but
 
 256 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Tip took no notice of that, he didn't warn 
 to think of school, even much less go. He 
 began to fumble presently for his Bible ; he 
 must have some help. It opened of itself to 
 the Psalms, and he read the first line which he 
 saw, " Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks 
 
 No, not that, and he turned back a 
 couple of leaves. " Make a joyful noise 
 
 No, no ! he didn't want to hear any- 
 thing about joy ; his heart was as heavy as 
 lead. So he turned over several leaves at 
 once, he must find something that would 
 read as if it meant him. " O Lord, rebuke 
 me not in thy wrath, neither chasten me in 
 thy sore displeasure." Oh, that was it! God 
 was very angry with him, had a right to be. 
 this was just what he ought to say. He 
 read on through the Psalm ; almost every 
 verse seemed for him, and when he read the 
 one next to the last "Forsake me not, O 
 Lord ; O my God, be not far from me " he
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H*B LAMP. 257 
 
 said it over and over, and finally, in a great 
 burst of tears, got down and said it on his 
 knees. 
 
 The short spring day was over, and the 
 chilly night was setting in. Tip had reached 
 home finally, had split the wood for the next 
 day, done whatever he could find to do about 
 the house, and then carried the vests which 
 his mother had just finished to the clothing- 
 store, going away around behind the mill 
 so as to avoid passing the school-house, lest 
 he might chance to see some of the boys. 
 Then he came home, ate his supper in si- 
 lence, and went up to his attic. He felt bet- 
 ter than he had at noon, but his heart was 
 still heavy, and he dreaded the next day, 
 not knowing what he ought to do, nor how 
 to do it. This was Thursday evening, but 
 he didn't mean to go to prayer-meeting. 
 Kitty had asked him, had even coaxed a lit- 
 tle, but he said, " No, not to-night." He
 
 268 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 felt stiff and sore from his long sitting un- 
 der the great tree in the early spring damp- 
 ness. He told himself that this was the 
 reason why he was not going to prayer-meet- 
 ing ; but the real one was, he felt as if he 
 could not possibly face Mr. Burrows that 
 evening, and certainly not Mr. Holbrook, 
 of course, Ellis had told him all about it. 
 He felt very tired, and his head and limbs 
 ached ; he was going to read a chapter in his 
 Bible and go to bed. He chose the same 
 Psalm which had come to him with so much 
 power that afternoon, read it slowly and care- 
 fully, then knelt down to pray, and as he did 
 so a new trouble loomed up before him. 
 What should he do ? He had prayed for 
 Ellis Holbrook and Bob Turner ever since 
 he began to pray for himself, but he felt as 
 shough he could not possibly pray for either 
 of them to-night. Both had tried to injure 
 him ; both had succeeded ; he wished them no
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HJ8 LAMP. 259 
 
 harm, he didn't want to choke nor drown 
 them, as he had felt like doing at noon, but, 
 clearly, he didn't want to pray for them. He 
 had arisen from his knees, and was sitting on 
 the edge of the box which was his table and 
 chair, with a very troubled face. The more 
 he thought about it the more he felt that he 
 could not pray for those boys just then. At 
 last he thought he had found a way out of 
 the difficulty. He said to himself that he was 
 very tired, almost sick ; he would just repeat 
 the Lord's Prayer and go to bed ; in the 
 morning, very likely, he should feel differ- 
 ently. He almost knew he should. So he 
 knelt down once more. 
 
 " 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
 
 260 TIP LEWIS AND HIB LAMP 
 
 only Sunday before last that sentence had 
 been explained. To-ni^ht 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 heip 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
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP, 261 
 
 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, 111 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 un- 
 derstanding " 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.
 
 262 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 But Tip did not open his lips in prayei 
 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 
 school-boys 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 lhank 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. Hoi- 
 brook'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 ? "
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 263 
 
 " Mr. Holbrook, didn't Ellis tell you about 
 it this noon ? " 
 
 " Ellis has told me nothing. I heard, from 
 one of the smaller boys, a very sad story. 
 Have you anything to tell me ? " 
 
 " No, sir, I have not ; it's all true. I got 
 awful mad, and I said mad things. I I 
 did worse than that." 
 
 Tip's voice sank to a solemn whisper 
 Mr. Holbrook, too, was silent and sad ; ^ last, 
 he said, 
 
 " What, Edward ! do you mean to give up, 
 and go back to the old life ? " 
 
 And he remembered, years after, just how 
 painfully his heart throbbed while he waited 
 for Tip's answer ; it was prompt and plain. 
 
 " No, sir ; God wouldn't even let me do 
 that." 
 
 And then for a minute Mr. Holbrook did 
 not speak for very thankfulness, that, through
 
 264 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 all this maze of sin, God was leading Tip 
 into the light again. 
 
 " Do you feel that yon have God's forgive- 
 ness ? " he asked, speaking gently. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; " Tip could not give very long 
 answers that evening. 
 
 "Why were you so quiet, to-night in 
 prayer-meeting ? " 
 
 " Because," said Tip, speaking low, " I was 
 ashamed to say anything before you or Mr. 
 Burrows or the boys, after what happened 
 to-day." 
 
 " More ashamed with us than you were 
 with God ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, I was ; because God knows all 
 about it, just how sorry I am, and how He 
 has forgiven me, and is going to help me, 
 and you didn't know that." 
 
 Again Mr. Holbrook was thankful. 
 
 " How about to-morrow, Edward ? " he 
 asked, at last.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 265 
 
 And this time Tip's answer was very low. 
 ' I don't know ; I don't know what to do/' 
 
 "If you knew what was right to do, 
 would you do it ? " 
 
 "I'm pretty sure I'd try to, sir." 
 
 " Well, did you honor or dishonor Christ 
 to-day?" 
 
 Tip's answer was in a more timid tone 
 than he often spoke. 
 
 " I dishonored him." 
 
 "Do the boys know that you are very 
 sorry, and have asked God to forgive you ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; they don't know anything about 
 it." 
 
 " Don't you think, for the honor of Christ, 
 they ought to ? " 
 
 " I suppose so." 
 
 " Who ought to tell them ? " 
 
 No immediate answer came to this ; then, 
 after a little,
 
 266 UP LEWIS AND B18 LAMP. 
 
 " Mr. Holbrook, how could I tell them 
 to each one about it ? " 
 
 " See if you cannot answer your own ques- 
 tion. Will not all the boys be likely to hear 
 about it ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir ; they'll be sure to." 
 
 "And would they all be likely to hear 
 what you have to say, unless you spoke to 
 all at once ? " 
 
 "But, Mr. Holbrook, if I did that, it 
 would have to be in school." 
 
 " Well ? " 
 
 " But to-morrow is the last day, and it's 
 examination." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 That short word seemed to have a good 
 deal of power over Tip, for he only answered 
 it by saying, after a long silence, 
 
 " Mr. Holbrook, I wonder if you can think 
 how very hard that would be ? " 
 
 " Edward, I wonder if you can think hovr
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 267 
 
 very hard it was for your Saviour to listen 
 co your words this noon ? " 
 
 And Mr. Holbrook heard no more from 
 Tip, save, when they reached the corner, a 
 very low, very grave, Good-night."
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 "HB SHALL CALL UPON ME, AND I WILL AH8WKR HIM; I 
 WILL BE WITH HIM IN TROUBLE: I WILL DELIVER HIM, AND 
 HONOR HIM." 
 
 "HERE were not many visitors in 
 the next morning ; it was too early, 
 ^ as } r et, for any but the examining 
 comn Utee, and a ,oiw very fond, 
 very anxious mothers. Mr. Burrows' hand 
 was on the bell ; in a few moments the alge- 
 bra class would be in full tide of recitation. 
 Ellis and Howard had their slates in their 
 hands, ready to start at the first sound, 
 when Tip Lewis left his seat and made 
 
 his way towards the stage. Mr. Burrows 
 268
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 269 
 
 looked surprised ; this was entirely out of 
 order; but a look at Tip's face made him 
 change his mind about sending him back to 
 his seat, and bent his head to listen to the 
 few words that were hurriedly whispered in 
 his ear; then he looked more surprised, 
 hesitated a minute, then asked, 
 
 " Hadn't you better wait until noon, and 
 I can detain the scholars a few moments ? " 
 
 " No," said Tip, shaking his head, and 
 speaking earnestly ; " I'm afraid if I wait 
 till noon, I sha'nt do it at all." 
 
 " Very well," Mr. Burrows answered, 
 finally. " Scholars, one of your number 
 tells me that he has something of impor- 
 tance to say to you ; we will wait, and hear 
 him." 
 
 It was well for Tip that he was a bold 
 boy ; that every day of his life had been 
 such as to teach him a lesson of boldness, 
 else his courage would surely have failed
 
 2TO 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 him, when he felt the many curious eyee 
 resting on him. As it was, his face was 
 scarlet, when he turned it away from the 
 desk, and towards the boys. Yet he spoke 
 promptly, as he always did when he spoke 
 ataU. 
 
 " I want to tell the boys that I am sorry for 
 yesterday. I suppose they all know what I 
 did. I got awful mad, and I I said a 
 dreadful word. I didn't think I would ever 
 be so wicked again ; I feel awful about it. 
 But I don't want the boys to think that I 
 don't love Jesus any more, because I do; 
 and he is going to help me try again." 
 
 Such a silence as was in that school-room 
 then, the boys had never felt before ! Mr. 
 Burrows' face was shaded with his hand; 
 he let the silence rest upon them for a 
 moment, after Tip had taken his seat ; then 
 he spoke, low and solemnly. 
 
 " Boys, what God has forgiven, I feel sure
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 271 
 
 that no scholar of mine will be mean enough 
 ever to mention again." 
 
 Then the bell sounded, and the business 
 of tbe day went on. Tip had laid his head 
 down on the desk the minute he took his 
 seat, and he kept it there throughout the 
 recitation. He had been through a fearful 
 struggle ; it was hard work for a boy like 
 him to stand up before the school and tell 
 them how he had fallen. But it was over 
 now, and from his very soul he felt that he 
 had done right. 
 
 Bob Turner, sitting beside him, was quiet 
 and sober ; and when Tip raised his arm 
 with such a sudden jerk that he knocked his 
 arithmetic to the floor, Bob leaned over and 
 quietly picked it up, laid it back in its 
 place ; which was a wonderful thing for Bob 
 Turner to do. 
 
 At noon the boys gathered around Tip, 
 quiet and kind ; no one spoke of what had
 
 272 TIP LEWIS AHD BlS LAMP. 
 
 been the important event of the morning, ail 
 were on good behavior. 
 
 Ellis Holbrook came into their midst. 
 
 " Tip," he said, speaking gravely, yet 
 very coldly, " perhaps it would be as well 
 for you to know that you made quite a 
 blunder yesterday, when you said I told you 
 wrong ; I hadn't the slightest notion of tell- 
 ing you, right or wrong. But I know how 
 you came to think so. I was looking out a 
 word in Mr. Burrows' dictionary, and stood 
 just behind you, when Mr. Bailey leaned 
 over and asked me how many there were in 
 your class, when all were present, and I 
 answered him, seven." 
 
 Tip look perfectly astonished. 
 
 " Why didn't you say so yesterday ? " he 
 asked, at last. 
 
 "Because you didn't give me a chance," 
 Ellis answered, coolly. "I'm not in the
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 273 
 
 habit of cheating, nor of being told that 1 
 do. so I was not prepared with an answer." 
 
 " That's true," said Tip, after a minute, 
 answering the first part of Ellis's sentence ; 
 " that's true, I didn't. I was mad, and I 
 just bauged off before anybody could say 
 anything. I might have known you didn't 
 do any such thing ; it ain't like you." 
 
 And Tip walked away, leaving Ellis to 
 think that the boy, who was so far below 
 him, had shown much the better spirit of 
 the two. 
 
 The busy day was drawing to a close ; 
 the last recitation was over, and the boys 
 were in a state of grand excitement, waiting 
 to hear the report of the committee ; wait- 
 ing to know whose names were to stand on 
 the Roll of Honor, having passed through 
 the entire examination without a mistake. 
 Poor Tip was sad; yesterday morning he 
 had felt so sure that his name would have an
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 honorable place, and to him it was so much 
 more exciting, because it would be for the 
 first time. How hard he had worked ; and 
 now it was all lost ! Stupidly lost, too, he 
 said to himself, over an example that he had 
 done a dozen times ; and he drew a heavy 
 sigh, and roused himself to listen to the 
 report. Mr. Burrows had alread} r called for 
 it, and Mr. Holbrook, as chairman of the 
 committee, had arisen ; but, instead of read- 
 ing the report, said, 
 
 " Mr. Burrows, if there is time, 1 should 
 like to say a few words to the scholars. 
 Boys, you were all listeners to Edward 
 Lewis' examination yesterday, and I pre 
 sume you know better than I do, how hard 
 he has worked ; now, I think any one who 
 watched him yesterday, could not have 
 tailed to see, that, had he not grown excited 
 and nervous, he could have worked that 
 example Mr. Burrows, may 1 put a ques
 
 TIP LEWIS AND E1B LAMP. 
 
 tion to vote ? " And Mr. Burrows giving a 
 hearty consent, he continued, " Very well ; 
 now I want every boy here, who is willing 
 to allow Edward Lewis to go to the board 
 now, and try that example, and if he suc- 
 ceeds, give him the place which would have 
 been his yesterday, to stand up." 
 
 Ellis Holbrook was the first to spring to 
 his feet, and every single boy in the room 
 followed his example ; Tip alone sitting still, 
 with burning cheeks. 
 
 " Well, done," said Mr. Holbrook. " Now 
 it only remains to get your teacher's consent 
 to our plan." 
 
 Which Mr. Burrows gave by wheeling his 
 table from before the blackboard, and pick- 
 ing up an arithmetic. " You may come 
 forward, Edward ; I will dictate the exam- 
 ple ; which one is it ? " 
 
 " The thirty-ninth, sir ; fifty-first page." 
 
 By this time Tip was at the board. How
 
 276 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 they watched him ; how fearful his teacher 
 was for him ; how he longed to have him 
 succeed ! Tip worked fast and boldly ; his 
 hand did not tremble ; chalk and fingers and 
 brain did their duty ; the terrible " nine in 
 thirty-one, how many tunes," as a test for 
 the larger number, was reached, and an 
 unusually large and bold figure three, was 
 placed in the quotient ; a few more rapid 
 dashes, and with a grand flourish after the 
 " seventeen remainder," Tip threw down the 
 chalk, pushed back the hair from his hot 
 temples, and walked to his seat. The boys 
 could not keep quiet any longer ; a very 
 softly tapping was heard at first, then, find- 
 ing they were not silenced, it rose to a loud 
 decided stamping of many feet. But Mr. 
 Holbrook was on his feet again, and they 
 were quiet directly, for the report was final]} 
 to be read. 
 
 " My son," saic* Mr. Holbrook, not long
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 277 
 
 after, laying his hand kindly on Ellis's 
 shoulder, as he was hurrying from the 
 room, " what do you think of Edward's 
 religion to-night ? " 
 
 " I think it is honest, sir," Ellis answered, 
 quickly. " Excuse me, father, if you please ; 
 I must see Howard a minute before he goes," 
 and so he ran away from his father's longing 
 look. 
 
 As for Tip, he borrowed from Howard 
 Minturn a copy of the village paper, whict 
 came out a few days after, and read the 
 report of the examination ; read this sen- 
 tence : " And, among all the pupils, perhaps 
 no one of "horn has made more rapid 
 or astonishing progress than has Edward 
 Lewis." 
 
 Then, while the twilight deepened, he 
 turned eagerly to the next column, which 
 read in this way :
 
 278 TIP LEWIS AND UIS LAMP. 
 
 "ROLL OF HONOR: 
 
 " Being an alphabetically arranged list of 
 those who passed the entire examination 
 without making an error. 
 
 WILLARD BAILEY, 
 
 ELLIS HOLBROOK, 
 
 HARVEY JENNINGS, 
 
 EDWARD LEWIS."
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 "I WttL LKAD THEM 1H PATHS THAT THBT HATB OT 
 KJfOWH." 
 
 EE here, Tip," called Mr. Min 
 turn, appearing in his store door 
 one morning not long after the 
 examination ; "I want to talk to 
 you." 
 
 Tip swung his basket off his shoulder, 
 and went into the store. He was at work 
 for Mr. Dewey, and every piece of meat 
 which he carried home took the form, in his 
 eyes, of a Latin grammar and a dictionary ; 
 for these two books were what he was at 
 
 present aiming after. 
 279
 
 280 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " I'm in a great hurry, Mr. Mintum," be 
 said; "I've got a piece of meat for your 
 folks in my basket, and I expect they want 
 it." 
 
 "They'll have to wait till they get it," 
 answered Mr. Minturn ; " but I never hin- 
 der folks long. What are you going to do 
 with yourself, now school's out ? " 
 
 " Oh, work ; anything I can find to do, 
 while vacation lasts." 
 
 " So you're going to keep on at school, are 
 you ? I thought likely, since your father 
 was laid up, you'd be hunting for steady 
 work, so you could help the family along. 
 There's a hard winter coming, you know." 
 
 There was no mistaking Mr. Minturn's 
 tone. It said, as plainly as words could 
 have done, " That's what I think you ought 
 to do, any how." 
 
 Tip looked troubled. " There's nothing 
 for me to do," he said, at last ; " I don't know
 
 TIP LEWIS AND &IS LAMP. 28 1 
 
 of a place in this town where I could get 
 steady work that I could do ; and besides i 
 if there was, I'm after an education now." 
 
 " My brother is here from Albany," Mr. 
 Minturn made answer to this : " He is a mer- 
 chant, has a large store there, and keeps a 
 great many clerks. He's been plagued to 
 death lately with one of his boys ; when he 
 sent him home with bundles, he'd open them 
 and help himself ; and my brother told me 
 last night if I could warrant him a boy, who 
 was perfectly honest, he'd take him home 
 with him, pay his fare down, and do well by 
 him. I thought of you right away, and 1 
 told my brother that you were just the boy 
 for him ; you'd be as true as steel ; but then, 
 if you're going to keep on at school, it's all 
 up." 
 
 Mr. Minturn did not add that he had kept 
 his brother until eleven o'clock the night be- 
 fore, telling him Tip's history ; what a boy he
 
 282 TIP LEWIS AND HI8 LAMf. 
 
 had been, how he had changed, how he was 
 struggling upward; and, finally, the whole 
 story of the examination, the failure, the 
 downfall, the public confession, nor how 
 his brother had listened eagerly, and had said, 
 with energy, after the story was finished, 
 
 " Such a boy as that ought to be helped ; 
 and I'm ready to help him." 
 
 None of this did Tip hear, but he stooped 
 down for his basket when Mr. Minturn had 
 finished speaking, with a bright blush on his 
 cheek ; it was something, for a boy like him, 
 to be called " as true as steel." 
 
 u Yes," he said, decidedly ; "I'm going to 
 keep on at school, that's certain ; thank you 
 all the same." 
 
 And out he went ; yet all the way up and 
 down the streets his thoughts were busy 
 over what he had just heard. It was time 
 certainly, as poor as they were, that he 
 began to work; his mother's sewing sup-
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 283 
 
 ported the family now, and hard and late 
 into the nights she had to work to keep 
 them from hunger. Tip had thought of this 
 question before, but . had always comforted 
 himself with the thought that work was not 
 by any means an easy thing to get in the 
 village ; the odd jobs which he could find, 
 out of school hours, being really the only 
 things he could get to do. But no such 
 comfort came to him to-day ; here was a 
 chance, and a splendid one, for getting steady 
 work, and by-and-by, good wages probably ; 
 why wasn't he glad ? 
 
 Oh, ever since he gave himself to Christ, 
 there had been in his heart a longing to get 
 an education, and, not only that, but to be* 
 come a minister. Very small, faint hopes he 
 had, and even those were brightened some- 
 times at their own boldness ; but every day 
 the desire grew stronger, and it did not 
 seem as though he could possible givo up
 
 284 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 school now. It was out of the question, he 
 told himself, just as he was beginning to 
 enjoy his books so much, and was doiag 
 well. Mr. Burrows would be disappointed 
 in him; he had encouraged him to study. 
 No, it couldn't be done. He would consider 
 the matter settled. And yet there was his 
 mother, working day and night, and he her 
 only son not helping. There was his father, 
 growing weaker every day, coughing harder 
 every night ; long ago they had given up the 
 hope that the cough would ever leave him. 
 There was Kitty, who ought to be in school, 
 but could not because her mother must have 
 the little help which she could give. Tip 
 was half distracted with thinking about it ; 
 he felt provoked at Mr, Minturn and Mr. 
 Minturn's brother and the store in Albany 
 and the boy who helped himself out of other 
 peoples's bundles ; they were all trying to 
 cheat him out of his education. A dozen
 
 TIP LEWIS AND 1118 LAMP. 
 
 28b 
 
 times he said it was settled, and as many 
 times began at the beginning to think it all 
 over again. He went home finally, after the 
 meat was carried around ; but this didn't 
 help him any. Home hadn't gone back to 
 its old state of dirt and disorder ; Kitty 's 
 first attempt had been too successful, and she 
 had liked the looks of things too well to give 
 up ; so there was a great change for the 
 better in the housekeeping, which both Kitty 
 and her mother enjoyed ; still there was no 
 denying that, though a clean, it was a very 
 forlorn little room, with very few things for 
 comfort or convenience. Tip had never 
 seen this with such wide .open eyes as he did 
 to-day ; so coming home did not quiet the 
 vexing thoughts. 
 
 He split wood and pumped water without 
 whistling a note, growing more sober every 
 minute. At last, after supper, when the 
 work was all done that he could do, I*
 
 286 TIP LEWIS AMD HIS LAMf 
 
 Irew a sigh of relief ; it was so nice to have 
 dme for thought ; he could go up to his attic, 
 and he would not come down, no, not if it 
 wasn't in three days, until this thing was 
 decided finally and forever. 
 
 Kitty sewed steadily on the seain which 
 her mother had fixed for her, and wondered 
 why Tip didn't come down and hear her 
 lesson, which had been ready for him this 
 hour. It was another hour before he came ; 
 then his mother said, 
 
 " Tip, if you've a cent in the world, do 
 take it, and go and get your father some 
 of that cough-candy. I do believe he hasn't 
 stopped coughing since supper." 
 
 Tip took his hat and started for the store ; 
 as he went he whistled a little. The cough- 
 candy was found at a store away up town, 
 and, getting a paper of it, Tip dashed on 
 around the corner and opened Mr. JVfinturn's 
 store door.
 
 TIP LE WIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " When is your brother going home ? " he 
 asked without ceremony, seeing- Mr, Min- 
 turn behind the counter. 
 
 " Next Monday." 
 
 " Well, I'm going to talk to father, and 1 
 think likely I'll want to go along with him." 
 
 All right." 
 
 So Tip slammed to the door and ran away, 
 and Mr. Minturn never knew what a down- 
 fall that decision had been to the boy's dear 
 hopes and plans. 
 
 It was all settled in the course of a day or 
 two. Mr. Minturn, from Albany, was very 
 kind. Tip was to have wages that seemed a 
 small fortune to him, and enough had been 
 advanced to get him a new suit of clothes, 
 which his mother made. 
 
 One would have supposed that the future 
 would look bright to him ; yet it was with a 
 very sad heart that he took his seat in 
 prayer-meeting that Thursday evening, the
 
 288 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 last time he expected to be in that room for 
 he didn't know how long. He had a feel- 
 ing that he ought to be very glad and thank- 
 ful, and wasn't at ail. 
 
 Through the opening hymns and prayers 
 his heart kept growing heavier every mo- 
 ment, and it was not until Mr. Holbrook 
 arose, and repeated the text which he had 
 chosen for the evening, that Tip could 
 arouse himself to listen. It was a queer 
 text, so he thought " Who shall roll away 
 the stone I " What could Mr. Holbrook be 
 going to say on that ? He found out, and 
 had reason to remember it forever after. As 
 be went out from that meeting his thoughts, 
 had he spoken them, would have been like 
 these : 
 
 " That's true, I don't believe any man 
 but Mr. Holbrook would ever have thought, 
 of it ; they worried at a great rate about that 
 stone, how they would get it rolled away,
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 289 
 
 and when they got there ; t was gone. I'll 
 remember that ; I'll do just as I said ; when 
 I see a stone ahead of me I won't stop and 
 fret about it ; I'll walk straight up to it, and 
 when I get there may be it will roll out of 
 my way."
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 "A WORD FITLY SPOKEN 18 LIKE APPLES OF GOLD Df PIC- 
 TURES OF SILVER." 
 
 EHOLD Tip, now in Albany, far 
 away from home and friends, from 
 every one that he had ever seen 
 before, .<$ve Mr. Howard Minturn, 
 young Howard's uncle. 
 
 But he had been there some time, and was 
 growing into a settled-at-home feeling. It 
 had been a wonderful change to him. Mr. 
 Minturn did not board his clerks ; but for 
 some reason, best known to himself, he had 
 taken Tip home with him. For a few days 
 the boy felt as though the roses on the car- 
 
 290
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 291 
 
 pets were made of glass, and would smash if 
 he stepped on them. But he was getting 
 used to it all ; he could sit squarely on his 
 chair at the table instead of on the edge, 
 spread his napkin over his lap as the others 
 did, and eat his pie with a silver fork under 
 the light of the sparkling gas. 
 
 " Mother," said little Alice Minturn, " why 
 does father have Edward board here, and sit 
 at the table with us ? " 
 
 " Because, Alice, your father wants to help 
 him in every way ; your uncle Minturn thinks 
 
 
 
 he is an unusually good, smart boy." 
 
 "I think so too," said Alice, and was sat- 
 isfied. 
 
 And Tip Lewis was Tip no longer ; no one 
 knew him by that name ; every one there said 
 " Edward," save the store clerks, and they 
 called him " Ed." 
 
 He had a queer feeling sometimes that he 
 was somebody else, and that Tip Lewis,
 
 292 TIP LEWIS AND 111S LAMP. 
 
 whom he used to know so well, would be 
 very much astonished if he could see him 
 now. 
 
 He went into Sabbath school, and became a 
 member of Mr. Minturn's Bible class ; but 
 teachers were scarce, and before he had been 
 there three weeks Mr. Minturn sent him lo 
 take charge of a class of very little boys who 
 called him " Mr. Lewis," and made him feel 
 strange and tall ; he began to realize that he 
 was almost sixteen years old, and gi owing 
 very fast. 
 
 He was leading a very busy life nowadays ; 
 at work all day, in and for the store, and in 
 the evening doing all he could with his 
 books. Those books and his love for them, 
 were a great safeguard to him, kept him 
 away from many a temptation to go astray ; 
 and yet it was hard work to accomplish much 
 in the little time he had, and with no helper
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 293 
 
 Sometimes he sighed wearily and felt as 
 though the road was full of stones. 
 
 " I pity you old fellow," one of the young- 
 er clerks said to him one evening, as they 
 were leaving the store. 
 
 " I don't know for what V " was the good- 
 natured answer. 
 
 " Why, Mr. Minturn's pink of a perfect 
 and wonderful, and altogether amazing son 
 Ray, has just got home from the University ; 
 saw him pass the store not an hour ago lean- 
 ing back in the carriage like a prince." 
 
 " What's he ? " asked Edward. 
 
 " He's a prig ; that's what he is." 
 
 " What's a prig ? " 
 
 " Ho ! you're a greeney, if you don't know 
 what a prig is, wait till he snubs you and 
 lords it over you awhile ; then I guess you'll 
 know. He'll have a good chance, seeing 
 you're right there at the house all the while 
 I wouldn't be in your shoes for a penny."
 
 294 TIP LEWI8 AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Spite of its making him a great greeney, 
 Edward did not know what a prig was ; but 
 judging from his companion's tone, he de- 
 cided that it must be something very dis- 
 agreeable. He went home feeling cross and 
 uncomfortable, wishing that Ray were any- 
 body in the world rather than Mr. Minturn's 
 son, or anywhere else rather than at home. 
 He was beginning to have such a nice time 
 there ; they were all so kind to him and really 
 seemed to like him ; it was too bad to have 
 it all spoiled. 
 
 " I know what kind of a fellow ho is," he 
 muttered to himself; "he's like that Mr. 
 Symonds who comes to the store twice a 
 week or so after kid gloves, and acts as if 
 he thought he was a great deal too good to 
 ask me a decent question. My ! I wish he 
 was in Texas." 
 
 The dining-room was a blaze of light 
 when he peeped in; soon after, the family
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 295 
 
 were gathered, waiting for Mr. Minturn ; the 
 newcomer sat on the sofa, one arm around 
 little Alice and the other resting gently on 
 his mother's lap. Edward guessed, by his 
 mother's face, that she did not wish he was 
 in Texas. Mr. Minturn came in presently, 
 and Edward stole into the room just behind 
 him ; but Alice called him, eagerly, 
 
 " Edward, Ray has come ! Come over 
 here and see him." 
 
 " Go ahead," said Mr. Minturn, as Ed- 
 ward stood still, with very red cheeks ; and 
 Ray sat up and held out his hand. 
 
 " How do you do, Edward ? Alice has 
 been making me acquainted with you this 
 afternoon, so you're not a stranger." 
 
 How very clear and kind his tones were ! 
 Edward was astonished. That same evening 
 he was more astonished. He was in the 
 library at work over his books ; Mr. Min- 
 turn had to go to a committee meeting.
 
 -^ TIP LEWIS AND BIB LAMP. 
 
 expecting to be detained late ; as he arose 
 from the dinner-table he said, 
 
 " How am I to get in, to-night ? Here's 
 my night key in two pieces." 
 
 " I'll be night-key, sir," said Edward, 
 promptly. 
 
 " Well, you may ; you can take your 
 books to the library and have a long evening 
 to pour over them." 
 
 So he was there, poring over them with 
 all his might, when the door opened gently, 
 and Ray Minturn came in. 
 
 " Are you hard at work ? " he asked, 
 kindly. 
 
 " Yes, sir," said Edward, wishing he 
 would go out again. But he didn't seem 
 in a hurry to do so ; he took a book from 
 the case, and glanced over it a moment, 
 Uien came towards Edward. 
 
 " What are you studying ? " 
 
 14 Fractions," answered Edward, briefly.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 297 
 
 " Do you have any trouble ? " 
 
 " Yes, lots," speaking a little crossly, for 
 he wanted to go on with his work ; " I can't 
 get this one I'm at, to save my head." 
 
 " Suppose I see what is the matter ? " 
 And Ray drew a chair to the table, and 
 sat down, glancing his eye over the slate. 
 
 " Rather, suppose you see for yourself," 
 he said, in a few moments. " Just run 
 over that multiplication at the top of the 
 slate." 
 
 " Oh, bother ! " Edward said, after he had 
 obeyed orders ; " that figure three has made 
 me all this trouble." 
 
 " Smaller things than figure threes make 
 trouble. Have you been to school lately ? " 
 
 " Always, till I came here ; but I might 
 just as well have been out until last win- 
 ter." 
 
 " What happened last winter ? " 
 
 " Lots of things," answered Edward, with
 
 298 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 brightening eyes. But he didn't seem dis- 
 posed to state any of them ; so, after waiting 
 a little, Ray asked, 
 
 " Wouldn't you get on faster with your 
 books if you had a teacher ? " 
 
 " Think likely I should ; but I haven't got 
 any, so I'll have to get on as fast as I can." 
 
 " How would it do if I should play teacher 
 while I am at home, and give you the hour 
 from nine till ten ? " 
 
 Edward laid down his pencil, turned his 
 eyes for the first time full upon Ray, and 
 looked at him in silent astonishment. 
 
 " Do you mean it ? " he asked, at last. 
 
 " Certainly, I do ; I shouldn't say so if I 
 difln't. Don't you think you would like 
 it?" 
 
 " Like it ! I guess I would. But I don't 
 know What do you do it for ? " 
 
 "Because I am glad to help a boy who
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 299 
 
 seems to be trying to help himself; we will 
 consider it settled, then. It is ten o'clock ; 
 will you corne out to prayers now ? " 
 
 And at this the astonished look on En 
 wards face deepened. 
 
 " Is Mr. Minturn here ? " he asked. 
 
 " No ; but his son is. Are you so sur- 
 prised that I should have prayers in my 
 father's absence ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Edward;"! didn't know 
 I mean I didn't think " 
 
 " You didn't think I had learned to pray, 
 perhaps. Thank God, I have." Then he 
 laid his hand kindly on Edward's shoulder, 
 " Have you learned that precious lesson yet, 
 my friend ? " 
 
 " Yeb," said Edward, softly ; " a good 
 while ago." 
 
 " I am very glad , you will never learu 
 anything else that is quite so important.
 
 300 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAM1-. 
 
 What is all this study for, by the way ? have 
 you any plans ? " 
 
 "Yes," said Edward, astonished at what 
 he was about to tell to a stranger ; " I want 
 to get an education, and then, if I possibly 
 can do that, I want to be a minister." 
 
 Ray's hand fell from his shoulder, and 
 when he answered this, his voice was low, 
 and a little sad. 
 
 " God bless you, and help you. I hope 
 you will never have to give it up." 
 
 Edward made up his mind that night, that 
 a prig meant the best and kindest, yes, 
 and the wisest, young man in the world.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 " WHATSOEVEK TE WOULD THAT MEN SHOULD DO TC rou, 
 
 PO TE EVEN 80 TO THEM." 
 
 long, bright summer days and 
 the glowing autumn days were gone ; 
 mid-winter was upon them. During 
 all this time Edward was hard at 
 
 V 
 
 work ; there was plenty of business to be 
 done at the store. He had been promoted ; 
 very rarely, nowadays, was he called on to 
 carry home purchases, or to do errands. He 
 had his counter and his favorite customers. 
 There had been another change, too, which 
 Edward felt sure Ray had had a hand in ; 
 
 Ray had a hand in everything that was good 
 SOI
 
 oUZ TIP LEWIS AND MS LAMP. 
 
 and thoughtful. He had long evenings for 
 study now ; he came up to dinner with Mr. 
 Minturn at six o'clock, and had no further 
 work to do until the next day. Oh, those 
 long evenings ! What rapid progress he 
 made ; what a teacher Ray was ! Could a 
 boy help getting on who was so carefully and 
 kindly led ? " 
 
 What was not Ray to him ? teacher, friend, 
 brother; constant, unfailing, loving guide 
 Edward was learning to love him with an 
 almost worship. 
 
 Meantime, e\ ery one saw better than did 
 Edward himself how he had changed. He 
 had not been in constant intercourse with a 
 Christian family, who lived their religion 
 every day and every hour, for nothing ; 
 his improvement had been constant and 
 rapid. 
 
 He came home from" the post-office one 
 evening with his hands full of letters, among
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 303 
 
 them a very queer-looking one for himself. 
 He carried the others to the library, and his 
 own to his room. Such an odd letter as it 
 was ! He was glad it was his business to get 
 the mail, and that none of the other clerks 
 had seen this with his name written at the 
 very top of the envelope, and written " Tip *' 
 at that. How oddly it looked ; and how 
 queerly it sounded when he said it over ! It 
 was so long since he heard that name, he 
 never wanted to again. He was glad that 
 Ray Minturn had never called him Tip, nor 
 heard him called so. 
 
 Who could it be from ? Nobody wrote to 
 him except Kitty, and once in a long while 
 his mother ; but this was no home-letter. At 
 last he broke the seal and read : " 
 
 "DEER TIP, " Mother's dead, I feel bad, 
 you kno that, so what's the use ? I've got 
 to go to work. I like you better than any
 
 304 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 of the other felows, always did. Can't I com 
 out there to your store and work, I'll behave 
 myself reel wel ; I will, honor bright, if 
 you'll git me a place. I've got money enuff 
 to get there. I dug potatoes for old Wil 
 liams and earned it. Rite to me rite ofl 
 that's a good fellow. I want to com awful, 
 
 "BoB TURNER." 
 
 Edward was thunderstruck ! he dropped 
 the letter on the floor in disgust. What 
 was to be done now ? The idea of having 
 Bob Turner there was perfectly dreadful ; 
 besides, thank fortune, it was impossible ; 
 they wanted more help, to be sure, had been 
 Jooking out for a boy that very day, but not 
 such a one as Bob, that was out of the ques- 
 tion ; and yet Bob's mother was dead ! 
 In his rude, careless way, Bob had loved his 
 mother rather better than he had any one 
 else , and Edward did not doubt that he fol*
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 30,' 
 
 badly ; he was without friends now ; surely, 
 he needed one if he ever did. But it was so 
 disagreeable to think of having him there 
 he was so different from any of the others, 
 and he would call him Tip, and be always 
 around in his way ; would seem to lead him 
 back to the old life from which he thought 
 he had escaped altogether. It was not to be 
 thought of fora moment. But then and 
 now came a startling thought. How long he 
 had been praying for Bob ! Perhaps this 
 was the way in which God meant to answer, 
 by giving him a chance to work as well as 
 pray. Perhaps he ought to be witting to 
 have him come. No matter how much the 
 clerks might make fun of him for having 
 such a friend ; no matter how much pain and 
 annoyance it might cause him ; if this was 
 God speaking to him to help his brother, how 
 dreadful it would be to make no answer ! 
 He sat down to think about it ; his algebra
 
 306 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 lay open before him ; he was not quite ready 
 for Ray, but he could not attend to algebra 
 now. 
 
 " Let me see," he said ; " if there should 
 be such a thing as that Bob could come, 
 what would I do for him ? One of two 
 things is certain, either he'll lead me or I 
 shall him ; we always did when we were to- 
 gether much. Which will it be ? If he 
 leads me he's lead me into mishief, just as 
 sure as the world ; if I lead liim, I'll try to 
 keep him out of mischief. It's clear that I 
 ought to be the leader. Now, how would I 
 do it, I wonder ? Bob ought to be a Chris- 
 tian ; he won't be safe two minutes at a time 
 until he is. If God says anything, he says 
 he'll hear prayer. If I believe that, why don't 
 I pray for Bob, so that he'll be converted. I 
 do pray for him always, but it's kind of half- 
 way praying kind of as if I thought it was 
 a pretty hard thing for God to do after
 
 TIP LEWIS AND EIS LAMP. 307 
 
 til. That's wrong. God wants hiin safe, 
 incl he knows he isn't safe now, and he's 
 milling to help him ; it must be my fault 
 that he don't. My business and lessons, 
 and all that sort of thing, are putting 
 Bob and Ellis, and even father, pretty much 
 out of my thoughts. That's wrong too, and 
 must be stopped. Mr. Minturn says a thing 
 is never half done that hasn't a corner in the 
 day belonging to itself. I'll try that rule. 
 After this, every evening at half-past eight 
 I'll come up here to my room and lock the 
 door, and I'll pray for Bob; I'll pray as 
 though I expected an answer, and was going 
 to be on the lookout for it. I won't let any- 
 thing hinder me from coming at just that 
 time, unless it's something that I can't help. 
 Meantime, I'll get him a place if I can." 
 
 Edward was as straightforward as Tip had 
 been ; thi? point decided, he went down stairs 
 to the library door, and knocked.
 
 308 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Mr. Mint/urn was alone, and busy ; but he 
 looked up as Edward entered in answer to 
 his " Come in." 
 
 "Well, sir; what is it?*' 
 
 " Have you time for a little piece of busi- 
 ness ? " 
 
 " Always time for business ; sit down. 
 What is it about ? " 
 
 " Have you found a boy yet? " 
 
 " No. Have you ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, there's a boy out home who 
 wants to come ; I've just had a letter from 
 him ; his name is Turner Bob Turner." 
 
 " Is he a good boy ? " 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " Well ! that's plain ; what are you talking 
 about then ? " 
 
 "I want you to make him a good boy, 
 sir." 
 
 k Humph ! that's an idea. I can't make 
 boys over new ; is he honest ? "
 
 TIP LE WIS AND HIS LAMP. 309 
 
 " No, sir, I don't think he is very ; not 
 what you mean by honest ; but his mother is 
 dead, and he hasn't any friends ; he goes 
 with a miserable set of fellows, and he'll get 
 worse than he is in no time if he stays 
 there." 
 
 ** And the whole of it is, you think it's my 
 duty to let him come, and try to save him ! 
 Suppose I should, what would you do for 
 your share ? " 
 
 " I'd try, too," 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 " Why, I'd try to get him to do right." 
 
 "Suppose he should try to get you to do 
 wrong ? " 
 
 " He couldn't ! " said Edward, positively. 
 
 " How did you find that out ? " 
 
 " Because I should pray for myself every 
 day, and for Bob too ; and God hears 
 prayer." 
 
 " Yes, but God's people sometimes get
 
 310 TIP LEWIB AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 very far away from him ; if this Bob should 
 lead you astray, I'd be sorry I ever heard of 
 him." 
 
 " I don't feel much afraid," Edward said, 
 speaking this time in a more quiet, less posi 
 tive tone, "for I never go wrong when 1 
 pray often ; pray about everything that comes 
 up, you know, and mean what I pray for." 
 
 " Humph," said Mr. Minturn, " that's a- 
 good idea ; I guess you're pretty safe under 
 that rule." 
 
 " Besides," said Edward reserving one of 
 his best arguments till the last, " I know 
 somebody who would help Bob ever so 
 much, Mr. Ray would find him out." 
 
 Mr. Minturn's eyes grew bright, and he 
 smiled a half sad smile. 
 
 " Yes," he said, " that's true enough ; Ray 
 can't come near anybody without helping 
 him. Well, write to the boy to come on ;
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 311 
 
 we'll try him ; has he anything to come 
 
 i i r\ * 
 
 with ? " 
 
 ' Yes, sir, he says he has money enoug > to 
 get here." And Edward went away glad, 
 for he had begun to be very willing to have 
 
 Bob there.
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 "IF YE ABIDE IN ME, AND MY WORD ABIDE IN TOT, TB 
 BHALL ASK WHAT TB WILL, AND IT SHALL BB DONE UNTO 
 YOU." 
 
 'DWARD got up, one morning, feel- 
 ing years older than he had only the 
 morning before, older and graver, 
 feeling a great responsibility rest- 
 ing on his shouiu;,.. ; for he was fatherless ! 
 The weary frame, rad:ed with so many 
 pains, was at last at rest. Kitty had written 
 just a line, telling the sad story, but it did 
 not reach him until nearly a week after ; 
 and with it came Mr. Holbrook's, a long 
 letter, full of tender sympathy, telling all 
 812
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HJS LAMP. 313 
 
 about how, in the afternoon of an early 
 spring day, they had laid his father by John- 
 ny's side. 
 
 Edward read on eagerly, until he came to 
 this sentence : " My dear boy, I have a most 
 precious message for you ; I was with him 
 only an hour before he died, and at that time 
 he said to me, ' I want you to tell Tip that 
 God has heard his prayer, and saved his 
 father ; and that I shall watch for him to 
 come to heaven, and bring all the rest.' 
 And, Edward, I haven't a shade of doubt 
 but that your father is with his Redeemer ; 
 you must let me quote again, a verse which 
 I once gave you : ' I love the Lord, because 
 he has heard my voice and my supplica- 
 tions.' " 
 
 And at this point the letter dropped from 
 his hand, and Edward shed his first tears for 
 his father. 
 
 It was curious, the different ways that
 
 314 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 Air. Minturn and his son had of expressing 
 sympathy. 
 
 " Oh," Mr. Minturn said, when he was 
 told, " why in the world didn't they send for 
 you ? " 
 
 " Because, sir, my father died very sud- 
 denly, and my mother thought I could not 
 afford to come so far for the funeral." 
 
 " Afford ! as if that would have made any 
 difference. Did they think I would let it 
 cost you anything ? : ' 
 
 Edward showed Mr. Holbrook's letter to 
 Ray after that ; and when it had been read, 
 expressed the feeling which had been much 
 in his heart ever since the news came, and 
 which had been strengthened by Mr. Min- 
 turn's words. 
 
 " I shall always be sorry that I could not 
 have gone to the funeral." 
 
 And Ray answered, resting his arm as he 
 spoke, lightly on Edward's shoulder, to ex-
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 315 
 
 wess the tenderness which he felt, " No you 
 won't, my dear fellow; when you get up 
 there, in the glory of the Redeemer's pres- 
 ence, and meet your father face to face, you 
 will not remember to be sorry that you did 
 not see him buried." 
 
 Meantime Bob had come, and been set at 
 work. He did not board at Mr. Minturn's ; 
 Edward had heard that matter arranged 
 with a little sigh of relief ; his precious hour 
 with Ray, then, would be undisturbed. 
 
 Bob was doing very much better than 
 anybody who knew him would have imag- 
 ined he could do ; he seemed to have made 
 up his mind to behave himself, sure enough. 
 Yet his being there was a trial to Edward 
 in several ways, he had a great horror of 
 being called " Tip ; " that name belonged to 
 the miserable, ragged, friendless, hopeless 
 boy, who used to wander around the streets 
 in search of mischief ; not to the young man
 
 316 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 who was a faithful clerk in one of the finest 
 stores in Albany, besides being a teacher in 
 Sabbath school, and a very fair scholar in 
 Latin and algebra. But Bob Turner could 
 not be made to understand all this ; and 
 though he stared at the neat black suit which 
 Edward wore, and opened his eyes wide, 
 when Mr. Minturn went and came in com- 
 pany with his old companion, and honored 
 him in many ways, he still called him " Tip," 
 in clear, round tones, that rang through the 
 store a dozen times a day. But there was 
 nothing which Ray could not smooth over, 
 so Edward thought, when one evening he 
 flounced into the library with a very much 
 disturbed face. 
 
 " I wish that fellow knew anything," he 
 said, angrily. 
 
 " What is the matter now ? " Ray asked, 
 meeting the bright, angry eyes with a quiet 
 smile.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 317 
 
 Edward laughed a little. " Well, I can't 
 help feeling vexed ; Bob screeches that hate- 
 ful little name after me, wherever I go. 1 
 despise that name, and I wish he could be 
 made to understand it." 
 
 " How did you happen to be called Tip at 
 first?" 
 
 " Why," said Edward, turning over the 
 leaves of his dictionary, " my little sister 
 Kitty made it up before she could talk 
 plain ; how she ever got that name out of 
 Edward, I don't know ; I'm sure I wish she 
 had been asleep when she did it ; but that's 
 what she called me, and that's what I've 
 been ever since." 
 
 " And did Johnny, the little boy that died, 
 ever call you so ? " 
 
 Edward's eyes began to grow soft. 
 
 " Often," he said, gently ; " and it was 
 about the only name he could speak ; he was 
 a little fellow."
 
 318 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 "Well, Edward, I should not think it 
 would be such a very disagreeable name to 
 you, when your father, who is gone, always 
 used it, and always in kindness, you told 
 me ; and it is the only name by which little 
 Johnny can remember you. There are two 
 things to be thought of in this matter," Ray 
 continued, after a moment, finding Edward 
 not disposed to speak ; " one is, if you hope 
 to do any thing with this old companion of 
 yours, you must be ready to take worse 
 things from him than a quiet, inoffensive 
 little name like that; he will learn your 
 right name, perhaps, in time. And the 
 
 other is What is Bob Turner's right 
 
 name, my friend ? " 
 
 Edward's, face flushed, his lips quivered 
 (nto a little smile, then he laughed outright. 
 
 " It would be ridiculous to call him Rob- 
 ert !" he said, still laughing, " Ray, here's 
 cny exercise, if you want it now."
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 319 
 
 And Ray heard no more complaints about 
 the offending little name. 
 
 " Say, Tip, just go home with me to-night ?" 
 Bob coaxed one evening, as Edward, hav- 
 ing been detained late at the store, was leav- 
 ing just as Bob was closing the shutters ; 
 " Mr. Ray's head is so bad you won't have 
 any plaguey lessons to-night to hinder you. 
 Every single fellow in the store but me is 
 going to the theatre, and I am awful lonesome 
 up there alone." 
 
 "It is a wonder you are not going too," 
 said Edward. 
 
 " No, it ain't. I can keep a promise once 
 in a while, I reckon. That Ray Minturn can 
 do anything with a fellow, and I was fool 
 enough to promise him that I wouldn't go. 
 Come, go up home with me ; do, that's a 
 good fellow." 
 
 " No," said Edward, decidedly, " I can't." 
 
 "Now, Tip Lewis, I think you're real mean ;
 
 320 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 you don't never come to see me no more 
 than if I was in Guinea. You act as if you 
 were ashamed of me, and I keep ray word 
 and behave myself, too ; and you're a mean, 
 chicken-hearted fellow, if you're ashamed to 
 notice me nowadays, just because you board 
 in a big house and dress like a dandy." 
 
 " Poh ! " said Edward, " what nonsense 
 that is! I'd look well being ashamed of 
 any one that Minturn talked with ; but, Bob, 
 I can't go to-night, nor any other night just 
 about this time ; because I made a promise 
 that I'd do something else, at exactly half- 
 past eight, and that nothing in the world 
 should hinder me if J could help it ; and it 
 can't be far from half-past eight now." 
 
 Bob eyed him curiously. u Tip, you're the 
 oddest fellow born, I do believe," he said, at 
 last. " Is it lessons ? " 
 
 " No ; it's nothing about lessons." 
 
 " Couldn't I help you do it ? "
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 321 
 
 %k Yes," said Edward, after a thoughtful si- 
 lence ; " you could help me better than any 
 one else, only you won't." 
 
 " Well, now," Bob answered earnestly, "as 
 sure as I'm alive I will, if you'll tell me 
 what it is ; I'll help you this very night." 
 
 " Do you promise ? " asked Edward. 
 
 " Yes I do, out and out ; and when I prom- 
 ise a thing through and through, why you 
 know Tip Lewis, that I do it." 
 
 " Well," said Edward, as he tried the dooi 
 to see that all was safe before leaving ; " then 
 I'll tell you. Every night, at exactly half- 
 past eight, I go to my room and ask God 
 over and over again to make you want to 
 be a Christian." 
 
 Not a single word did Bob answer to this ; 
 he took long strides up the street by the 
 side of Edward in the direction of Mr. Min- 
 turn's, never once speaking until they had
 
 12*2 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 leached the door and stood waiting to be let 
 in ; then he said, " Tip, that's mean." 
 
 "What is?" 
 
 " To get a fellow to promise what he can't 
 do." 
 
 " I have not. Don't you want to be a 
 Christian '! " 
 
 " No ; I can't say that I'm particular about 
 it." 
 
 " But that's too silly to believe ; you need a 
 friend to help you about as badly as any one 
 I know of, and when you can have one for 
 the asking, why shouldn't you want him ? 
 Besides, I didn't say make you a Christian, 
 %ny how ; I said make you want to be one. 
 You can pray, that I'm sure ; any way, you 
 promised, and I trusted you." 
 
 Bob followed him through the hall, up the 
 stairs, to his neat little room, and whistled 
 " Hail Columbia," while he lighted a match 
 and turned on the gas.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND 318 LAMP. 323 
 
 " My ! you have things in style here 
 don't you ? " he said, looking around, while 
 the bright light gleamed over the pretty car- 
 pet and shining furniture. 
 
 " Yes," said Edward ; " everything in this 
 house is in style. Bob, it's half-past eight." 
 
 "Well," Bob said, good-naturedly, "I'd 
 like to know what I'm to do ; this is new 
 business to me, you see." 
 
 " I'm going to kneel down here and pray 
 for you, and you promised to do the same." 
 
 Edward knelt at his bedside, and Bob, half 
 laughing, followed his example. But Christ 
 must have been praying too, and putting 
 words into Edward's heart to say. By and 
 by, in spite of himself, Bob had to put up his 
 hand and dash away a tear or two. He had 
 never heard himself prayed for before. 
 
 That evening was one to be remembered 
 by Bob Turner, for more than one reason. 
 Ray sent for both of the boys to come to his
 
 324 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP, 
 
 room ; he was sick, but not too sick to see 
 and talk with Bob whenever he could get a 
 chance. He made the half hour spent with 
 him so pleasant, that Bob gave an eager as- 
 sent to the request that he would come often. 
 More than that, he kept his word ; and as of- 
 ten as he passed Edward's door, towards nine 
 o'clock, he stepped lightly, for he knew that 
 he was being prayed for, and there began to 
 come into his heart a strange longing to pray 
 for himself. One evening he discovered that 
 Ray, too, prayed every night for him, and the 
 vague notion grew into a certainty that what 
 they two were so anxious about for him, he 
 ought to desire for himself. 
 
 " Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be 
 done unto you." 
 
 Edward had taken this promise into his 
 heart, he was trying to live up to the condi- 
 tion to abide in Christ, and in due season 
 God made his promise sure.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 325 
 
 I wish," Bob said to Ray one evening, 
 when the weary head was full of pain, " I do 
 wish I could do something for you." 
 
 "You can," Ray answered, quickly; "some- 
 thing that I would like better than almost 
 anything else in the world." 
 
 " What is it ? " Bob's question was sincere 
 and eager. 
 
 " Give yourself to Christ." 
 
 Bob heard this in grave, earnest silence. 
 
 " I would," he said, after a minute, " if 1 
 knew how." 
 
 " Do you mean that ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do ; I'm sick of waiting, and I'm 
 sick of myself." 
 
 " If I should tell you how, would you dc 
 it?" 
 
 " Yes, I would," spoken, evidently, with 
 honest meaning 
 
 " Kneel down, then, here beside me, and 
 say to God that you want to be a Christian ;
 
 826 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 that you are willing to give yourself up to him 
 now and forever, to do just as he tells you." 
 
 Bob hesitated, struggling a little, and at 
 last knelt down. There was silence in ihe 
 room while three sincere hearts were lifted 
 up in prayer ; and, surely, Christ bent low to 
 listen. When Bob would have risen, Ray 
 laid one hand on his arm, and steadying his 
 throbbing head with the other, said, sol- 
 emnly, 
 
 " Blessed Redeemer, here is a soul given 
 up to thee. Do thou take it, and wash it in 
 thy precious blood, and make it fit for heaven. 
 We ask boldly, because thou hast promised, 
 and we know that thy promises are sure." 
 
 " Edward," Ray said the next evening, ass 
 they sat alone, and were silent for a little, 
 after Bob had left them, and gone home 
 rejoicing in the hope of sins washed awayj 
 " what was that verse that your minister at 
 home quoted for you in his letter ? "
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 " I love the Lord, because he has heard 
 my voice and my supplication." Edward 
 repeated it with brightening eyes.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 "AHD WHKN THBT LOOKED, THEY SAW THAT THM BTOHK 
 WA8 ROLLED AWAT." 
 
 NWARD sped the busy days, until 
 at last there came an evening which 
 made it exactly -uree years since 
 Edward had first set foot in Albany. 
 They had been years of wonderful progress 
 to him. He had gone on steadily with his 
 evening studies ; he had been an eager 
 pupil, and Ray had been a faithful teacher. 
 This evening he sat in the library waiting 
 for Ray, but he had a very troubled face. 
 Once more he took Kitty's long letter out 
 of his pocket. Kitty wrote long letters 
 828
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 329 
 
 once in two weeks, but it was a rare thing to 
 have a postscript added by his mother. He 
 turned to this and read it again ; it was a 
 very kind one ; they were doing well now, 
 so she wrote ; her health was very good, now 
 that she slept quietly at night ; and just here 
 Edward knew there had come in a heavy 
 sigh, because there was no constant coughing 
 to disturb her rest. She had steady work, 
 and could support Kitty and herself nicely 
 without his help ; he must keep what he 
 earned for himself after this. " Kitty says 
 you want to go to school," so the letter ran ; 
 "if you do, save up your money for that. 
 Your poor father had a notion that you 
 would make a scholar ; I think it would 
 please him if you did." 
 
 Surely, he could not wish for a kinder, 
 more thoughtful letter, than this ; coming 
 from his mother too ! she must have changed 
 much, as well as himself. But this very
 
 330 
 
 TIP LEWIS AND Hlb LAMf. 
 
 let ter had greatly unsettled his quiet life, 
 the old longing to give himself up to study, 
 to prepare for the ministry, had broken 
 loose, and well nigh overwhelmed him with 
 its power. He wanted it, oh, so much ; it 
 had grown strong, instead of weak, during 
 these three years. But what to do, and how 
 to do it ? That was the question. Certain- 
 ly, he was not prepared to answer it. If he 
 stayed where he was, led his busy life all day 
 in the store, how was he ever to go through 
 with the necessary course of study, which it 
 was high time he commenced in earnest ? 
 If he left them, these dear friends, who had 
 taken him into their home and hearts, and 
 made him feel like one of them ; how was 
 he to live, while he studied ? How, indeed, 
 could he study at all ? The truth was, Ed- 
 ward, calling to mind Mr. Holbrook's lecture 
 that last evening in the home prayer-meet- 
 ing, and his resolution taken then, thought
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 331 
 
 chat the stone was ahead of him no longer, 
 but that he had walked close up to it, and 
 could not take another step because of it, 
 and very large and impossible to move did 
 it look to his short-sighted eyes. 
 
 Just as he was growing hopelessly moody, 
 Ray came in, and settled himself among the 
 cushions, rather wearily. 
 
 " Ray," said Edward, anxiously, " you are 
 not well enough for lessons to-night." 
 
 " No," answered Ray, smiling however, as 
 he spoke, " I think I am not, because I want 
 to talk instead. I am full of a scheme 
 which needs your help ; for once, we'll let 
 the lessons go. It is an age since I have 
 heard anything concerning your plans ; you 
 have not given up your desire for the min- 
 istry, I hope ? " 
 
 " No, Ray ; I shall never give that up." 
 
 " I thought not ; it would not be like you
 
 332 TIP LEW IB AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 That being the case, isn't it time to do some- 
 thing definite ? " 
 
 " Time, certainly," Edward answered, 
 gloomily ; " but what's to do ? " 
 
 " That brings me to the unfolding of my 
 scheme. Edward, do you know that it was 
 my life-long desire to reach the point to- 
 wards which you are looking ? " 
 
 *' No," said Edward, with pitying interest ; 
 ' I never thought-of it." 
 
 " Well," and Ray smiled sadly, " it is so ; 
 and I hope you may never know how hard it 
 is to have to give up such a wish. I cannot 
 say that I did actually give it up entirely 
 until very lately. I gave up all study three 
 years ago, and came home to regain strength ; 
 you know how well I have succeeded in 
 that." And Ray pressed his thin, wasting 
 hand across his damp forehead. " It is all 
 Tver now, utterly." The hand did duty now 
 for a moment, shading his eyes from tb
 
 TIP LEWIS AMD HJ8 LAMP. 333 
 
 light. Presently he spoke more cheerily, 
 "All over for myself, but not for you; so; 
 Edward, what I want to say to-night, in 
 brief, is this: you have t dents, perseverance, 
 and health ; I have money, the four com- 
 bined cannot fail to speed you in your work. 
 What say you ? " 
 
 "I I don't understand you," Edward 
 spoke in complete bewilderment. 
 
 " Let me speak more plainly. I want you 
 to go now, immediately, to some good pre- 
 paratory school, thence to college, thence to 
 the seminary, and the means wherewith to 
 do these three important things shall be at 
 your disposal. Isn't that plain ? " 
 
 "-Why," said Edward, " I don't know 
 what to say ; I am too much astonished, 
 and and thankful." 
 
 " Then you will do it ? " 
 
 "Only, Ray?" 
 ' Well ? "
 
 334 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " Isn't there a right kind of pride, about 
 being helped in these things ? " 
 
 " There is a great deal of wrong kind of 
 pride. Let me show you," and he sat up 
 and spoke eagerly. " It is right and honor- 
 able for people to help themselves in this 
 world, but very vain and foolish to refuse 
 help which would greatly aid the cause that 
 they profess to have at heart. You see how 
 it is ; God has given me money ; I am ready 
 and waiting to give it back to him. I would 
 gladly give myself to him in the ministry ; 
 I have longed and prayed for this ; but he 
 has seen fit not to answer as I wished. 1 
 have no strength to give ; you have, and are 
 ready to give it. Do you think God would 
 be less pleased with the offering if we united 
 it, thus giving me a chance to do some- 
 thing ? " 
 
 " No," said Edward, speaking very slow-
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 335 
 
 ly " only, I had hoped to accomplish my 
 plans without help from any one but God." 
 
 Ray leaned back again, among the cush- 
 ions, and spoke, wearily, 
 
 " That is, you prefer to be a great many 
 years longer in preparation than you need 
 be, and have about half as much strength ; 
 finally, as you would have had you not 
 overworked, rather than give me a chance 
 to do what I could since I cannot do what 1 
 would." 
 
 " But, Ray, there are plenty of people to 
 help, even if you do no more for me. The 
 world is full of poor young men, struggling 
 to get, an education." 
 
 " Yes, that is so ; and I suppose you would 
 eujoy helping some young man out in 
 Oregon, of whom you had never heard, 
 quite as well as you would me." 
 
 Edward came quickly to the sofa where
 
 336 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP 
 
 Ray was lying, and laid his hand tenderly 
 over the closed eyes. 
 
 " Ray, there is nothing in the world I 
 would not do for you." 
 
 " Will you let me help you into the minis- 
 try, as rapidly as money can help ? " 
 
 " I will be glad to ; it is a great, noble 
 offer, arid I thank you from my heart. You 
 mustn't think that I don't ; only I thought 
 perhaps " 
 
 " I know," said Ray, for Edward had 
 stopped, doubtfully ; " I understand just 
 how you feel ; but I do think the feeling in 
 this case, at least, is wrong ; and, my dear 
 brother, you will be glad when you know 
 how thankful you have made me." 
 
 " Yes ; and after all you will not be doing 
 any more for me you can't than you 
 have done. I think money is very little. 
 compared with that." 
 
 " Ray," and Edward sank down among
 
 TIP LEWIS AND B18 LAMP. 337 
 
 the cushions iu frout of him, " I do believe 
 you are more to me than any other human 
 being ever will be." 
 
 Ray smiled, quite as if he did not think 
 so, but would not unsay it for anything. 
 
 "It is all right," he said, gently, after a 
 little silence. " I think you will do so much 
 more than I ever could have done. God 
 Mess you, my dear brother." 
 
 After that Edward went up to his room, 
 got out his little red Bible, his precious 
 lamp, and opening to the history of the 
 rock-bound grave, read on, until he came to 
 the verse, " And when they looked, they saw 
 that the stone, was rolled away." Around 
 this he made heavy marks with his pencil, 
 thinking, meantime, that the angel of the 
 Lord was still at work on earth. 
 
 " Bob," said Edward, stopping before 
 Bob's counter, two days after this matter
 
 338 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 was settled ; " I am going to start for home 
 in the morning." 
 
 " Are you, though ? " Bob answered, 
 eagerly, stopping his work to take the sen- 
 tence in fully ; " my ! I wish I was going 
 along, just to see what folks would say." 
 
 " About you, do you mean ? " said Edward, 
 laughing, and thinking wonderingly, as well 
 as joyfully, of the change which there had 
 been in Bob Turner. 
 
 Bob had a counter, too, and was no longer 
 an errand-boy ; there had very rarely been 
 known such a rapid promotion in that store ; 
 but the truth was, Mr. Minturn had early 
 learned that Bob Turner was destined to be, 
 not a minister, nor a lawyer, not even a 
 scholar, but a thorough, energetic, successful 
 merchant. He had no sooner made this dis- 
 covery than he determined to give the boy a 
 chance. 
 
 So Bob had earned a name and a place in
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 339 
 
 the store, and was a general favorite with the 
 other clerks, and was beginning to have cus- 
 tomers who sought him out, and liked to 
 make purchases of him. More than all, Bob 
 was an earnest Christian ; his loving tender 
 ness for, and almost worship of Ray Minturn, 
 kept him from being much led into tempta- 
 tion, and his influence over the younger 
 clerks was growing to be for good. He \vas 
 destined to be more popular than Edward 
 had been ; for Edward had risen too rapidly, 
 and was too much at home with the entire 
 Minturu family, not to be looked upon with 
 some degree of envy. 
 
 " Well, Tip," Bob had never learned not 
 to say Tip, and probably never would, but 
 Edward had long since forgotten to care ; 
 " tell every one at home that I'm well and 
 happy, and never want to see one of them 
 again. I don't believe I have a friend there : 
 any how, I know I don't deserve to have."
 
 CHAPTER XXVH. 
 
 " WHEREWITHALL SHALL A YOUNG MAN CLEANSE HIS WAT ? 
 BY TAKING HEED THERETO, ACCOEDING TO THY WORD." 
 
 &ITTY LEWIS shook out the folds 
 of her new, brigh t pink calico dress, 
 
 walked to the little looking-glass, 
 for about the tenth time, to see if 
 the dainty white ruffle around her neck 
 was in order ; then took a survey of the 
 room, lest there might possibly be something 
 else to do which would improve its appear- 
 ance. 
 
 It was the same little room in which Kitty 
 had spent her childhood, from which Johnny 
 
 first, and then long afterwards the husband 
 840
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 341 
 
 and father, had been carried out to return no 
 more. And yet it was not the same, there 
 was a neat rag carpet on the floor, a Christ- 
 mas gift from Mrs. Minturn ; the round table 
 in the corner was covered with a bright red 
 cloth, and strewn with a few books and 
 papers; the full, white curtain was looped 
 away from the window, and the light of a 
 clear sunset glimmered in the room ; every- 
 thing was neat and bright arid cheery. The 
 table was set for tea, the white cloth showing 
 just the folds in which it was ironed ; there 
 were three plates and three cups and saucers, 
 instead of two, while Kitty, in her restless 
 wanderings around the room, and Mrs. 
 Lewis, in her frequent glances out of the 
 window, both showed that somebody was 
 being watched and waited for. 
 
 " The eastern train is in," Kitty said, final- 
 ly. " Now, if he conies to-night he'll be 
 here in three minutes." And it could not
 
 342 TIP LK.WI& AND EI8 LAMP. 
 
 have been much more than that when a 
 quick, crushing step was heard on the gravel 
 outside, then on the plank before the door, 
 then the door swung open, and Edward 
 Lewis walked into the little room out of 
 which he had gone three years before. 
 
 Kitty was all ready to spring forward, say 
 " Oh, Tip," and throw her arms right around 
 his neck. Instead, she stood still. Some 
 way, spite of the long letters which had 
 passed between them during these years, 
 Kitty had fully expected to see a stout, 
 tanned boy, in a strong, coarse suit of gray, 
 with thick boots and a new straw hat. Or, 
 at least, why, of course, she knew he 
 must have changed some ; hadn't she ? But 
 then she did not think he would be so tall, 
 and have a face and hands without tan or 
 freckle, or that his clothes would be so very 
 black and fine, and fit as though they had 
 grown on him, or that his collar would be so
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 343 
 
 white and glossy or his boots so small aid 
 shiny. So Kitty stood still in embarrassed 
 silence. But the mother, oh, she saw in him 
 the picture of the dear, dead father, as he 
 used to come to her long, long ago ; the hus- 
 band who, through all change and poverty 
 and pain, she had always loved ! And all 
 the tenderness that had ever been in her 
 heart took form, and spoke in those words 
 with which she came forward to greet her 
 son, " Oh, my dear boy ! " 
 
 There was happiness in the little home 
 that night, only the bedroom door was 
 closed, and Edward knew that his father's 
 bed was vacant. 
 
 Such a queer feeling as possessed him all 
 the next day, while he went around the vil- 
 lage! He went every where. He felt like 
 walking through every street, and stepping 
 on every stone on which his feet had trod in 
 the old life-row utterly gone from him. He
 
 344 Tip LE WIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 wandered down to the river-bank where he 
 had lain that summer morning, and envied 
 the fishes ; and, standing there, thanked God 
 for the mission-class in Mr. Holbrook's Sab- 
 bath school. Thence to the cemetery, where 
 by the side of little Johnnj-'s grave the new 
 life had been commenced. There was a long 
 grave beside the short one now ; and stand- 
 ing there, he thanked God for the hope 
 which he had of meeting the father and the 
 baby in heaven. Thence to the great elm- 
 tree at the foot of the hill ; and standing 
 there he took out once more the little red 
 Bible, and turned the leaves lovingly ; lin- 
 gered over the name written by Mr. Hoi- 
 brook's hand, turned again to the first verse 
 which he had ever read from its pages : 
 " Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a 
 light unto my path." Time and again had 
 he proved the truth of that verse. There, 
 under that very tree, it had helped him to
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 345 
 
 nght battles with Satau, and come off con 
 queror. And he thanked God for the Bible. 
 After that he went directly to the village ; 
 just looked in at the meat market for the 
 sake of the old days. 
 
 Somebody told Mr. Dewey who was com- 
 ing, and he was just ready to say, " Hollo, 
 Tip ; " but instead, he came around from be- 
 hind the counter, and holding out his hand, 
 said, " How do you do, Lewis ? Glad to see 
 you." 
 
 Something, either in the city-made clothes 
 or the quiet air of dignity with which they 
 were worn, made him dislike to say " Hollo, 
 Tip," to the tall young man before him. 
 
 Mr. Minturn shook him heartily by the 
 hand. " Never rejoiced over any one's luck 
 more in my life ! " he said then, in the same 
 breath, " HQW'S Ray ? Oh, yes, I see how it 
 is, poor fellow. And you love him too ; of 
 oourse, every one does."
 
 346 TIP LEWIS AND BJ8 LAMP. 
 
 There was still the school-room to visit, 
 and as Edward went up the familiar walk he 
 wished Bob Turner could have been with 
 him to make this call. But Bob was proba- 
 bly rushing like a top through the city store, 
 without a thought of the old school-house or 
 the miserable days which he had spent there. 
 
 Mr. Burrows himself answered the knock, 
 and gave him a hearty greeting. Three 
 years had made changes there. Edward 
 found himself looking eagerly towards the 
 back row of seats for the old faces, Will, 
 Howard, Ellis, and half a dozen others, 
 before he remembered that they had long 
 since entered higher schools. The boys 
 whom he had left plodding through long 
 division were filling those back seats now 
 and leading their classes in algebra and 
 Latin. He sat down near the blackboard to 
 watch the progress of Joe Bartlett through 
 an example in division. And behold, he was
 
 TIP LEWI 8 AND SIS LAMP 347 
 
 loing that old never-to-be-forgotten example 
 about the cows and sheep ! He picked up 
 an arithmetic eagerly. 
 
 " Mr. Burrows, do you remember that ex- 
 ample ? " 
 
 " I remember that it Ijas puzzled some 
 forty or more of my boys in the course of 
 time," said Mr. Burrows, laughing ; " but 
 nothing very special about it." 
 
 " I do ; it was the cause of my first promo- 
 tion." 
 
 " Was it, indeed ! I'm afraid it will never 
 be the cause of poor Joseph's ; it seems to be 
 mastering him." 
 
 Mr. Burrows was engaged with a gram- 
 mar class, and Edward offered to assist the 
 bewildered Joseph. 
 
 " I remember those sheep of old," he said 
 kindly, as he turned to the board. " Isn't it 
 the ' stood him in ' that troubles you ? "
 
 348 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 " Yes, it is," Joe answered, grumbly. " 1 
 don't see no sense to it." 
 
 " Let me show you. Suppose " A.nd 
 
 he went through with the well remembered 
 explanation. It was successful, Joe under- 
 stood it, and went on briskly with his fig 
 ures. 
 
 Edward turned towards Mr. Burrows. " It 
 was the way my father explained it to me," 
 he said, with eyes that glistened a little. 
 
 Some one brought Mr. Burrows a note, 
 and as he read and laid it down he said, 
 
 " Now, Edward, if you had continued at 
 school instead of running away from us, I 
 should get you to hear this recitation in 
 algebra, and take leave of absence for a few 
 minutes. There is a friend in town whom I 
 would give much to see before the next 
 train leaves." 
 
 " Suppose you set me at it as it is." 
 
 Mr. Burrows looked surprised.
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 349 
 
 " Have you been studying algebra, Ed- 
 ward ? " 
 
 u Somewhat." 
 
 " How far have you been ? " 
 
 " Through." 
 
 " Do you feel positive that you could do ex- 
 amples over here ? " turning to " Evolution." 
 
 " Entirely" Edward answered, smiling at 
 Mr. Burrows' doubts. Ray' had been a 
 thorough teacher. 
 
 So Mr. Burrows went away, and Edward 
 took his seat on the stage and commenced 
 the recitation. At first the boys were dis- 
 posed to be wise, and display their knowl- 
 edge ; when they had known him last, he was 
 in division. But he was in algebra now, or 
 rather through it, and they speedily discov- 
 ered that he seemed to have every example 
 in the lesson committed to memory. 
 
 Meantime, Mr. Burrows returned, and lis- 
 tened with astonishment and delight.
 
 350 TIP LEWIS AND HIB LAMP. 
 
 " Thank you, heartily," he said, after- 
 wards ; " you ought to fit yourself for teach- 
 ing. But, Edward, you did not get through 
 algebra alone ? " 
 
 " No," said Edward, flushing at the thought 
 of Ray ; " I had the best and wisest teacher 
 on earth." 
 
 Well, he sat down in what had been his 
 seat, and tried to imagine that it was his seat 
 still ; that Bob would be in pretty soon, and 
 plague him while he studied his spelling-les- 
 son. But he could not do it. " Things were 
 different ; " very different. First and fore- 
 most, there was Ray ; he had not known him 
 in those days ; if he had, he said to himself, 
 things would have been different long before 
 they were. 
 
 Going back up town he met Mr. Hoi- 
 brook, who turned and walked with him. 
 
 " And so," he said, after the long talk was 
 concluded, " you go next week, do you ? "
 
 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 351 
 
 * Next Tuesday, sir." 
 
 "Well, God bless you, my friend, as he 
 has, and will." Then, after a minute, " Ed- 
 ward, my son is a wanderer yet ; do you still 
 remember him ? " 
 
 " Always, sir," Edward answered, in firm 
 steady tones ; " and, Mr. Holbrook, God 
 never forgets ! " 
 
 As he went on past Mr. Minturn's store, 
 could he have heard the remarks that were 
 made there, very likely he might have remem- 
 bered a certain statement which he made to 
 the little fishes that summer morning. 
 
 Mr. Minturn, looking out after him, said 
 to Mr. Dewey, 
 
 "There goes one of the finest and most 
 promising young men in this town." 
 
 " Yes," answered Mr. Dewey, laughing a 
 little ; *' I used to notice that he improved 
 every day after he brought back those circus 
 tickets."
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 1 FOR THOU SHALT FIND IT AFTER MANY DATg." 
 
 OME in," and the Rev. Edward 
 Lewis laid down his book, pushed 
 back his study chair, and was 
 y ready to receive whoever was knock- 
 ing at his study door. 
 
 " Mr. Lewis," said the little girl who came 
 in in answer to his invitation, "father has 
 just come from the post-office, and he 
 brought you some letters, and here they 
 are." 
 
 Mr. Lewis thanked his little next-door 
 
 neighbor, took his letters, and when the 
 862
 
 TIP LEWIS AND H18 LAMP. 358 
 
 room was quiet again, settled back in his 
 chair to enjoy them. 
 
 The first one was from a brother minister, 
 begging an exchange. The next brought a 
 look of surprise and delight to his face, for 
 he recognized Ellis Holbrook's handwriting. 
 A.nd the delight spread and deepened as he 
 read ; especially when he came to one sen- 
 tence : " I asked father what message he had 
 for you, and he replied, ' Send him this 
 verse, and tell him that again it is peculiarly 
 his : "I love the Lord, because he has heard 
 my voice and my supplication.' ' That you 
 see, would have told me the whole story, 
 without this long letter. I thank God that 
 he put it into your heart to pray for me, as 
 also that he has heard your prayers. God 
 bless you. By the way, father wants you to 
 assist him on the first Sabbath in July. I 
 earnestly hope you can do so ; he thinks you 
 will be coming east about that time."
 
 354 TIP LEWIS AND BIS LAMP. 
 
 Was there ever a more thankful heart than 
 was that minister's as he laid down his old 
 school-fellow's letter ? How constantly, how 
 sometimes almost hopelessly, had he prayed 
 for Ellis Holbrook! How many times had 
 he been obliged to reassure himself with the 
 promise, " In due season we shall reap, if we 
 faint not." And now, again, had God's 
 word been verified to him. He took the 
 letter up once more, to look lovingly at that 
 closing, never before written by Ellis, 
 " Your brother in Christ." 
 
 There was still another letter to read. 
 That writting, too, was familiar ; he had re- 
 ceived many reminders of it during the past 
 years. He laughed as he read, it sounded 
 BO like the writer ; 
 
 ALBANY, June , 18 . 
 "DflAB TIP, Do you have fourth of 
 July out your way this year ? We do here
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 in Albany ; rather, I'm going to have one in 
 my yard. Perhaps you remember a fourth 
 of July which you took me to once, when 
 we were ragged little wretches at home ? I 
 do, any how, and this is to be twin-brother 
 to that time. All the ugly, dingy little ur- 
 chins that I know have been invited. We're 
 to have fine fireworks and fine singing and 
 fine eating. My wife added that last item ; 
 thought it a great improvement. I'm not 
 sure but it is ; most things are that she has a 
 hand in. Now, to come to the point of this 
 letter, you're to make the speech on that 
 occasion. No getting out of it now ! I 
 planned this thing one day in the old school- 
 house. Oh, did you know Mr. Burrows had 
 given up teaching ? Grown too old. Queer, 
 isn't it ? Don't seem as if anybody was 
 growing old except me. At first I wasn't 
 going to have my feast on the fourth, be- 
 cause, you remember, it was on that day that
 
 356 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 our blessed Ray left us ; but, talking with 
 Mr. Minturn about it, he said Ray would 
 have been delighted with it all, and so he 
 would, you know. Don't think we are go- 
 ing to gather in all Albany ; it's only the 
 younger scholars of the mission-school, in 
 which my wife and I are interested. 
 
 " Tell Howard and Kitty to be sure and 
 come ; they can put their visit a few weeks 
 earlier as well as not. 
 
 " Oh, by the way, if you have heard 
 from Ellis Holbrook lately, you are singing 
 4 Glory Hallelujah ' by this time ! 
 
 " I am writing this in the counting-room, 
 and am in a great hurry, though you 
 wouldn't think it. Shall expect you by the 
 third, certainly. Yours, etc., 
 
 "Bos TUBNKB. 
 
 These letters came on Saturday evening. 
 The next morning in Sabbath school, when
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HI8 LAMP. 85T 
 
 the superintendent's bell rang, the minister 
 left his class of mission-scholars, and went 
 up the aisle towards the altar. Pausing first 
 to speak with a bright-eyed little lady, who 
 sat before her class of bright-eyed little 
 girls. 
 
 " Kitty, where is Howard ? " 
 
 " At home, coaxing a fit of sick-head- 
 ache." 
 
 " Well, here are letters that will interest 
 you both ; came last evening, one con- 
 tains an invitation. Tell Howard I think 
 we must try to go. Mother bade me tell 
 you she wanted to see you at the parsonage 
 in the morning ; she is not out to-day." 
 
 Then he went on. The scholars began to 
 sit up straight, and fold their arms ; they 
 knew they must listen, if they wanted Mr. 
 Lewis to talk to them. When every eye 
 was fixed on him, he began, 
 
 " Children, I have a very short story to
 
 358 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 tell you to-day, about myself. Years ago, 
 when 1 was a little boy, my Sabbath-school 
 teacher told us a story, one morning, which 
 was the means of bringing me to Jesus. I 
 have to thank that lady, next to God, that I 
 am standing here to-day a minister of Christ. 
 She was not our regular teacher, but was a 
 stranger ; I never saw her after that Sabbath. 
 Perhaps you can imagine how I have longed, 
 since I became a man and a minister, to 
 find that lady, and tell her what one hour of 
 faithful teaching did for me. I thought it 
 would help her, encourage her. I thought 
 she would be likely to tell it to other teach- 
 ers, and it would help them. But though I 
 had it always in mind, and made very earn- 
 est efforts to find her, I never succeeded 
 until last week. You know, children, it is 
 ten years since I came here to be your pastor, 
 and last week I learned that during all this 
 time I have been living within twenty miles
 
 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 359 
 
 of the lady whom I have so long been seek- 
 ing. And what else do you think I heard of 
 her ? Why, that two weeks ago she died. 
 Scholars, my first thought was a sad one, 
 that I never could thank her now. But you 
 know I can ; I expect to, one of these days. 
 Why, when I get to heaven, one of the 
 first things I shall do will he to seek her out 
 and tell her about it. So, you see, she will 
 know it, even if some of the watching angels 
 up there have not told her tdready. 
 
 " Just here, I want to say one word to the 
 teachers. This incident should come with 
 wonderful encouragement to your hearts ; 
 reminding you that you may often speak 
 words which spring up, and bear fruit, that 
 reaches up to God. Though you do not 
 know it, and will not, until hi heaven you 
 take your crowns, and question why there 
 are so many stars. 
 
 "Cliildren, next Sabbath I will tell you
 
 360 TIP LEWIS AND HIS LAMP. 
 
 the story which led me to Christ ; and all 
 this week I am going to pray that it may 
 have the same effect on some of my scholars. 
 " It is time now for your verse. If any of 
 you can find out why what I have beeL 
 telling you to-day made me think of this 
 verse, you may tell me next Sabbath. 
 Now repeat : ' Cast thy bread upon the 
 waters, for thou shalt find it after many
 
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