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 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