THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 

 
 THE 
 
 and s 
 
 BY 
 
 MRS. E. E. BOYD, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "TWO LITTLE YELLOW JACKETS," 
 
 " THE BIG DOTS AND THE LITTLE DOTS," 
 
 " THE P. D. S.," " ONCE UPON A TiilE." 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 ALFRED MARTIEN, 
 
 1214 CHESTNUT STREET. 
 1871.
 
 Entered, according to Act of Conpress, in the year 1871, by 
 
 ALFRED MARTLEN, 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 
 
 J iflaitifii, 
 
 r auO Stmotuper.
 
 7 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. PAGE 
 JERRY AND ROSE 5 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE STEP-MOTHER AND JIM CROW'S BONNET 20 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 JERRY'S STORY 41 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 JERRY'S "LITTLE WIFE" GOES AWAY.... 61 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 WHICH is JERRY'S "OTHER CHAPTER." 81 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 WHAT ROSE DID AT AUNT BETSY'S 103 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 THE SKEIN UNRAVELLED 128 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 KEEPING THE TOLLGATE 146 
 
 [3] 
 
 48S984 
 
 LIBRARY
 
 9^ tf 
 
 fc f obWcr and 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 JERRY AND ROSE. 
 
 |VERY one, even those who 
 lived miles away, knew Jerry. 
 He said he never could tell why his 
 mother picked that name for him out 
 of all the other names in the Bible, 
 unless it was that he was such a very 
 crying baby, and she thought it the 
 most appropriate. There was one 
 thing, no one but her gave him the 
 ** 5
 
 6 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 full name, "Jeremiah," so that after 
 all, it was not so doleful, but " rather 
 chirpy." 
 
 Every one for miles around knew 
 Jerry, and what is saying still more, 
 every one respected him. The min- 
 ister, when he was tired studying, and 
 very often could not find a. text that 
 suited him for the next Sunday's ser- 
 mon, went to Jerry's shop, and had 
 a long talk with the old man. Then 
 he was sure to come out with a new 
 light in his eye, and a gladder, quicker 
 step, feeling that he had gained some- 
 thing which would not only be of use 
 to himself, but many others. 
 
 He often told Jerry the best part
 
 Jerry and Rose. 7 
 
 of the sermon was of his getting up, 
 when the cobbler told him what good 
 fare he had set before them. 
 
 But the old man never could see 
 how he had any hand in the making 
 of such a great thing as a sermon. 
 If it had been a shoe, he could have 
 challenged the parson or any other 
 man. No matter what hurry people 
 were in, they tried to find time to put 
 their heads in the window, and bid him 
 " a good-day," just to hear his cheery 
 voice and see his good-natured smile. 
 
 Ah! but didn't the boys like him! 
 You ought to have seen them on 
 Friday afternoon, when school was 
 dismissed, which it always was sooner
 
 8 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 than on other days, " make tracks," as 
 they said, for Jerry's cottage. If they 
 had failed to come, Jerry would have 
 been as much disappointed as they, 
 for that was "reception day," and a 
 good time all around was expected. 
 If a boy for some misconduct was 
 detained longer than the rest on that 
 day, he would gladly have taken a 
 whipping for the sake of being let off, 
 and Jerry never got his sails fully 
 spread, the boys thought, until all 
 were there. The shop was not a 
 very commodious place, but it was 
 astonishing how many boys could 
 crowd into it, and yet leave room 
 for Jerry to draw out his wax-ends.
 
 Jerry and Rose. 9 
 
 It was like other shoemaker's shops, 
 strewn over with bits and scraps ; a 
 last here, and an awl there, and every- 
 thing smelling strongly of leather ; but 
 the walls were as white as many bed- 
 rooms, and on the window-sill, in 
 summer and winter, stood two pots 
 of geranium, and a rose that looked 
 as if it bloomed on purpose to make 
 the old man glad. 
 
 Often, when he was stitching away 
 and thinking, his eyes grew moist and 
 so dim that he had to rub them dry 
 with his sleeve ; but when he looked 
 at its freshness and bloom, his eyes 
 lit up with a glad light and the smiles 
 played about his wrinkled face. For,
 
 io TJie Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 bonny as the plant was, his little 
 blossom, his Rose, was far bonnier, 
 and never could there be sweeter 
 flush than that on her fair cheeks. 
 
 He must always have thought of 
 her when his eyes grew moist, and 
 when the smile and the light broke 
 over his face, he still thought of her; 
 but O, they were so different, those 
 thoughts. The first pictured her a 
 little lovely orphan when he was gone, 
 with no one left to call her loving 
 names and give her tender care. The 
 other saw her loved and cherished by 
 Him who cares for every little plant, 
 and watches the unfolding of every 
 blossom. "Why, even the wild-
 
 Jerry and Rose. n 
 
 flowers, little orphans as they are, 
 are just as dear to Him as the rarest 
 flowers in the grand gardens, and He 
 cares for them because they are so 
 lonely, and never forgets the colors 
 they ought to wear, or the perfume 
 they ought to give. My Rose, my 
 blossom, will be safe in His keeping, 
 aye, safer than in mine," he added, 
 his voice growing steadier and his 
 heart stronger as he thought. And 
 Rose was as fair a blossom as ever 
 grew. Her sparkling eye, glowing 
 cheek, and merry laugh, were sure 
 to draw forth the exclamation " How 
 lovely !" 
 
 But better than all this, she was
 
 12 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 truthful, trusting, obedient and un- 
 selfish. She liked to make others 
 happy, and you had only to say 
 something would please you, and it 
 was done at once, if Rose could do 
 it. Then of the two, she seemed 
 the happier, and after all, really 
 was, for the Bible tells us, "It is 
 more blessed to give than receive ;" 
 and when we give pleasure to others, 
 our pleasure is two-fold. Something 
 comes into our hearts then, that we 
 never could have without thinking of 
 some one else. 
 
 Some people shook their heads 
 when her mother died, and said, 
 "Poor child, what a pity she could
 
 Jerry and Rose. 13 
 
 not go too, hers will be a sorry 
 life, now that her poor mother is 
 gone." 
 
 But Jerry did not thank them for 
 their wish that his blossom should 
 fade and die. He prayed that she 
 might be spared to gladden and 
 comfort his old age, and that he 
 might have wisdom given him to 
 train her up for heaven. For a 
 great many years Jerry's wife had 
 been dead, and Rose's mother kept 
 house for him. When she left him, 
 he told Rose, who was only four 
 years old, that she was to be the 
 "little wife, and take care of grand- 
 father." 
 
 2
 
 14 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 This made her clap her little hands 
 and laugh; but theje were many 
 hours when he had to lay aside his 
 work, and sit with her on his knee, 
 trying to divert her thoughts from her 
 mother, by telling her funny stories, 
 and asking her what she was going to 
 give him to eat that day. 
 
 Sometimes this had the desired 
 effect, and smiles broke over her 
 mouth while the tears were yet upon 
 her lashes ; but many times all this 
 failed, and the old man was at a loss 
 what next to try. 
 
 One day a happy thought came to 
 him, and he told her of the babe born 
 in Bethlehem. How, when it came
 
 Jerry and Rose. 15 
 
 from heaven, the angels flew down to 
 tell the shepherds to be glad, and how 
 they made such beautiful music when 
 they sang. 
 
 Rose lifted up her head, which had 
 been pillowed on her grandfather's 
 arm, and listened. Then he went on. 
 " The shepherds were so glad to hear 
 the baby had come, that they left their 
 sheep and dear little lambs and went 
 to see it; then they v/ent back and 
 told every one about the dear child. 
 For the good Lord, our Heavenly 
 Father, had sent him out of heaven to 
 make people happy and teach chil- 
 dren how to be good.'* 
 
 "What was the baby's name?"
 
 1 6 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 asked Rose, with a little sob, as if 
 the great trouble was ready to break 
 out afresh. 
 
 "Jesus," said her grandfather. 
 
 " Did Jesus cry, and did his grand- 
 father nurse him ?" asked Rose. 
 
 " He was very good, and an old 
 grandfather nursed him and loved 
 him better than any one else. But 
 a wicked king wanted to take him 
 away and kill him." 
 
 " I hate that man, I won't ask God 
 to make him good," interrupted Rose 
 excitedly, looking into her grand- 
 father's face with eagerness. " Did 
 he get the little baby, the naughty, 
 bad man?"
 
 Jerry and Rose. 17 
 
 "No, he did not get him, and the 
 baby grew up to be a man, and little 
 children clapped their hands and sang 
 when they saw him, and he took them 
 in his arms and blessed them." 
 
 Rose had never learned to talk 
 baby-talk, but had always had a little 
 womanly way, and she liked to under- 
 stand things, so she said, " I guess ycu 
 mean, grandfather, that he kissed the 
 little girls and boys." 
 
 " Well, maybe that was it," said the 
 old man, delighted with his success. 
 " But now suppose we get the supper. 
 You set the table, and grandfather 
 will toast some bread, then some 
 other day, if you are good, he will
 
 1 8 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 tell you more about the holy child 
 Jesus." 
 
 Jumping from his knee, after having 
 a kiss and a hug, the "little wife" 
 mounted a chair, and handed the 
 dishes down to the old man, with 
 orders not to fix them, only to set 
 them on the table, which orders he 
 laughingly obeyed, and went on with 
 his toasting. 
 
 After that, when the little heart 
 was lonely, nothing cheered it so 
 much as to hear about Jesus. She 
 always forgot to cry then ; she was 
 so glad he made the blind people to 
 see, and the sick well. Very often 
 her grandfather got her to tell him
 
 Jerry and Rose. 19 
 
 about the Saviour, or sometimes when 
 he told her about the kind things 
 Jesus did, he purposely forgot some 
 part, so that she might correct him. 
 And it astonished him to find how 
 much she knew. 
 
 Although so young, nothing had 
 such great effect by way of rebuke 
 for misconduct, as to have her grand- 
 father say, "Jesus would not have 
 done that." 
 
 "Then / won't," was the artless 
 reply, and so the beautiful life of the 
 Saviour was giving greater charm 
 and beauty to the life of the child 
 Rose.
 
 2O The Cobbler and his Ros&. 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE STEP-MOTHER AND JIM CROW'S BONNET. 
 
 |HE minister's wife wanted to 
 take Rose when her mother 
 died, and bring her up with her little 
 daughter Mary ; but the idea of part- 
 ing was so painful to the old man that 
 she did not urge it. Every week, 
 however, and sometimes very often 
 through the week, Rose went to the 
 parsonage to play with Mary, who 
 called her Cousin Rose, and watched 
 with eagerness for her coming. 
 They were both about the same
 
 The Step- Mother. 21 
 
 age, but Mary was one of those timid 
 natures that must have a stronger 
 to cling to, and she found all she 
 needed in Rose. 
 
 Mary thought of things, and Rose 
 did them , then when Mary wondered 
 and admired, Rose laughed and said, 
 "Just as if every one could not do 
 that, why it is as easy as anything." 
 
 Mary thought there never was such 
 a pretty little girl as Rose, with her 
 crimson cheeks and sparkling eyes ; 
 but Rose thought the pink and white 
 of Mary's a great deal prettier. Mrs. 
 Lapsley took care that Rose should 
 be dressed neatly and in a becoming 
 way, so that Mary and she very often
 
 22 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 had dresses alike, to their great 
 delight. 
 
 They were both too young to know 
 that there could be any distinction 
 between a cobbler's grandchild and a 
 minister's daughter, and Mrs. Lapsley 
 had no intention that they should ever 
 feel it. She taught them that no one 
 could be beautiful, no matter how 
 finely they were dressed, unless they 
 had a kind and pleasant manner, and 
 that people were not loved and 
 thought well of so much because 
 they were rich, as because they were 
 good and unselfish. So they grew 
 up together, trying to be good and 
 kind, and although they sometimes
 
 The Step- Mother. 23 
 
 had little quarrels, such as children 
 all have, Rose never felt that she 
 had not as good a right to be treated 
 well as Mary, and Mary never thought 
 of reminding her that she was "only 
 a cobbler's little girl." 
 
 "Guess what I saw around the 
 corner?" exclaimed Rose, as she ran 
 breathless to her friend one day after 
 school "a step-mother!" 
 
 " How do you know it was a step- 
 mother?" asked Mary, coolly. "And 
 even if it was, that would be no great 
 thing. You can see plenty of them 
 all the time. I know children who 
 have step-mothers." 
 
 " Why, she was sitting on the step,
 
 24 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 nursing a baby, and Minnie Hall said 
 she was a step-mother. John Robbins 
 says step-mothers take children by 
 their hair and pull it out, and Minnie 
 says all the mothers who sit on steps 
 are step-mothers." 
 
 " I guess they are ^/-mothers, you 
 silly Rose, because they sit on the 
 steps. But they are not the kind of 
 ones John Robbins meant, and he tells 
 a story, they dont take children by 
 the hair ; he ought to be ashamed of 
 himself. I know some step-mothers, 
 and they are real kind, and their 
 children love them as much as we 
 love mamma." 
 
 "Then Minnie Hall is bad too, and
 
 The Step- Mother. 25 
 
 I will not go with her any more," said 
 Rose decidedly. What is a real step- 
 mother, Mary?" 
 
 "Why, a real step-mother is well 
 suppose mamma was dead, only she 
 isn't, and I never want her to be dead 
 well suppose she was, and papa 
 should marry some other lady, because 
 there wouldn't be any one to buy my 
 clothes, and attend to the servants ; 
 well, she would be my step-mother, 
 that is what it means. I think it is 
 very kind for ladies to be little girls' 
 step-mothers when their own mothers 
 die, don't you ? Mamma is your step- 
 mother now you know, because you 
 have'nt got any other mother, only
 
 26 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 you haven't got a father, and she 
 is not married to your grandfather." 
 
 "Is that what it means? I wish I 
 had a real step-mother, to live with 
 me all the time/' 
 
 " She might punish you, you know, 
 and that wouldn't be very nice," said 
 Mary with emphasis, not too well 
 pleased with Rose for wanting to 
 have any one beside herself to love. 
 
 "O, grandfather wouldn't let her, 
 besides you said they were nice and 
 kind." 
 
 " Well, so I did, but they might get 
 angry sometimes and give their chil- 
 dren a whipping." 
 
 Rose did not reply, but all through
 
 The Step- Mother. 27 
 
 their play she thought how nice it 
 would be to have a step-mother. 
 When she went home, after kissing 
 her grandfather she sat down close 
 beside him, for being eight years old, 
 she thought herself too large to sit on 
 his knee, and putting an arm around 
 his neck she said, "I wish I had a 
 step-mother, grandfather. Won't you 
 get me one ?" 
 
 "What ails the child?" he replied, 
 laughing, and taking off his glasses to 
 wipe them, then putting them on and 
 turning to Rose, who sat waiting for 
 his answer "A step-mother, what 
 put that in your head little wife ? Do 
 you know what a step-mother is ?"
 
 28 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 Rose told him all that had occurred, 
 and then renewed her plea. " Mary's 
 mother is good, and I love her next to 
 you, grandfather, but she does not 
 live with us, and I want a mother to 
 stay here all the time." 
 
 The old man's heart smote him ; he 
 was afraid he had done wrong in 
 keeping the child with him, instead of 
 giving her to Mrs. Lapsley, so for 
 fear if he waited longer his courage 
 should fail, he said, " If the little wife 
 went to live with Mary's mother, that 
 would do just as well, wouldn't it ?" 
 
 " And leave you, grandfather ?" 
 
 " O well, you could see me every 
 day;" but here he thought he had
 
 The Step- Mother. 29 
 
 better stop, for he was not sure he 
 could keep down the choking feeling. 
 
 " Well, I wouldn't leave you for all 
 the world, grandfather, not even for 
 Mary and Mrs. Lapsley. Who would 
 get the supper ready, and wash up 
 the dishes, and keep house for you? 
 Would you like me to leave you, 
 grandfather ?" 
 
 Old Jerry laid down his work, and 
 drawing her on his knee, he stroked 
 her wavy hair with his hard, toil-worn 
 hands. Then, in a trembling voice, 
 he said: "If the little blossom was 
 taken away, the old tree would soon 
 wither and die, for 'tis that that keeps 
 it green." But in a more cheerful
 
 30 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 tone he added, " Nobody will ever 
 think as much of grandfather as his 
 Rose, so she must be little wife, step- 
 mother, and everything." 
 
 He drew her closer, holding her 
 so tight that he almost took her 
 breath away, she said. Then when 
 he had kissed her rosy lips, he asked, 
 " Is grandfather to have the little wife 
 all to himself, or must there be the 
 step-mother ?" 
 
 " I guess I'll be all," she said, laugh- 
 ing and jumping from his arms, " and 
 I'll play step-mother to my kitten, 
 and punish it when it is naughty." 
 
 Jerry sat watching her in her chase 
 after the kitten, thinking to himself,
 
 The Step- Mother. 31 
 
 " It is human nature the world over. 
 The good Lord puts these feelings 
 in the hearts of the little ones, and 
 nothing that any one can do will 
 take them out. I'm not her mother, 
 that Is very clear." 
 
 In the meantime Rose had found 
 the kitten, and was preparing to cut 
 out a bonnet and circular, so that 
 she could take it out walking, as 
 mothers did their children. Of course 
 it twisted around and shook its head 
 when the paper rattled about its ears, 
 and then it had its ears boxed, and 
 was told that it might as well sit still 
 at once, for it should not disobey its 
 mother.
 
 32 Tlie Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 After repeated efforts on the part 
 of the kitten to get away, and as 
 great on the part of Rose, who was 
 determined it shotdd look like other 
 children, the paper patterns were cut, 
 and it scampered off, not once looking 
 back, for fear of being recaptured. 
 
 "It is a very troublesome child," 
 said Rose, as she laid down the scis- 
 sors and paper to look among her 
 patches for silk with which to make 
 the bonnet. As it was summer, she 
 could wait a little while for the cape; 
 but it would not do to take it out 
 in the sun without something on its 
 head, its complexion might be spoiled. 
 "It is a very troublesome child indeed,
 
 The Step- Mother. 33 
 
 and will have to get a great many 
 whippings ; the idea of its scratching 
 its mother in that shameful way !" 
 Here she held up her little fat hand, 
 on which were several lono- red 
 
 o 
 
 marks. 
 
 It took a long time to choose be- 
 tween the colors, there were so many 
 pretty pieces. "That green would 
 be sweet," she said ; " if I only had 
 Jim Crow here, I could try it on." 
 
 But Jim Crow had had enough 
 of millinery for that day, and was 
 playing hide-and-seek all by himself 
 out among the bushes in a neighbor- 
 ing yard. 
 
 "There, this is the very thing.' I
 
 34 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 will make the bonnet of it ;" and she 
 drew out a piece of yellow satin, 
 and held it up admiringly. "But 
 there must be something stiff to make 
 it on ;" so, after a long search, she 
 found a piece of thick brown paper, 
 such as is used for wrapping round 
 heavy goods, and laying the pattern 
 on it, cut out the bonnet-frame. 
 
 Every little while, her grandfather 
 looked up and smiled to see how 
 handy she was, and how like a little 
 woman. 
 
 " But she could not help it," he 
 thought, "with such a good teacher 
 as Mrs. Lapsley." 
 
 It did not take long to cover the
 
 The Step- Mother. 35 
 
 frame, for Rose seemed to know 
 almost as well where to begin, and 
 how to proceed, as if she had been 
 apprenticed to the millinery business. 
 
 " Now I must trim it," she said ; and 
 as the trimming was the most im- 
 portant part, that required longer 
 time and more thought. In one 
 corner of her bureau drawer there 
 was a little painted box with a glass 
 lid. It used to be her mother's, and 
 Rose was very careful of it, and kept 
 it in the same place. Now she took 
 it out, and emptying out bits of ribbon, 
 old flowers and feathers, began her 
 selection, laying each one on the 
 bonnet, to get the effect.
 
 36 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 "O, it will be too splendid!" she 
 exclaimed, as she threw over the 
 yellow satin a bright scarlet ribbon. 
 "Jim Crow will look elegant." Then 
 a green and black feather, from the 
 tail of the old rooster who had died, 
 was added, and this called for another 
 exclamation of delight. Next, a large 
 pink rose with a yellow centre, was 
 selected, because it was too pretty to 
 leave out, and then the box was laid 
 away, and then the trimming com- 
 menced. 
 
 The feather was made to stand up 
 as straight as possible, so that when 
 Jim Crow shook his head it would 
 wave' and nod like the plumes on
 
 The Step- Mother. 37 
 
 a hearse. The pink rose graced the 
 other side; but the crowning glory 
 was the scarlet ribbon. It was so 
 broad that it nearly covered the entire 
 bonnet, and its bows looked like grim 
 sentinels keeping guard over feather 
 and flower. 
 
 Suddenly, Rose remembered the 
 inside quilling. " Such a stupid to 
 make a bonnet without something 
 inside !" 
 
 So box and bag were again ex- 
 amined, and an old piece of lace 
 brought out, which looked, judging 
 from the color and width, as if it 
 had been part of her grandmother's 
 cap border in the days when? they
 
 38 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 were worn nearly a quarter of a 
 yard deep. 
 
 Part of this had been torn off, 
 so that it was only about a finger- 
 length wide, and soon it was trans- 
 ferred to the bonnet, where it would 
 not stand out properly as a border 
 should, but kept falling over in a 
 very provoking way. "Well, it will 
 do for a veil," she said, after several 
 fruitless efforts to keep it in place. 
 " Mothers always put veils over their 
 children's faces, when they carry them 
 out." 
 
 "Is not that magnificent, grand- 
 and the bonnet was held 
 the old man's spectacles,
 
 The Step-Mother. 39 
 
 who declared it almost made him 
 wish he was going to wear it. 
 
 "Then you shall," was the quick 
 reply. "There now, you ought to 
 see yourself. O, you are too funny 
 for anything, grandfather," and she 
 laughed so merrily that the old man 
 had to laugh ; when just in the midst 
 of the fun, in walked the minister and 
 down dropped the bonnet, which Rose 
 picked up and ran off with. 
 
 " Playing school, and having to 
 wear the dunce cap?" asked Mr. 
 Lapsley, with a great deal of fun 
 in his eyes and around his mouth. 
 
 "About that, sir," replied^ Jerry. 
 " These little folks have - Beat
 
 4O The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 way of ordering us old ones around, 
 and somehow we take to it very easy. 
 They have a wonderful coaxing way 
 with them, these children." Jerry 
 seemed to think some such explana- 
 tion necessary, after being caught in 
 such an undignified performance. 
 
 But Mr. Lapsley, it is probable, had 
 often gone through the same or a 
 similar performance, for he said with 
 a very significant nod, "I under- 
 stand."
 
 Jerry s Story. 41 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 JERRY'S STORY. 
 
 |N Friday, after school, Rose 
 nearly always went to the par- 
 sonage, because Mrs. Lapsley and her 
 grandfather thought it best, as on that 
 day the boys came to visit the old 
 man. They were always respectful, 
 and never used coarse language, but 
 there was no doubt the society of 
 Mary Lapsley was much more refin- 
 ing. 
 
 On Friday, too, Jerry always had 
 
 r - t 
 
 an air 01 importance, or, to say the
 
 42 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 least, had great satisfaction. He \vas 
 pleased to have the boys seek his 
 society, and it always took him back 
 to his own boyhood's days. 
 
 "So here you are, all as merry 
 as crickets," he called out, as they 
 came bounding in one day. "Let 
 me see, have I got the whole party ?" 
 and his eye ran quickly over the 
 group. Then a shade passed over 
 his good-natured face. The boys 
 saw it, and winked at each other. 
 But one of them, a good-hearted 
 fellow named Amos King, said, " See 
 here, it's a shame, Jerry's not the 
 one to fool. We're all right, Jerry. 
 Come in, Fidler. You see we made it
 
 Jerry s Story. 43 
 
 up, that we would have some sport :" 
 and Fidler walked in, evidently de- 
 lighted at only being out in the road, 
 instead of detained in the school- 
 room. 
 
 "That's the ticket, isn't it Jerry?" 
 asked one of the party as the old 
 smile came back to the cobbler's face 
 at sight of Fidler. "Thought I was 
 getting an extra pill, didn't you ?" said 
 he, on entering, and in his heart he 
 was glad his conduct had been good 
 that day, if only for the sake of seeing 
 Jerry so happy. "Were you ever 
 kept in, or flogged, when you were a 
 boy ?" asked one. 
 
 " I say, tell us about some of your
 
 44 TJie Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 scrapes, Jerry ; that's the kind of talk I 
 like," said Fidler again. This was 
 hailed with delight by all the rest, 
 who declared it "hunky, jolly," and 
 all the absurd things boys say when 
 they are very much pleased and ex- 
 cited. 
 
 "Tell you boys about some of my 
 scrapes ! Well now, I would like to 
 know how you knew I ever got into 
 such things," and the old man gave a 
 quizzical look as he pegged away at 
 his boot. "Just as if there ever was 
 a fellow in the world who didn't 
 sometimes get into scrapes," and the 
 boys laughed at the thought. 
 
 "Well, yes, I fear we won't find
 
 Jerry 's Story. 45 
 
 many such," said Jerry. "And I see 
 there is no such thing as cheating you. 
 boys, or putting you off either," as he 
 looked around at them, they nodding 
 and winking as if to say, " You're 
 right there, old fellow." 
 
 " But where to begin about my 
 scrapes will not be so easy, for I was 
 in mischief ever since I can remember, 
 until well, until I stopped. When 
 that was, will come in with the story. 
 
 "Story!" The boys drew in their 
 breath, eased themselves around so 
 that they could see his face, and in as 
 many different ways as there were 
 different boys, showed their interest. 
 
 " Where shall I begin ?" asked he.
 
 46 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 " Begin when you were born," said 
 George Gordon, " who was readier 
 with his words than with his wits," 
 the boys said. 
 
 There was a general roar, and 
 Jerry agreed with him that that was 
 far enough to go back, as his memory 
 was not able to carry him much 
 farther. 
 
 "Well, when I was born, I did not 
 weigh near so much as I do now; 
 indeed, I was rather a small specimen 
 of humanity. They hardly thought it 
 worth while to weigh me, so they 
 put me in a quart measure, and I 
 fitted it nicely. It couldn't have been 
 skin-tight, or they would have had
 
 Jerry's Story. 47 
 
 trouble to get me out. But I wasn't 
 'the little man, no bigger than your 
 thumb, who they put in the quart pot, 
 and bade him drum/ 
 
 "Well, as I was saying, I was so 
 small that no one thought I would 
 be of much consequence in the world, 
 and they all agreed that I might as 
 well die before I gave any trouble. 
 But my mother thought if the Lord 
 chose to send her such a wee little 
 body, he meant her to take good care 
 of it, so she had me wrapped up in 
 soft cotton, and kept me as warm as 
 toast the way they wrap up little 
 young chickens sometimes. 
 
 "That seemed to agree with my
 
 48 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 constitution, and I began to pick u.p 
 in the way of flesh until I was quite 
 a respectable baby. In those days 
 people did not grow rich on their 
 children's misfortunes and deformities 
 as they do now, or my parents might 
 have made a good-sized fortune. 
 
 " So I kept on growing, and I sup- 
 pose doing my share of kicking and 
 squealing, until I grew out of baby- 
 hood. What I have told you is not 
 from memory, you know, but it is just 
 what I was told when a boy; that 
 is, when I began to get into mischief, 
 and came near losing my life, my 
 mother told me what a hard time she 
 had raising me, and what ingratitude
 
 Jerry's Story. 49 
 
 to God it would be if I bid defiance 
 to Him by taking my life in my own 
 hands in that way." 
 
 "What did you do?" asked George, 
 ready as usual. 
 
 "Well, the first thing I remember, 
 was putting the cat into a tub of scald- 
 ing water to wash her; and, as my 
 mother screamed out that I was killing 
 her, and the poor cat's cries were so 
 piteous, I reached forward to take 
 her out, but my hand and arm were 
 so scalded, that in my pain and fright 
 I let go my hold, and fell in alto- 
 gether." 
 
 "O!" exclaimed all the boys, and 
 George was on the point of asking
 
 50 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 another question probably, " Were 
 you killed?" when Jerry proceeded. 
 
 "The Lord meant to spare me 
 though, for my mother was on the 
 spot at the instant, and I was drawn 
 out regularly parboiled. Then, for 
 the second time, they had to put 
 me in cotton, but it was not so agree- 
 able as at first; however, after my 
 mother and all had given me up, I 
 was brought round by God for some 
 wise purpose ; though I think, as time 
 went on, the reason was a mystery 
 to my friends." 
 
 "Did the cat die?" asked George. 
 
 "Yes, poor thing, she died; she 
 had been in too long before they got
 
 Jerry s Story. 51 
 
 her out, for they were so anxious 
 about me." 
 
 Kind-hearted Amos here expressed 
 his sympathy with the cat, in which 
 some of the boys united, while others 
 laughed at the idea of being sorry 
 for a cat. 
 
 " The heart that would not be sorry 
 for the sufferings of the meanest thing 
 which God has made, is not human," 
 said Jerry, sharply. "You are right, 
 boys, the more helpless a thing, the 
 more it requires your pity." 
 
 "Well?" said Fidler. 
 
 "Well, I kept on growing more 
 and more venturesome, until my poor 
 mother's heart was almost broken.
 
 52 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 She said she never had a moment's 
 peace when I was out of her sight, 
 and when I was with her, she could 
 do nothing but watch me for fear of 
 my getting into mischief." 
 
 " Who would have thought you 
 were such a young lark?" said Fidler, 
 glad that some one else had trou- 
 bled his parents, and been a young 
 "scape-grace," as he was called. 
 
 "I paid dear for it all, though," 
 said Jerry, while the threads were 
 drawn out very .slowly, and he spoke 
 as if to himself "I would give the 
 world, if I had it, just to have my 
 mother back to tell her I was sorry, 
 .and ask her forgiveness."
 
 Jerry's Story. 53 
 
 The boys looked at one another, 
 and Fidler seemed uncomfortable. No 
 one questioned him then. Presently 
 he said : " Boys, when your mother 
 is gone, you have lost your best 
 friend. If her commands do not hold 
 you, or her love check your wayward- 
 ness, then look out, there are dark 
 days in store for you, and rivers of 
 tears will not wash out the memory 
 of the grief you have caused her. 
 
 " I never meant to be cruel to my 
 mother. I thought she was too strict, 
 and did not know anything about 
 boys, and that she would see I would 
 come out all right when I became 
 a man. I was out at night, because 
 
 5*
 
 54 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 all the boys I knew were out, and that 
 was the time for the greatest sport, 
 I thought. My mother knew it, and 
 urged and entreated me to stay in at 
 night, but she did not dare to tell my 
 father, who \vas very strict about these 
 things, and whose punishments were 
 always severe. 
 
 "I was encouraged by this, and 
 so took advantage of my mother's 
 kindness, and \vent on as before. 
 Many a time she never closed her 
 eyes until midnight, waiting for me 
 to come home, so that she might 
 let me in without my father hearing 
 me. 
 
 "I had fallen in with a party of
 
 Jerry's Story. 55 
 
 bad boys, who taught me card-play- 
 ing and smoking, and who from beer- 
 drinking would have led me on to 
 drink brandy also, had not my father, 
 who was compelled to be out late 
 one night, met me at the door. Find- 
 ing from my breath that I had been 
 drinking, he accused me of it, and I, 
 after trying to deceive him, told him 
 it was only beer. 
 
 "He said no more, but the next 
 day he ordered a quart of beer, and 
 insisted upon me drinking the greater 
 part of it. I did not want it then, 
 but I had to take it, and that was 
 the last drop of beer that ever went 
 into my lips. You see, it came near
 
 56 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 taking my life. I always thought he 
 put something in it to sicken me ; but 
 however it was, I never want to be 
 sicker than I was that day. 
 
 " My mother cried and wrung her 
 hands, saying I would die, and begged 
 my father to let her do something 
 for me ; but no, he said he would 
 give me enough of beer, if I liked it." 
 
 "He was an old heathen ; what 
 did he treat your mother that way 
 for?" said Fidler, looking as if he 
 would like to have the old gentleman 
 there to pound. 
 
 "His treatment was kind, com- 
 pared to mine," replied Jerry; "be- 
 sides, he whispered something to her
 
 Jerry s Story. 57 
 
 that removed all her fears, and she 
 went cut of the room. 
 
 " I did very little at school in those 
 days by way of study, but I always 
 had friends among the boys, and in 
 examination they helped me, so that 
 I seemed to keep up with the rest. 
 But I was in disgrace very often, 
 by being kept in for neglected les- 
 sons, and gave my teachers a great 
 deal of trouble. One day I was kept 
 in, to work out my examples in arith- 
 metic, and being in a sullen mood, 
 I sat for some time leaning over my 
 desk, with my head in my hands. 
 Growing tired of this, I raised my 
 head and saw, right beside me, on
 
 58 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 the adjoining desk, a slate with the 
 very figures that I needed. 
 
 "I was very hungry, and tired of 
 being in school so long, here was 
 a good chance to get away ; so, 
 quietly drawing the slate over, and 
 putting my own in its place, I rubbed 
 out a figure at a time, then made it 
 over, until in a few minutes the work 
 was done, and I was at liberty. 
 
 "I was now free from all but my 
 thoughts, but, do as I would, I could 
 not rid myself of them. I whistled, 
 I sang, I ran, then I walked slow, 
 but all this time something said, 
 'Jerry Haslin, you are a. thief. A 
 boy who would do that, would do
 
 Jerry's Story. 59 
 
 a great deal worse if he only had a 
 chance." 
 
 "That afternoon, I thought I would 
 ease my conscience by telling the 
 owner of the slate what I had done, 
 but he only laughed, and called me 
 * green,' He said I would have been 
 worse than a fool not to have taken 
 the slate; so I thought too, and 
 always after that I helped myself in 
 the same way when I could get an 
 opportunity. 
 
 "But I can't tell you the rest to- 
 day ; next Friday, if you are all here, 
 I will give you the other chapter. 
 Mind, if there is a boy away, I won't 
 finish."
 
 60 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 " Couldn't you tell us just a little 
 more now?" pleaded several voices. 
 
 "No, that would spoil the next 
 chapter. See, here comes my little 
 Rose, and that is a sign that it is 
 supper-time. So, home to your mo- 
 thers, boys, and see how you can 
 keep their eyes and their hearts 
 dancing with happiness all the week.
 
 "Little Wife" Goes Away. 61 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 JERRY'S "LITTLE WIFE" GOES AWAY. 
 
 |S the boys passed Rose in the 
 road, Howard Hutchens took 
 off his hat, while the rest only nodded, 
 or made funny speeches. 
 
 "I say, look at Hutchens," said 
 Fidler, quite amused at the gallantry 
 of the latter. "Didn't he do that 
 in style ? Practicing for Sunday, you 
 see." 
 
 "What do you mean?" asked How- 
 ard, his face flushing as he spoke.
 
 62 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 " Nothing, only when Sunday comes, 
 then we see somebody, and of course 
 we have to take off our hat to her, 
 so it's all right to try it through the 
 week, it comes easier then." 
 
 "You're a big simpleton, Fidler;" 
 but this time Howard looked rather 
 pleased. " My mother says that you 
 should never pass a lady whom you 
 know, or a gentleman either, without 
 bowing." 
 
 "Don't every one know that as 
 well as you ? But Rose Ralston is 
 not a lady or a gentleman either." 
 
 " It is the same thing, she is a little 
 girl, and will be a lady some time. 
 My mother says a true gentleman
 
 "Little Wife" Goes Away. 63 
 
 will be as polite to a child as to 
 a grown person. And I think it is 
 just as easy to bow, as to say, ' How 
 do you do.' " 
 
 In the meantime, Rose, who could 
 not have told whether all the boys 
 or only one boy bowed, had reached 
 the house, and taken her seat by 
 her grandfather's side. That was the 
 place always when she. had anything 
 to say. 
 
 " O, grandfather ! just guess what 
 Mrs. Lapsley says. She is going to 
 take Mary ever so far away in a boat, 
 and in the cars, and she says I may 
 go, if you will let me. Mary says 
 it is the nicest place in the whole
 
 64 Ttie Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 world, and that we won't have any- 
 thing to do but play." 
 
 "Then I think I would go, if it is 
 to be so nice," said her grandfather, 
 smiling at the eager face looking up 
 to his. 
 
 " Mary says we can catch fishes, 
 and have as many good things to 
 eat as we want. Mustn't it be splen- 
 did, grandfather ? Don't you wish we 
 lived there?" 
 
 " Splendid ! I guess it must be ; it 
 makes my mouth water to think of 
 it. I suppose you won't want to 
 come home at all. But as sure as 
 you don't, I'll get another wee wife ; 
 for I couldn't get along without some
 
 "Little Wife" Goes Away. 65 
 
 one to wash the dishes and cook the 
 dinner, you know. So you had better 
 not like the place too well." 
 
 " But who will be the mother when 
 I'm away ? You won't have anybody 
 to stay with you." Here Rose looked 
 very much as if she had taken leave 
 forever of the old man, and never 
 meant to smile again. 
 
 " O, that will be all right. Mother 
 Lober will fix up and be mother for 
 me until you come back. But maybe 
 you didn't mean to come back, but to 
 stay, and not have any work to do." 
 
 " Now grandfather, I'll cry if you 
 talk that way; you know I'll never, 
 never, never go away to stay from
 
 66 TJie Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 you. Would you go with Mary if 
 you were a little girl like me?" 
 
 "Indeed I would, and have a real 
 funny time of it, so now let us have 
 supper, mother, and then we can talk 
 more about this nice place." 
 
 After tea, Mr. and Mrs. Lapsley 
 walked over to see Jerry, and explain 
 all about the visit. It was to an old 
 aunt of Mrs. Lapsley, living eighty 
 miles distant, in a beautiful part of 
 country, among the mountains. They 
 were to be gone four weeks, and Mrs. 
 Lapsley asked the old man whether 
 he could spare Rose for so long a 
 time. 
 
 Coming quietly over until she was
 
 "Little Wife" Goes Away. 67 
 
 quite close beside him, Rose listened 
 eagerly for his reply. She had never 
 been from home a day, except to visit 
 her friend Mary, and now her heart 
 was full of a new joy at thought of 
 the delightful times she was to have. 
 
 When her kind grandfather said 
 he could spare her, if she promised 
 not to stay too long, and that he 
 would sing, whistle, and stitch away 
 harder than ever, to keep himself and 
 the kitten company, her joy would not 
 stay in her heart only, but beamed 
 from her eyes, and made her hands 
 clap together, until she seemed almost 
 beside herself with gladness. 
 
 Then, as too much joy cheats little
 
 68 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 folks out of their sweet refreshing 
 sleep, and makes them dull, instead 
 of bright and cheerful in the morning, 
 Rose went to bed. As she kissed 
 her grandfather and Mrs. Lapsley, 
 she looked timidly at the minister. 
 He had often patted her on the head, 
 and called her Moss Rose, but had 
 never kissed her. But to night, he 
 had prayed for her, and asked God 
 to make her always in character as 
 beautiful, and in heart as fresh, as 
 the flower whose name she bore. 
 
 Rose knew what that meant, for 
 her grandfather had often told her 
 about good and lovely people, so 
 going up to the kind minister, who
 
 .
 
 "Little Wife' Goes Away. 69 
 
 smiled and held out his hand to her, 
 she raised her blushing face for a 
 kiss. 
 
 Nothing could have pleased Mr. 
 Lapsley more, and drawing her to 
 him, he put his arm around her and 
 kissed her. He held her close to him 
 and laying his hand on her shoulder, 
 said : " What will Rose have to thank 
 her Heavenly Father for, to night ?" 
 
 "For my grandfather," she replied 
 quickly, looking over with a bright 
 smile to the old man, who had laid 
 down his work out of compliment to 
 Mrs. Lapsley. 
 
 "And what else ?" 
 
 "For kind friends," part of the
 
 70 The Cobbler a/id his Rose. 
 
 prayer her grandfather had taught 
 her. As she said this, her looks 
 showed who were meant by kind 
 friends, and the minister and his wife 
 smiled. 
 
 " Is there nothing else ?" 
 
 " I will thank Him that I am going 
 to such a beautiful place with Mary. 
 
 "And that is all, is it?" He was 
 going to speak, but Rose suddenly 
 cried out, "O no, sir, there is some- 
 thing better than all that. I thank 
 Him for his love to me, that He sent 
 the Saviour Jesus to die for me. I 
 know a little hymn, shall I say it ?" 
 
 Mr. Lapsley assented, and slowly, 
 but with earnestness, she repeated:
 
 "Little Wife' Goes Away. 71 
 
 "I'm a little pilgrim 
 
 On my heavenward way; 
 Jesus walks beside me. 
 
 For fear that I should stray. 
 
 "When I have a sorrow, 
 
 Or when I feel a fear, 
 He puts His arms around me, 
 And whispers, 'I am near.' 
 
 "So, I'll draw up closer, 
 
 And let Him take my hand; 
 And safe through the journey, 
 He'll bring me to that land. 
 
 "Then I'll sit beside Him, 
 
 And look into His face ; 
 And O, how I'll love Him 
 For His redeeming grace!"
 
 72 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 "And a sweet little hymn it is," he 
 said, kissing her again ; " but it is time 
 the little pilgrim was on her way 
 to bed." 
 
 " It is no wonder you are so fond 
 of the child," he remarked, as she 
 skipped away to her little room. 
 Jerry made no reply, but a mist came 
 over his spectacles, and he wiped 
 them with his sleeve. 
 
 After a few minutes, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Lapsley went home, having settled 
 that the old man was to give up his 
 housekeeper the next week. 
 
 And O, how the time did fly ! Be- 
 fore he could think almost, they were 
 gone, and he left in charge of the
 
 "Little Wife' Goes Away. 73 
 
 kitten. For that had been a special 
 charge, he must be sure to give it its 
 saucer of milk, and see that it was 
 put in bed. 
 
 "And what about Jim Crow's going 
 out? Where is his bonnet? for I 
 suppose he must be carried out as 
 usual," said Jerry, after she had given 
 her orders. 
 
 How Rose laughed at the idea of 
 her grandfather carrying Jim Crow 
 out. " O, it is too funny ! how I wish 
 you would take him before I go ; I 
 want to see how you look:" all the 
 time laughing her merry little laugh 
 as she spoke. But Jerry was not 
 going to take any charge of the kitten
 
 74 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 until she went, so all she could do 
 was to repeat her orders about the 
 care he was to take of it. 
 
 "You will just have to let Jim Crow 
 run about the yard, grandfather, for I 
 am going to take his bonnet for Mary's 
 doll; she says when people go visiting 
 they take their best clothes, and her 
 doll's bonnet is not as nice as the 
 kitten's." 
 
 " Very well," said grandfather, and 
 so, after any number of hugs and 
 kisses, the stage drove up in which 
 were Mrs, Lapsley and Mary. Rose's 
 little trunk was put in it, and then 
 she was lifted up ; the driver said, 
 "Get up, Tom," as he cracked his
 
 "Little Wife" Goes Away. 75 
 
 whip over the horses' heads, and 
 although only Tom had been invited 
 to go on, the whip set both in motion, 
 and the stage was off. 
 
 Jerry stood at the gate, nodding 
 and smiling, while Rose threw kisses 
 at him, and called out, "good-by," as 
 far as she could see him, then he 
 went slowly back to his work. Some- 
 thing said, "Suppose anything should 
 happen, and you would never see 
 Rose again." It brought the tears 
 to his eyes, for they did not want 
 much coaxing, they were quite ready 
 to start. But the next minute he said 
 aloud, "I'm not going to take her 
 out of God's hands in that way, think-
 
 76 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 ino- about accidents and all them kind 
 
 o 
 
 of things. I couldn't do as well by 
 her as He will do, and He can keep 
 the cars from going off the track, 
 or the boat from sinking, just as easy 
 as I can mend a shoe." 
 
 Then going into his little bed-room, 
 he thanked G.od for the great treasure 
 he had in his Grandchild, and asked 
 
 o 
 
 Him to keep that treasure for him, 
 and to make him more worthy of the 
 gift. " Keep her young heart," he 
 added, "and may my blossom come 
 back as sweet and fresh as when she 
 went away, to gladden once more my 
 dim old eyes." 
 
 After that, he whistled and sang,
 
 "Little Wife' Goes Away. 77 
 
 stitched faster, and took care of Jim 
 Crow as he had promised, thinking 
 constantly of Rose, and fancying her 
 at her plays, but no thought or fear 
 of evil came to him. 
 
 Now Rose would have laughed her- 
 self if she had seen how faithfully he 
 attended her kitten ; several times a 
 day he had to* get up and look round 
 for it for fear it would wander off in 
 search of its mistress and be lost. 
 But if he had known, he might have 
 saved himself all that trouble, for Jim 
 Crow was in the full enjoyment of 
 his freedom ; scampering through the 
 grass, running after shadows, darting 
 in and out through fences, and having
 
 78 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 a good time pretending he was a 
 squirrel and climbing the trees. 
 
 He got such a great dinner and 
 supper the first day, that it made 
 him sick ; and after that, although 
 Jerry worried and wondered what 
 had come over the kitten, and really 
 nursed it one or two nights before 
 putting it to bed, Jim Crow would 
 never consent to eat so much again. 
 You would not catch him eating 
 so much dinner that he would have 
 to lie still all afternoon ; he liked fun 
 too well for all that ; so no coaxing 
 could make him take more than his 
 saucer of milk. 
 
 Jerry felt that a great responsibility
 
 "Little Wife" Goes Away. 79 
 
 rested on him, for if anything hap- 
 pened to Jim Crow, he did not know 
 what he should do, so he called the 
 attention of Mother Lober to the 
 ailing one, as he supposed, and she 
 gave it a little catnip tea, as Jim Crow 
 only sniffed at the leaves and would 
 not touch them, and a hard time they 
 had to get him to take that. 
 
 First, Jerry spread out his leather 
 apron and set him on it, then he 
 opened his mouth while Mother Lober 
 poured the tea in. Jim scratched and 
 shook his head, and shut his white 
 little teeth; but there was no help 
 for him, the spoon was thrust be- 
 tween them, and the nasty stuff poured
 
 8o The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 down. Didn't he run when it was 
 over? His little heart beat like the 
 blacksmith's hammer, and he had 
 half a mind not to venture in the 
 house that night for fear of another 
 dose. It was a great deal worse than 
 having a bonnet tried on, or even 
 being dressed in flowers and feathers, 
 and that was bad enough. 
 
 But Jerry \vas satisfied ; Mother 
 Lober said that was what he needed, 
 and it did seem to the old man that 
 the tonic had been of use. At any 
 rate Jim Crow was let alone, to his 
 great joy.
 
 Jerrys "Other Chapter'' Si 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 WHICH is JERRY'S "OTHER CHAPTER." 
 
 fefa|||N THEY came with a rush, all 
 gfrsLBal the boys but Fidler. "We are 
 not fooling you this time," they ex- 
 claimed; "he has just gone and had 
 himself kept in. We told him how it 
 would be, that you said you wouldn't 
 tell us unless every one was here, and 
 he said he would be all right. It's a 
 real shame to cheat the rest of us. 
 Look here, Jerry, won't you go on 
 with it? we ought to have a reward 
 for being good fellows."
 
 82 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 "That's so," said Jerry, looking 
 kindly at them as they gathered 
 around him. " But haven't you got 
 a reward already? Haven't you a 
 more manly feeling than if you had 
 been deserving of punishment? I'll 
 venture to say, that poor fellow in 
 school has not your bright eyes, or 
 your happiness of heart. No, no, 
 boys, the consciousness of doing right 
 or wrong is our greatest reward or 
 punishment. If we are true to our 
 better nature, a chord is touched that 
 gives out music, that makes glad and 
 uplifts the soul ; but if we play false, 
 there is a jarring and discord within, 
 that brings only dissatisfaction and
 
 Jerrys "Other Chapter:' 83 
 
 regret. So, you see, you are already 
 paid for your good conduct." 
 
 "But don't you mean to tell us 
 after all?" they asked, in tones of 
 disappointment. 
 
 "O yes, you must have the story, 
 you deserve it, and a much better 
 one. But do you think now you 
 could enjoy it as well as if he were 
 here? I am afraid I could'nt give 
 it to you right, if I missed one pair 
 of eyes." 
 
 He watched all their faces as he 
 said this, but no one spoke. With all 
 his faults, they liked Fidler, and did 
 really want him to hear it as well as 
 they; but it was so hard to wait
 
 84 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 another week, when they would have 
 heard it to-day only for him. 
 
 "Suppose now, as my little house- 
 keeper is gone, and there is no one 
 here but me and Jim Crow, you ask 
 your mothers to let you come around 
 after supper time, and bring Fidler 
 along ; how would that do ?" 
 
 "That is the ticket good for you, 
 Jerry," and similar expressions, gave 
 the old man to understand that his 
 plan met with their approval. 
 
 When they had gone he began to 
 think about Fidler. "Just such an- 
 other," he said. He is getting further 
 and further out to sea, and if some- 
 thing is not done soon, will be dashed
 
 Jerrys "Other Chapter'' 85 
 
 to pieces among the breakers. He is 
 headstrong, that is it, and with all the 
 ropes they may put around him to 
 draw him straight, he will pull in the 
 other direction and have his own way. 
 If it could be mine to help him ; to get 
 the tangle out of him ; for he seems 
 like a tangled thread, that the more 
 you try to undo, gets the more knot- 
 ted. But it is knot at a time, and snarl 
 after snarl, until all is smooth and 
 straight. If I could find the right end, 
 God could give me the patience and 
 the understanding. But how I talk ; 
 can't He show me the right end too." 
 So remembering his own boyhood, 
 he went again into his little room and
 
 86 Tlie Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 there talked to God. But this time 
 it was not about Rose. 
 
 When he came out, he said : " I'll 
 try it, it must have been put into 
 my heart, and if He put it there, He 
 will surely bring good out of it." 
 Then he and Jim Crow had their 
 supper ; after that he began to watch 
 for the boys. 
 
 Fidler was with them this time, but 
 he had not much to say, and Jerry 
 very wisely did not notice him in par- 
 ticular. 
 
 " Now for the other chapter, boys," 
 he said when all were seated. Fidler 
 had gotten into a corner, and taken 
 up Jim Crow, which Jerry had for-
 
 Jerrys "Other Chapter" 87 
 
 gotten to put to bed, in his anxiety 
 about the boy. 
 
 " Well, I left off, let me see where 
 was it?" 
 
 "When you went to school, and 
 played cheat," spoke up George 
 Gordon. 
 
 "Just so. Well I would like to 
 stop there, for the rest is not very 
 pleasant to look back upon, but I 
 must keep my promise. I copied my 
 sums whenever I could get a chance, 
 and idled away my time until at last 
 the teachers were so vexed with my 
 conduct, they sent me home. And 
 what was a great deal worse to me, 
 they sent a note to my father, for
 
 88 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 some of the boys had told them my 
 mother could do nothing 1 with me. 
 Then I got a terrible flogging, and 
 was told I should go back the next 
 day and ask pardon for my mis- 
 conduct. I made no reply to this, for 
 every stroke seemed to harden my 
 heart still more. But I said to 
 myself " You will see if I do any 
 such thing. 
 
 "That night I went to bed early, 
 with a heart full of evil passions. I 
 would be revenged on' my father, and 
 he should not control me any longer. 
 My mother came up, looking as if 
 she had passed through some great 
 sickness. O, I wish I did not always
 
 Jerrys "Other Chapter" 89 
 
 see her face when I think of that- 
 night ! She came over to my bed, 
 and stooping down, kissed me, call- 
 ing me her boy, and telling me how 
 she prayed that God would help me 
 to subdue my evil nature, and be 
 a comfort to her now in her middle 
 
 " How she talked to me and cried, 
 but I did not shed a tear. She knelt 
 down by my side before leaving the 
 room, and prayed a prayer that went 
 right up to heaven, and God answered 
 it in His great goodness, but she 
 did not see the answer. I don't know 
 how I did it, but when she left the 
 room, I got up, and rolling together
 
 go The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 a few clothes, I crept down stairs, and 
 went out from the care and protection 
 of my parents. I walked miles until I 
 came to the country, and there I got 
 work at weeding gardens and doing 
 little things about. But that did not 
 satisfy me, and as I had read glowing 
 accounts of a sailor's life, I thought 
 if I could only get on board a vessel 
 I would be all right. 
 
 "After working here and there, and 
 making inquiry, I fell in with a boy, 
 who, like myself, was dissatisfied with 
 home and parental restraint. So we 
 agreed to go to sea together. We 
 had to hide through the day 'time, and 
 travel at night, until we were almost
 
 Jerry s "Other Chapter" gi 
 
 starved, for the boy's parents were in 
 hot pursuit of him ; but he had taken 
 some money from home, so that we 
 bought a little to eat, and often bribed 
 other boys with a trifle, to keep them 
 from telling of our hiding-place, or 
 to have them put us on the right road. 
 At last we found a vessel bound for 
 the West Indies, and without asking 
 any questions, we entered upon a 
 sailor's life. 
 
 "For a day or so, we thought we 
 were most fortunate, having little to 
 do, and congratulated ourselves that 
 our troubles were all over. But soon 
 the sailors, and even the captain, 
 began to show their true colors, and
 
 92 The Cobbler and Ids Rose. 
 
 we were cuffed and knocked about 
 like dogs, because we were slow in 
 obeying orders. 
 
 " Sometimes I was ordered to climb 
 the mast when I was scarcely able 
 to crawl from sea-sickness. Indeed 
 I was sick all the voyage. But al- 
 though I -expected every minute to 
 fall headlong into the sea, there was 
 no help for me, go I must. Then I 
 was beaten unmercifully by the sailors 
 because I would not drink their grog. 
 I do believe if they had killed me I 
 would rather have died than take it, 
 after what I had suffered from beer- 
 drinking. But the Lord cared for 
 me, though I did not think of Him,
 
 Jerry s "Other Chapter." 93 
 
 and at last we reached the island of 
 Cuba and landed at Havana. I meant 
 to leave the vessel there, thinking it 
 would be very easy to make my 
 escape, but the long sea-sickness, 
 cruel treatment, and now the intol- 
 erable heat of the place, took away 
 my courage and what little strength 
 I had. By the time we were ready 
 to sail, however, I was stronger, but 
 so well watched, that I thought best 
 not to make the attempt to run away. 
 I resolved, however, that that should 
 be my last voyage. 
 
 "And so it was. 'A life on the 
 ocean wave' was not what I had 
 pictured it, and disgusted with the
 
 94 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 ship, and all on board, I made my 
 escape as soon as ever we landed. 
 I did not dare to go home for fear 
 of my father, but by this time I would 
 have given anything for a sight of my 
 mother's face, or to have had her kiss 
 me, as she did on that last night. I 
 could not go about in my sailor's 
 clothes for fear of being sent back, 
 so I exchanged with a pawnbroker 
 for an old suit. 
 
 "I knew that I must get work or 
 starve, yet something kept me about 
 the town. I thought perhaps I might 
 get a glimpse of my mother. Just as 
 I had despaired of this, and made up 
 my mind to leave and try the country
 
 Jerry's "Other Chapter'' 95 
 
 again, I met a school-mate. When I 
 saw him I attempted to run, but he 
 overtook me and would make me tell 
 him where I had been. Then he 
 looked so strangely that I got fright- 
 ened. I was sure something had 
 happened at home. I was afraid to 
 ask him though. 
 
 "He asked me if I was going 
 home, and I said, No, I was afraid 
 of my father. But he told me he 
 did not think my father would be 
 angry now and he stopped and 
 looked queer. I felt as if I would 
 choke, but I said, Why won't he, 
 Sam? 
 
 " Then he told me that my mother
 
 g6 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 made him promise, before she died, 
 that he would forgive me, and that 
 she forgave me, and left a letter for 
 me, for she said she knew I would be 
 back again. 
 
 "O boys, I hope none of you will 
 ever suffer as I did that day. I felt 
 like Cain when he had murdered his 
 brother Abel, and it seemed as if 
 every one must know I was a mur- 
 derer. 
 
 "What will you do?" asked Sam, 
 looking very sorry. 
 
 "I don't know, I said. O, I wish 
 I was dead, Sam, I have killed my 
 poor dear mother, and then I began 
 to cry, and Sam cried too. He had
 
 Jerry s "Other Chapter'' 97 
 
 pulled me away into a corner, so that 
 the passers-by did not notice us. 
 
 "Go home, Jerry, you had better, 
 he said. I am awful sorry for you." 
 Then when I told him I couldn't, he 
 asked me to go to his house. But 
 I was afraid to go there, thinking 
 I might meet my father, and now 
 I could not bear to have him see 
 such a bad, wicked boy. I thought 
 he must hate me, even though he 
 had promised my dear mother to 
 forgive me. 
 
 " No," I said, " I will go away where 
 no one knows me, and try to be a 
 better boy. 
 
 "Shall I tell my mother I saw
 
 98 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 you?" he asked. "She is good like 
 your mother, Jerry, and will pray for 
 you. That will help to make you 
 better." 
 
 " So I told him he might, and 
 promised to write and tell him how 
 I was getting along. He had some 
 pocket-money, which he gave me, 
 then we shook hands and separated. 
 There is not much more, or there 
 is more than I can tell you now. I 
 got work with a man who farmed 
 in summer, and made shoes in winter, 
 and that was how I learned my trade. 
 
 "Then I thought I must see my 
 father, and have his forgiveness, so 
 I wrote to Sam that I thought of
 
 Jerry s "Other Chapter" 99 
 
 coming home again. But he said 
 my father had left the place, never 
 expecting to find me. He had left 
 my mother's letter though, with the 
 old minister, so that if I did ever 
 go back, as my mother said, I could 
 get it. 
 
 "I was not long in going for the 
 letter, and that letter, dear boys, was 
 more to me than millions of dollars. 
 Through God's grace, it made me 
 the man I am, and while it caused 
 me to shed bitter, bitter tears, my 
 heart was ever afterwards soft. For 
 it gave me such a knowledge of 
 my mother's love for me her way- 
 ward boy, and then showed me how
 
 ioo 77/6' Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 much greater my Heavenly Father's 
 was, that I could not help feeling 
 my ingratitude and resolving that I 
 would try to live as God and my 
 sainted mother would have me live. 
 
 " I never once heard of my father, 
 though I tried every way to gain 
 some intelligence of him. That is 
 all, boys, it has been a sad story ; 
 I hope none of you will ever have 
 such a sad one to tell." 
 
 All the time Jerry had been speak- 
 ing, there had not been a word 
 spoken by the boys, but the drops 
 that fell on cheeks and hands showed 
 they had not listened unmoved. Jim 
 Crow imVht have thought he was 
 
 o o
 
 Jerry s "Other Chapter'' 101 
 
 caught in an April shower, from the 
 way his soft fur was sprinkled over 
 with Fidler's tears ; but Jim Crow 
 was fast asleep, dreaming of climbing 
 trees, or playing with the shadows, 
 perhaps. You see, Fidler was in a 
 corner and could cry without being 
 seen. But I question whether the 
 boys would have seen him if he had 
 been sitting in the centre of the room. 
 Each one found enough to do, think- 
 ing of himself, and of the awful sorrow 
 Jerry must have felt when he broke 
 his mother's heart by his bad conduct. 
 They were still quiet as they got 
 up to go home ; even George Gordon 
 had no questions to ask. As Fidler 
 
 9*
 
 1O2 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 passed Jerry, the old man whispered, 
 " Come around by yourself to-morrow, 
 I want to show you her letter." 
 
 He nodded assent, brushed through 
 the group who stood at the door, and 
 went home alone.
 
 What Rose Did. 103 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WHAT ROSE DID AT AUNT BETSY'S. 
 
 |T LAST the day came for Jerry 
 to have back his blossom, his 
 darling Rose. And although he knew 
 she could not be there until afternoon, 
 he was up earlier than usual, fixing 
 the house, and seeing that everything 
 was in order. It never got out of 
 order, Mother Lober said, though she 
 always talked of "putting it to rights." 
 He tried to sing, whistle, and sew, 
 as usual, but the music always grew
 
 104 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 slow, and then his sewing was slow, 
 until at last he thought he might as 
 well take a holiday. So, what did he 
 do, but dress himself in his Sunday 
 clothes, shut up the house, after telling 
 a neighbor where he was going, and 
 walk down the road with a brisk step 
 to meet the s.tage. 
 
 "Won't she be surprised to see 
 grandfather?" he thought. "My, but 
 my old eyes will be glad to get a 
 sight of her sweet face." So he 
 walked on for a long distance, shading 
 his eyes with his hand, and peering 
 down the road to see if there was 
 any sign of the stage. Sometimes 
 he was sure he saw it, and straight-
 
 What Rose Did. 105 
 
 ened his face, and tried to look 
 proper, and after all it was only a 
 wagon. 
 
 " I don't know what to make of it," 
 he would say, after each disappoint- 
 ment. "Surely nothing could have 
 happened to it." 
 
 Finally he began to be tired, for 
 he was not accustomed to long walks, 
 and concluded he had better turn 
 back. It must certainly be along 
 soon, so he would walk slowly, and 
 it would overtake him. 
 
 But although he walked slowly, and 
 turned back many times to look, he 
 found he was within sight of home, 
 and yet it had not appeared.
 
 io6 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 "If I didn't know she was away, 
 I would surely think that was the 
 child," he said, stopping and leaning 
 forward to get a better view of the 
 figure standing by the gate. Just 
 then she spied him, and throwing 
 poor Jim Crow out of her arms, Rose 
 flew down the road like a bird on 
 the wing, with delighted cries of, 
 " Here he is ! O dear, dear grand- 
 father!'* Then springing up, she 
 clung to his neck so that the poor 
 old soul could not straighten himself 
 to look at her. 
 
 O, but' he was glad ! and O, but 
 she was glad ! and so the two, the 
 old heart and the young, were happy,
 
 What Rose Did. 107 
 
 as hand in hand they went toward 
 the little cottage. 
 
 "You see, grandfather, there was 
 a great rain, and the flood washed 
 away a bridge, and so we could not 
 come home the way we went. I 
 was frightened when I saw the place 
 all shut up, for I was sure you 
 were dead; but Mrs. Conrad told 
 me you had gone to meet me. I 
 wanted to go after you, but she 
 said you would soon be back, and 
 then I meant to jump out and 
 frighten you." 
 
 It was very late before supper was 
 eaten that evening, for grandfather 
 had to tell all about Jim Crow, and
 
 loS The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 what he did every day of the four 
 weeks. 
 
 When he told about the catnip 
 tea, Rose declared that neither he 
 nor Mother Lober knew anything 
 about kittens. Why, he never drinks 
 more than a saucer of milk for his 
 dinner, grandfather, you know he is 
 only a baby-cat now, and they can't 
 eat like other cats." 
 
 "Sure enough," said her grand- 
 father, "we might have known that. 
 But he looks pretty well, doesn't 
 he?" 
 
 "He looks just splendid;" here she 
 gave him a loving squeeze, which Jim 
 did not appear to relish. " There was
 
 What Rose Did. 109 
 
 a cat up there, black like Jim Crow, 
 but it was a hateful thing, it scratched 
 every one who went near it." 
 
 Here her grandfather had to inter- 
 pose and say it was bed- time, the 
 next day she could tell all about the 
 cat and everything else. So, when 
 he had knelt down and thanked 
 God for bringing his darling home 
 safe, they kissed each other, said 
 good-night, and went to bed. 
 
 Rose was awake very early the 
 next morning, although not any earlier 
 than she had been in the habit of 
 getting up when away. She listened, 
 there was no stir in the next room ; 
 so, dressing very quietly, she said 
 10
 
 no The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 her prayers, and went down stairs. 
 She knew her grandfather must be 
 tired after his long walk, and did 
 not want to disturb him. 
 
 But she had not been down long 
 when the old man made his appear- 
 ance, feeling as bright as a lark, he 
 said : "And now I must see this little 
 face by daylight," he added, drawing 
 her to him, and kissing Jier. "Why, 
 the roses out in the garden will have 
 to hang down their heads when you 
 are about." 
 
 When they sat at breakfast, he 
 seemed almost too happy to eat, but 
 kept watching her with the greatest 
 delight, as in her childish way, she
 
 What Rose Did. 1 1 1 
 
 rattled on from one thing to another, 
 now asking a question, now having 
 something wonderful to tell. 
 
 Breakfast over, they knelt down 
 as usual to pray for God's kind care 
 over them, and then, when the little 
 duties were performed, such as Rose 
 had to do, her grandfather told her 
 he could not be patient any longer, 
 but must hear about that wonderful 
 place. 
 
 " But you must not work hard 
 when I am telling you, or you won't 
 know what I say, and it is going to 
 be splendid. So Jerry agreed not 
 to work too hard, and Rose com- 
 menced.
 
 1 1 2 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 "Well, we went in the stage, you 
 know, and when I couldn't see you 
 any more, I wanted to get out and 
 come back, but Mrs. Lapsley said 
 you would not like it. So we went 
 on, and the roads were so rough that 
 Mary and I tumbled into each other's 
 laps, and we had splendid fun. Then 
 we went on the boat, and that was 
 the nicest part of all. The water 
 was covered with little white sail- 
 boats, and we saw fish jumping up 
 and looking out of the water, but 
 when they saw us, they put their 
 heads in again. O, I can't tell you 
 how much we saw ; and it was so 
 nice and cool that it blew my hat
 
 What Rose Did. 113 
 
 off, and it came pretty ne.ar being 
 drowned." 
 
 " Did it go overboard ?" asked 
 Jerry. 
 
 " No, sir, but it might, you know. 
 Wouldn't I have looked funny without 
 a hat, grandfather?" 
 
 Her grandfather suggested that she 
 might have worn Jim Crow's, and 
 then they both had a good laugh 
 about it. 
 
 "Well then, after we got oiit of 
 the boat, we got into the cars, and 
 they went so fast that I had head- 
 ache when I tried to look at the fields. 
 So Mrs. Lapsley told Mary and I we 
 had better go to sleep, and we did. 
 10*
 
 1 1 4 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 I guess we would have slept all day 
 if she hadn't wakened us. Then 
 when we left the cars, there was a 
 carriage waiting for us, and that took 
 us to Aunt Betsy's. 
 
 "O, but she is a nice Aunt Betsy, 
 grandfather ! She kissed me the same 
 as Mary, and called me her child. If 
 she was a step-mother she would 
 never whip her children or pull their 
 hair. She has a great big house, 
 grandfather. O, it is ever so much 
 
 o 
 
 larger than this it is like a castle 
 Mary says, such as kings and queens 
 used to live in. And she has an old 
 father like you, grandfather, only his 
 hair is curly, just as if it was put
 
 What Rose Did. 1 1 5 
 
 up in papers. Mary says it curls 
 itself. I mean to put yours up ; you 
 don't know how nice you will look 
 with curls. 
 
 " Where was I? O, yes! Well, 
 the house was so big that I was 
 afraid to go about by myself; why, 
 you could be lost just as easy as 
 anything in it; but Mary said she 
 could run all about and never be 
 the least afraid. We had a little 
 room all to ourselves, and it had 
 two little beds in. Mary slept with 
 me in mine one night, and I slept 
 
 with her the next ni^ht, because 
 & ' 
 
 Aunt Betsy said we should do as 
 we pleased.
 
 1 1 6 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 "But there was a great big garret- 
 room, grandfather, that you could get 
 lost in, and nobody ever find you, 
 unless they were as smart as Mary. 
 We used to play, ' Hot, buttered, blue 
 beans,' and Mary got so tired sitting 
 all squeezed up, that she had to peep 
 out and let me see her. For I never 
 should have found her if she hadn't. 
 It had great big closets that were so 
 dark we called them caverns, but we 
 didn't play much in them, we only 
 peeped and ran away. There was 
 one splendid one though, with shelves 
 all around, that we had for a house, 
 and we put real chairs in it, and called 
 it our parlor. Mary had her doll
 
 What Rose Did. 1 1 7 
 
 there, and Aunt Betsy let me have 
 a beautiful one to play with, because 
 I was careful, she said. She said 
 it used to be her sister's, who was 
 dead, and I was the only little girl who 
 ever played with it since. Wasn't 
 she kind, grandfather? But how fast 
 you are working ! did you hear about 
 the doll?" 
 
 " You don't suppose I would miss 
 that part," said he, shaking his head. 
 " But how would it do to have a doll 
 of our own ? That Jim Crow is grow- 
 ing too big a child to nurse, besides he 
 is very unmannerly, he thinks nothing 
 of lifting his paw and giving your 
 cheek a slap."
 
 1 1 8 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 At this Rose went into a perfect 
 ecstasy of delight, and was only 
 brought out of it by her grandfather 
 telling her she hadn't finished with 
 the play-house. 
 
 "Did I tell you about the stove?" 
 she asked, opening her eyes very 
 wide and raising her voice. "Well, 
 only to think, we had a real stove, but 
 it was not for grown people, only for 
 children. It had pots and pans that 
 you could cook in, and we made 
 dinners and suppers up there, and 
 invited Aunt Betsy and Mrs. Lapsley. 
 Aunt Betsy says we are splendid 
 cooks. Mary said she would be the 
 one to taste the things, so that they
 
 What Rose Did. 119 
 
 would be all right, and when they 
 wanted sugar or salt, I put it in. 
 Then she had to taste again, for fear 
 there was too much, she said. We 
 had to work very hard to fix up 
 the room, before we invited them 
 to dinner, because nobody used it, 
 and it was so full of things. We 
 put on old dresses, and swept it 
 all over, then we put carpet on the 
 floor and set the things all straight, 
 and Aunt Betsy sent a great big table 
 up, just on purpose for us. 
 
 " Aunt Betsy and Mrs. Lapsley had 
 their bonnets and shawls on, just as if 
 they were going to see grown people, 
 and they never laughed at our dinner
 
 I2O TJie Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 once. The chicken got scorched, be- 
 cause Mary was so busy tasting the 
 pudding, that she forgot it; but they 
 said it would happen sometimes with 
 the best of cooks. 
 
 " They didn't eat much though ; I 
 guess they thought it wouldn't be 
 polite, but we didn't have much left, 
 for I was awful hungry. They talked 
 to us as if we were big people like 
 themselves, and said we had a very 
 fine house and a very good child. 
 For Mary's doll was sitting at the 
 table you know, in a little high chair. 
 
 " Then they invited us to take tea 
 with them, and we had it out in the 
 garden, in the arbor all covered over
 
 What Rose Did. 121 
 
 with honeysuckle and roses. We 
 took the doll too, and she wore Jim 
 Crow's fine hat and looked splendid; 
 and we dressed ourselves like fine 
 ladies. 
 
 "Aunt Betsy invited a little boy 
 who lived near her, to come and play 
 with us, but Mary said his mother 
 spoiled him, and we did not like him. 
 We used to run and hide in the 
 garret when we saw him coming, 
 and you know he never could find 
 us there, so he had to go home, but it 
 made him angry. He upset our 
 dishes, and tossed up all the room. 
 One day when he couldn't find us, 
 
 he caught Mary's doll by the feet, 
 11
 
 122 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 and was going to dash its brains 
 out, but Mary was peeping, and she 
 jumped out so quick, that he was 
 awfully frightened, and ran down 
 stairs as fast as he could. 
 
 " He did not come back for a good 
 while, and then we told him we would 
 not play with such a rude, disagreea- 
 ble boy." 
 
 Here Jerry asked if it would not 
 have been well to try and help him 
 to be good, instead of sending him 
 off; but Rose insisted that he never 
 could do any better, he was " too 
 spoiled for anything." 
 
 "That is not the way Jesus does," 
 said he. "Jesus is very patient with
 
 What Rose Did. 123 
 
 wayward children, and does not send 
 them away because they do some 
 wrong things. He is only sorry, and 
 tries to help them to be good." 
 
 "I forgot that, grandfather; I guess 
 playing so much made me forget it; 
 but if I ever go there again I will 
 be kind to him;" and a kiss after 
 this, made Grandfather Jerry's face 
 bright as ever. 
 
 But that was not all that Rose 
 saw, or these were not all the de- 
 lightful times she had. When Mr. 
 Lapsley went to take them home, 
 he took her out ridincr on horse- 
 
 o 
 
 back, and he rode beside her. She 
 was not a bit afraid, she said, when
 
 124 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 he led the horse, for it went so nice 
 and slow, but after awhile he let go 
 of the bridle, and when her horse 
 saw his start off, he ran too ; so Rose 
 just put her arms around old Snow's 
 neck, and held on tightly until the 
 old horse seemed as much frightened 
 as she. 
 
 " He wasn't as well used to little 
 girls hugging him as I am, was he ?" 
 asked Jerry, laughing at the funny 
 picture. Then Mr. Lapsley stopped 
 his horse, and told Snow to stop, 
 and Rose never would go horse- 
 back riding again. But what was a 
 greater wonder than all, they caught 
 real fish, and had them for dinner,
 
 What Rose Did. 125 
 
 and they tasted just like the fish that 
 were bought, only ever so much 
 better." 
 
 In a little while Mary came over, 
 and then Jerry heard the story over 
 again, with some things that Rose 
 had forgotten to tell him, so that it 
 was almost as good as if he had 
 been there and seen all himself, he 
 said. 
 
 That night, true to her promise, 
 Rose put his hair in curl-papers, and 
 as there was not much of it, the little 
 there was, seemed determined to have 
 its own way, and stood out as straight 
 as it chose. But Rose was deter- 
 mined not to give up, so, by dint
 
 126 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 of screwing and twisting, until poor 
 Jerry felt as if he was being scalped, 
 she succeeded in making 1 him look 
 
 o 
 
 as much like a hedgehog as possible. 
 With every paper, she would inquire 
 if it hurt him, and encourage him 
 by saying that it would soon be done, 
 which Jerry secretly rejoiced to hear. 
 Now, he might have refused to put 
 himself under this torturing process, 
 but then what were a few twinges 
 of pain to him, compared with the 
 great pleasure it gave to his darling 
 Rose? 
 
 On Saturday night he had to beg 
 off, and make shaving an excuse, or 
 he would have astonished good min-
 
 What Rose Did. 127 
 
 ister Lapsley and the whole congre- 
 gation by his queer little curls. For 
 Rose had set her heart upon having 
 him go to church looking "as sweet 
 as Aunt Betsy's father."
 
 128 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE SKEIN UNRAVELLED. 
 
 IN Sunday, who should join 
 them as they were walking to 
 church, but Fidler, dressed carefully 
 and looking very much pleased with 
 the old man's warm greeting, and 
 the artless expressions of Rose. 
 
 As they took a seat in God's house, 
 the old man bent his head and poured 
 forth a flood of gratitude. Whose, 
 but the Lord's hand, had led that 
 boy there ; and had not he a right
 
 The Skein Unravelled. 129 
 
 to praise Him? He felt that he 
 never could praise enough. 
 
 As they walked home, Ficller said, 
 " Do you think the people in heaven 
 know what we are doing down here, 
 Jerry ?" 
 
 "Why shouldn't they?" was the 
 reply. "They surely have not less 
 knowledge than they had on earth. " 
 He mused for a little while, then 
 continued, " But the Bible says there 
 is no sorrow in heaven, so I suppose 
 the ministering angels, whom God 
 sends down on errands of mercy, fly 
 back with joyful tidings to the rest. 
 Maybe they only take the sorrow- 
 ful part to the ear of God Himself."
 
 130 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 "If that is so," thought Fidler, 
 "our little Clara don't hear much 
 good news about me. Wouldn't she 
 be glad though, if I were a better 
 boy ?" And with the thought came 
 the desire to make some one happy 
 by trying to do right. 
 
 This was not the first time these 
 thoughts had come to him. Ever 
 since he had read the letter, his life 
 had been coming up before him, as 
 it now was, and as it ought to be. 
 He saw that if it ever was to be 
 made right, now was the time to 
 begin. 
 
 So he told Jerry, though he would 
 not have breathed it to any one else,
 
 The Skein Unravelled. 131 
 
 that on the day he finished the story, 
 he had resolved to run away from 
 home, because he thought no one 
 cared for him, and that everything 
 was against him. 
 
 "That is the very way I used to 
 feel," said the old man. "And when- 
 ever a boy gets to that point, he 
 had better look sharp, he is in great 
 danger of being run off the track 
 entirely. Why, bless your heart, boy, 
 you would have to do a great many 
 outbreaking things before your mo- 
 ther would be able to give you up. 
 But suppose you begin to think 
 a little about her now, and see if 
 that don't bring you round all right.
 
 132 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 Why, if we did half as much for our 
 fathers and mothers as they do for 
 us, they would have so much joy in 
 their old hearts that sorrow couldn't 
 begin to get a corner there." 
 
 Jerry was so much encouraged by 
 Fidler going to church, that he pro- 
 posed to the boys, as they did not 
 go to Sunday-school, that they might 
 step in and spend a little while with 
 him on Sunday. 
 
 They never refused his invitations, 
 and now they thought this would be 
 a good opportunity to pass away 
 time, for to boys who do not go to 
 Sunday-school, the day is generally 
 long and tiresome.
 
 The Skein ^Unravelled. 133 
 
 Now, some of the neighbors were 
 very much perplexed as to what all 
 this could mean ; it was very strange 
 that such a good old man should have 
 a party of ungodly boys there on 
 Sunday; it might be well enough on 
 other days, but this certainly did not 
 look well. They were afraid the old 
 man's mind was growing weak, and 
 that the boys were imposing on him. 
 
 But Jerry's mind was quite clear 
 on this point. He knew how much 
 the boys thought of him, and how 
 attentively they listened to what he 
 said, so, while he liked to please them, 
 he meant to try and profit them at 
 the same time. 
 12
 
 134 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 At first there were Bible stones, 
 and these Jerry introduced in such 
 a charming manner, that the boys 
 were led to ask questions, and finally 
 this led to Bible lessons, so that Jerry 
 really had a Sunday-school, and a 
 most attentive class. 
 
 Nothing pleased them more than 
 to have a long lesson, for then Rose 
 was sure to get home from her school 
 before they left, and to take part in 
 the lesson with them. Why, the 
 Bible seemed like a picture-book 
 when she and Jerry talked about it, 
 and they made everything appear as 
 if it were before them. 
 
 There was a great difference in the
 
 The Skein Unravelled. 135 
 
 taste of the boys. Some of them 
 preferred the old Testament stories, 
 where the kings and their armies 
 went out to battle, and where there 
 were such glorious victories. But 
 Jerry never let them lose sight of 
 the fact, that success always attended 
 those who put their trust in God. 
 That it was not numbers, but the 
 Almighty Arm that gained for them 
 their victories, and that even a hand- 
 ful, through His help, were more 
 powerful than a great army unaided. 
 
 Others liked the New Testament, 
 where every page spoke of the love 
 which made glad and happy the 
 lives with which it come in contact.
 
 136 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 Among those of the latter, was Fidler. 
 Now he and the rest had often read 
 the New Testament when they went 
 to school, but the Saviour's life never 
 appeared then as it did now, and he 
 almost thought he could see Him, as 
 never thinking of himself He went 
 about foot-sore and weary, yet always 
 having some word of cheer for the 
 distressed, or being ready to perform 
 some kind act. 
 
 It puzzled Fidler to know how He 
 could always think of the happiness 
 of others, when he had so few com- 
 forts Himself. But Jerry made that 
 all plain, by showing him that He 
 came not to do His own will, but
 
 The Skein Unravelled. 137 
 
 the will of His Father in heaven, 
 and that the divine nature always 
 had the ascendency over the human. 
 
 "That was a good name for him, 
 wasn't it?" said Fidler, when they 
 read, 'And His name shall be called 
 Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty 
 God, The Everlasting Father, The 
 Prince of Peace,' for he did wonder- 
 ful things." 
 
 Then the boys gave their opinion 
 as to which was the most wonderful. 
 Amos King thought the raising of 
 the dead was; and Fidler, His walking 
 on the water and taking Peter with 
 Him. 
 
 One of them turned to Rose, and 
 12*
 
 138 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 asked which she thought the greatest 
 wonder. 
 
 "Why, I think the greatest won- 
 der was that Jesus sho 11 !^ be willing 
 to come down here and suffer so 
 much for us, when we are so ungrate- 
 ful and have so little love for Him." 
 
 Her grandfather nodded approv- 
 ingly. " Yes, when He could do that, 
 He could do anything. Every day 
 when I think about it, it seems more 
 wonderful that He has been so patient 
 with me all these years, and all the 
 time has been holding out a crown of 
 glory to encourage me. When Jesus 
 can save me, there is nothing at 
 which my faith can stagger."
 
 The Skein Unravelled. 139 
 
 " Why," they all exclaimed, " you 
 are a Christian, Jerry, the Lord don't 
 have to be patient with you !" 
 
 "I would never have been a Chris- 
 tian if it had not been for the grace 
 of God through Jesus Christ, boys, 
 and the same grace is needed to 
 keep me one. I could'nt even for 
 one minute do without having my 
 heart washed from its impurity." 
 
 " But you can't be every minute 
 thinking about it, or you would not 
 be able to do any shoemaking," said 
 George Gordon, with surprise at this 
 speech. 
 
 " No, surely not," replied Jerry, 
 "but when my heart is all given
 
 140 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 up to Him, He thinks of it for 
 me, and keeps the blood applied 
 which washes whiter than snow. It 
 is a wonderful thing truly, children, 
 and when you find out about it, as 
 I pray you may, you will think it 
 wonderful too." 
 
 One day Fidler said to him, "There 
 is one thing, Jerry, which I never 
 could make out : how you could be so 
 cheerful, after what happened when 
 you were a boy/' 
 
 "I understand," the old man re- 
 plied. " I thought then I must carry 
 a sorrowful face about with me all 
 my days. But then I began to reason 
 that as I had brought sadness and
 
 The Skein Unravelled. 141 
 
 gloom to two lives, it should be my 
 business ever after to make others 
 glad and happy. And the Bible says, 
 ' By reason of a cheerful countenance 
 the heart is made glad.' Besides, 
 when God's love is within, it can't be 
 concealed, but will shine out in the 
 gladness of the face." 
 
 As proof of his business to make 
 happy, Jerry announced his intention 
 of going into the city one day, along 
 with a neighbor. He often went for 
 leather, and Rose thought of course 
 that was what he was going for then. 
 In the afternoon, when she returned 
 from her friend Mary's, where she 
 had gone after school, she found her
 
 142 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 grandfather at home, looking, if any- 
 thing, happier than ever. 
 
 As she tripped about the room, 
 telling him of what had happened 
 since morning, he kept watching her 
 now and then, but pretending to be 
 very busy at work. 
 
 At last he felt like Mary when they 
 played, "Hot buttered blue beans" at 
 Aunt Betsy's, he could not wait any 
 longer, so he said, " Here, little wife, 
 hand over my pocket-handkerchief, 
 there it lies, on the table yonder." 
 
 "Is this it, all spread out?" she 
 asked, and lifting it up, gave a scream 
 of delight, then, with mouth and eyes 
 wide open, stood looking.
 
 The Skein Unravelled. 143 
 
 "What is the matter?" asked her 
 grandfather, trying to look surprised. 
 
 " O, grandfather, you know very 
 well! Did you buy it yourself? I 
 don't see how you could get such a 
 splendid, splendid doll. And its eyes 
 open and shut ! O ! it is the sweetest 
 thing, and you are the sweetest old 
 man that ever lived !" 
 
 " What about Jim Crow now ?" 
 asked he. 
 
 "O, Jim Crow is spoiled, and I 
 can't do anything with him. Now 
 he may just do what he pleases when 
 I have the doll." 
 
 So Jim Crow obtained his freedom, 
 and the doll was adopted in his stead.
 
 144 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 Fidler came over often, to talk to 
 Jerry, when the boys were not along, 
 for he had what every one must have 
 whose heart is not changed a hard 
 time in leading a new life. 
 
 But no matter what struggle he 
 had, Jerry always seemed to under- 
 stand him, and was ready to help him. 
 But he warned him not to depend 
 upon him, nor upon his own efforts 
 in such a great matter. "If the evil 
 is not taken out of the heart, we 
 need not try to keep the outward 
 life smooth, for, like Vesuvius, it will 
 surely break forth," he said. 
 
 So Jerry, knot after knot, and snarl 
 after snarl, unravelled the tangled
 
 The Skein Unravelled. 145 
 
 skein, until it came out fair and 
 smooth. So he was made a blessing 
 to these boys, and in return had 
 great joy as he thought of these 
 words of Holy Writ : " Let him 
 know that he who converteth the 
 sinner from the error of his way, 
 shall save a soul from death, and 
 shall hide a multitude of sins." 
 
 13
 
 146 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 KEEPING THE TOLLGATE. 
 
 |lME rolled on, and Rose was 
 on the verge of womanhood. 
 Jerry's thin locks were now of snowy 
 whiteness, and his still cheery voice 
 had lost its roundness, being more 
 tremulous and broken; but still his 
 heart kept young and fresh. 
 
 No day passed without seeing him 
 seated on his bench at work, but 
 it was more toil now than formerly, 
 and the customers had to wait much 
 longer for their work, so that, re-
 
 Keeping the Toll gate. 147 
 
 luctantly, one after another was com- 
 pelled to go elsewhere. 
 
 Rose had grown very thoughtful 
 during the last few years, knowing 
 that in a very little time her grand- 
 father would have to lay aside his 
 work, and then would need comforts 
 such as their means would not al- 
 low. 
 
 The village school was very good 
 in its way; the teachers earnest in 
 the discharge of their duties; but 
 they only claimed to teach the ordi- 
 nary branches of a common school 
 education, and not such as would fit 
 their pupils in turn to impart instruc- 
 tion.
 
 148 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 Now all her life, ever since Rose 
 had played school with her friend 
 Mary and Jim Crow, she had meant 
 to be a teacher, and had given her 
 grandfather to understand that just 
 as soon as she began to teach he 
 should "play gentleman," and never 
 put another stitch in. At this the 
 old man had laughed, and told her 
 she would need to succeed better 
 with her scholars than she did with 
 Jim Crow; while she, also laughing, 
 assured him that there was a great 
 difference between cats and children. 
 "I don't know," he said, shaking 
 his head; "one can be about asper- 
 verse as the other."
 
 Keeping the Tollgate. 149 
 
 If she could only go away to school 
 for a little while, Rose thought, she 
 would study so hard that she would 
 soon be fitted to pass an examination, 
 and then she knew she could get a 
 school somewhere. But here was 
 her grandfather growing more fee- 
 ble each day; how eould she leave 
 him ? 
 
 Then, to make it all the harder, 
 
 Mary Lapsley was going to B , 
 
 only twenty-five miles distant, and 
 Aunt Betsy, when she heard of Rose's 
 wish to teach, had offered to send her 
 along with her niece. A great many 
 tears fell those days, and the old 
 cobbler's Rose had a very dejected' 
 
 13*
 
 150 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 air; but it was only when out of his 
 sight that she gave way to her grief 
 and disappointment. When with him, 
 no one could ever have supposed she 
 had a care about anything, or was 
 other than the Rose of years ago. 
 
 It is not to be supposed that Rose 
 was alone in her thoughts of the 
 future; day after day, as the old 
 man sat there, came up thoughts as 
 to the prospect of his darling after 
 he was gone, or after he was no 
 longer able to work. Then he chided 
 himself for giving such thoughts a 
 place in his heart. "As if He who 
 watches over the unfolding of the 
 bud will withhold His tender care
 
 Keeping the Tollgate. 151 
 
 from the blossom," he said. " No, 
 no, old heart, this is no time to 
 mistrust now; for you and for her 
 the Lord will surely provide." 
 
 Rose had learned these lessons 
 from her grandfather, and not from 
 him alone. The Holy Spirit had been 
 imprinting on her heart, for many 
 years, precious truths ; but young 
 hearts are not so apt to look away 
 from their own efforts as the old, 
 so that Rose could not quite under- 
 stand how they could possibly live 
 when her grandfather could no longer 
 work, unless she was the support. 
 
 Mary was about as much disap- 
 pointed as Rose when the latter
 
 152 TJie Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 could not accept Aunt Betsy's kind 
 offer ; but her father and mother were 
 sure that under existing circumstances 
 she could not do otherwise than re- 
 main at home. But they sat themselves 
 to work to devise a plan by which 
 Jerry and Rose could be helped. 
 
 "There is nothing he can do, and 
 now the question is, what employ- 
 ment is Rose fitted for?" said Mrs. 
 Lapsley. "She might sew, perhaps, 
 for I have been teaching her along 
 with Mary ; but she is so young, and 
 without any one older to direct her, 
 I am afraid her work would not give 
 satisfaction to strangers." 
 
 "I think I see a little light in the
 
 Keeping the Tollgate. 153 
 
 midst of this fog," said her husband. 
 "Just now it occurs to me that Mrs. 
 Benson, who keeps the tollgate, is 
 going West to live with her son 
 James. Now how would that employ- 
 ment suit the old man?" 
 
 "The very thing," was the reply; 
 "see about it at once." 
 
 And now Jerry's faith and trust 
 were rewarded, for He who gave 
 Mr. Lapsley the thought, and is so 
 interested in even what we call the 
 little things in our lives, so controlled 
 circumstances and furthered plans, 
 that in a few weeks Jerry and Rose 
 were in the little white- washed house 
 at the tollgate.
 
 154 T/ie Cobbler and Itis Rose. 
 
 " My ! child, but He is a wonderful 
 helper, this God of ours, isn't He?" 
 said the old man, as he sat down 
 at the window to rest, after the fatigue 
 of moving. 
 
 "He has been good to us, grand- 
 father, any how," was the reply. " But 
 ever>* one is kind, you know. It was 
 Mr. Lapsley who got us this house, 
 and then to think of the boys wasn't 
 it good of them helping to move? 
 Fidler said he was not the least bit 
 tired." 
 
 "Yes, that is the way the Lord 
 works. He plans and gets others to 
 execute, so that they may be helped 
 and blessed in return. For while
 
 Keeping the Tollgate. 155 
 
 they have made us comfortable and 
 happy, I'll warrant not one of them 
 has a sad heart to-night, although 
 poor Fidler may have aching bones. 
 That boy has the right spirit in him, 
 child, and the Lord will give him 
 plenty of work to do for Him." 
 
 "If it hadn't been for you, grand- 
 father, he says he would have been 
 lost, for he was growing hardened." 
 
 " I was only the mouth-piece, child ; 
 the word and the power came from 
 above," and the old man looked rever- 
 ently up. 
 
 "You won't work any more now, 
 grandfather ?" she said, the day after 
 their moving-.
 
 156 The Cobbler arid his Rose. 
 
 " Not much," he replied, " only be- 
 tween whiles, you know." 
 
 "But I don't see why you need 
 work at all; we will have enough 
 to support us, won't we?" 
 
 "Aye, aye, the Lord has made 
 good provision for us, child ; but you 
 see idleness is not becoming in one 
 of my years." 
 
 "O, one would think you were a 
 young man, grandfather," she said, 
 laughing, and giving him a loving 
 embrace. " But I don't like to see 
 you work so hard. I want you to 
 be like Aunt Betsy's father." 
 
 "What, curls and all?" he asked, 
 with a quizzical look. "You don't
 
 Keeping the Tollgate. 157 
 
 mean to screw my gray hairs up in 
 the unmerciful way you once did?" 
 
 " If you don't work hard, I won't ; 
 but well, I won't promise what I 
 shall do if you disobey me," and 
 the merry creature ran away to have 
 everything in perfect order when Mr. 
 and Mrs. Lapsley came in the after- 
 noon. 
 
 "Any toll to pay?" asked that gen- 
 tleman, as he and his wife stepped 
 inside of the door. 
 
 "Yours is all paid up long ago," 
 was the reply of Jerry, as, with a 
 beaming face, he greeted his visitors. 
 "That is, I am deep in debt to you, 
 sir, but, like everything else, I leave 
 
 14
 
 158 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 the payment to Him whose are the 
 silver, and the gold, and the cattle 
 upon a thousand hills." 
 
 "And no better paymaster do I 
 want, my friend," said Mr. Lapsley, 
 "though I feel already fully repaid 
 by the comfortable appearance of 
 your home. "Why, I declare you 
 look as cheery, and everything seems 
 as fresh, as if you and Rose here were 
 bride and groom, and had just com- 
 menced housekeeping." 
 
 "We love each other just as well, 
 don't we, grandfather?" asked Rose, 
 laying her white hand on the old 
 man's shoulder. He drew her down 
 and kissed her, saying, "Aye, just
 
 Keeping the Toll gate. 159 
 
 as well, my dear, for no love comes 
 between, does it?" 
 
 "None but God's, grandfather." 
 
 Then Rose took Mrs. Lapsley to 
 show her the house. 
 
 "Be sure you take her all over 
 it," said her grandfather, as they 
 ascended the stairs leading to the 
 only two rooms above. 
 
 "Grandfather is very happy," said 
 Rose, as they sat down in her little 
 box of a room ; " he seems to have 
 grown younger in the last week." 
 
 "And what about Rose?" asked 
 Mrs. Lapsley. 
 
 " O," and her sweet face flushed, 
 "I am very glad and very content.
 
 160 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 I have grandfather and^0#, dear Mrs. 
 Lapsley, and I don't worry about the 
 future now, for I know that God takes 
 care of every day He gives us." 
 
 "That has been the secret of your 
 grandfather's happiness for years," 
 said her friend, "and it can never 
 fail to give joy to know that every 
 moment of our life God is making 
 all things work together for our good, 
 and that so special is His care that 
 even the very hairs of our head are 
 all numbered. But I had a letter from 
 Mary, you may read it now, if you 
 wish ; you see she says she will write 
 to you as soon as you can spare time 
 to read a letter."
 
 Keeping the Tollgate. 161 
 
 As Rose opened the letter with 
 eagerness, and read, Mrs. Lapsley 
 watched her attentively. Now there 
 was a smile and a merry laugh as 
 she went over the account of Mary's 
 exploits, or read the comic description 
 of her room-mate ; then her face was 
 shaded, and a tear stole down her 
 cheek as Mary told how she longed 
 for her friend Rose, and how happy 
 they might both be together. 
 
 As she slowly folded the letter and 
 handed it back, Mrs. Lapsley said, 
 " Well, what about Rose now? is she 
 'very glad and very content'?" 
 
 "O yes, ma'am, I am just as glad 
 and content as before. I only thought 
 
 14*
 
 1 62 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 how nice it would have been if I could 
 have gone to the Seminary." 
 
 "I understand it all, my dear," was 
 the reply, as Mrs. Lapsley kissed the 
 blushing girl's cheek ; " and the dear 
 Heavenly Father knows all about 
 it. He is not losing sight of you, 
 my child, in that you are not able 
 to gratify your wish, but He needs 
 you to help Him take care of His 
 faithful old servant, your grandfather, 
 and He smiles upon your loving and 
 cheerful devotion. Isn't that great 
 reward ?" 
 
 Then Mrs. Laplsey made a pro- 
 posal to Rose that she should send 
 her sewing-machine over to her house,
 
 Keeping the Tollgate. 163 
 
 and that Rose could do her sewing 
 for her. 
 
 "I am not strong," she said, "and I 
 miss Mary very much in that respect, 
 so I will cut and baste it, and you will 
 not have any trouble, while it will 
 save me a great deal of labor; be- 
 sides, it will give you change for many 
 little things you need, now that you 
 are growing up." 
 
 This was delightful news to Rose, 
 and she hastened to impart it to her 
 grandfather. But when they entered, 
 Mr. Lapsley exclaimed, " My dear, I 
 have found a very valuable assistant 
 in my parochial work: our friend here 
 requests me to give him a bundle of
 
 1 64 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 tracts so that he may distribute them 
 to the passers by. Isn't that en- 
 couraging?" 
 
 "Indeed it is," said his wife," and 
 there is no doubt but that good will 
 be accomplished by it ; it was a very 
 happy thought of our old friend. You 
 mean to hand them to the people as 
 they pay toll, I suppose." 
 
 " Yes ma'am, I thought a word or a 
 tract, or both, would not surely go 
 wrong, and I would like to scatter 
 some good seed, even if I do not live 
 to see the harvest, or the spring- 
 ing up of the seed. It appears won- 
 derful to me at times that when there 
 are so many young and vigorous
 
 Keeping the Toll gate. 165 
 
 workers, the Lord notices such as I, 
 to give me work." 
 
 "He has need of all, or rather, 
 He chooses to employ all, so that 
 each one may feel their individual 
 responsibility," was the reply of Mr. 
 Lapsley, " and if He would confer any 
 special honor, it must certainly be 
 upon those who have borne the 
 burden and heat of the day." 
 
 The next day Jerry received his 
 package of tracts, and in a few days 
 the sewing machine made its appear- 
 ance, and quite a bundle of work for 
 the poor of the parish. 
 
 So the new home brought new 
 work, and with it came new joy.
 
 1 66 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 There were many times when on 
 coming in from having received toll, 
 Jerry's face shone so that he seen;eJ. 
 almost transfigured, and then Rose 
 knew that he had been speaking of 
 Jesus, for no other name could bring 
 such light to the fading eye, or such 
 illumination to the rugged wrinkled 
 face. 
 
 The boys still came as before, on 
 Sunday, and many times through the 
 week Fidler dropped in. But he 
 never was allowed to take the toll, 
 because there was something more 
 to be done, the old man said. 
 
 " I know, give them a tract I can 
 do it," was the willing boy's reply.
 
 Keeping the Tailgate. 167 
 
 " More than that," said Jerry ; " ask 
 them if they love Jesus, and tell them 
 that He loves them; can you do 
 that?" 
 
 "Not like you I wish I could," 
 was the response. 
 
 "Just try it," said Jerry. "You 
 will never open your mouth to speak 
 of Jesus, without finding words put 
 into it; and then, when you have 
 spoken them, and asked the Lord to 
 bless your effort, you have done your 
 part, the Holy Spirit will do the rest." 
 
 When Jerry became too old to 
 leave his chair, Rose took up his work, 
 and many a careless man and gay 
 thoughtless woman heard from her
 
 1 68 The Cobbler and his Rose. 
 
 lips, as if from those of an angel, the 
 words of Jesus to a fallen world. " It 
 was very easy," she said, when people 
 asked how she could be so courage- 
 ous, "for she loved Him best, and 
 of course, wanted to speak of Him 
 most." 
 
 So the old heart and the young 
 were of one spirit, and had but one 
 life-work. 
 
 THE END.
 
 
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