Chapter IX: "shall Give Account."

BUT was it always happy times with Katy? Did I hear somebody ask? What will you say if I tell you that sometimes she did not want to do as her mamma said she must, that she wanted to have her own way, and pouted and was cross, because she could not have it? What! A little girl that had had such kindness heaped upon her, dare to be so ungrateful as that!

But it was true, and I am not surprised at it, because I have been little girls do the same thing that had never known anything all their lives but love and kindness, and had been carefully trained by the best of mothers. And then it is very much as we all act toward Jesus. He sees us in the rags and filth of sin and takes us for his children, and loves us and gives us the clean robes of his righteousness, and promises us a beautiful home, and don't we often sit down and fret, or go about all covered with gloom because he does not make things go to suit us?

Sometimes Mrs. Lynn was filled with sorrow when Katy showed a great deal of self-will, but she had great patience with her, because she remembered Katy had had no one to teach her until now. And she prayed for her earnestly, and hoped that it would not be long before she would belong to Jesus indeed, for she had as yet got no farther than trying to be good.

She had improved, but she had not yet come to Jesus, and given her heart to him, and asked for the new heart. She was trying to make herself good, and began to feel that she was pretty good and did not need any help from Jesus. Didn't she go to church and Sunday-school every Sunday, and learn her verses and give her pennies and say her prayers? And she didn't tell lies, or break the Sabbath, or say bad words, as Sally Dike and those girls used to. Now that she had got into such a beautiful home, and had so many nice things and so many to love her, she seemed to forget how she had wished for Jesus to love her.

The summer was gone, the earth had put on her winter clothing, and so had Katy. Every morning, pleasant or stormy, you might have seen a little girl, dressed in warm bright merino and muffled in furs, her brown curls down on her shoulders now, moving briskly by Mr. Lynn's side on their way to the street-car, that should take them to the city, Katy to her school, Mr. Lynn to his office. You would hardly know Katy now, she has improved so much. She is a bright faithful scholar and a favorite with all.

Such a winter Katy had never known. It was quite a new thing to face the cold blast, so warmly clad that the cold could not creep in anywhere. Then how delightful to come to such a home at night. The warm fires glowing in the grates, the cheerful tea-table spread, bright carpets and curtains and warmth and beauty everywhere, best of all a gentle loving mother waiting for her. It was just one pleasure after another, whether she slid down hill, or rode swiftly over the snowy ground tucked in the warmest of robes, sleigh-bells jingling merry music, or, by the evening fire, cracked nuts and ate apples.

Whenever Katy saw some poor little waif all blue and cold, standing at the corner of the street, the wind blowing her rags, just as she used to look, it made her unhappy. If she had anything in her purse, she wanted to empty it, and would have taken off some of her garments to give, if Mr. Lynn had allowed it. She always remembered in her prayer, "Poor little cold hungry children without any homes."

One Sabbath after dinner, Katy established herself in a corner of the sofa to have a nice time with her Sabbath-school book. Something appeared to be the matter, she did not look happy. The minister had preached that day from the text, "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God," and her mind was running on what he had said instead of being on the story she was reading. The words of the text kept coming before her.

"Give account," she repeated to herself. "I can't! I never shall, oh dear, oh dear," she said half aloud.

Mrs. Lynn looking up, said:

"Why, what is the matter with our little girl to-day? She does not seem to be much interested in her book; what has gone wrong, my dear?"

"Oh, mamma, the minister said that everybody must stand up all alone before God and tell all about themselves. Does it mean little girls too?"

"The Bible says, 'every one.'"

"But I can't! I'm afraid, I won't go up there by him, I'll hide."

"But God can see even through the darkness."

"I can't, I can't! I've been such a naughty girl." Katy buried her face in her hands and sobbed aloud, "Oh, must I? Isn't there ally way to get clear of it?"

"No, dear, the same Bible says the books will be open, the dead, small and great, shall stand before God."

"Oh, oh! How dreadful it is, I wish I never had been made. Aren't you afraid, mamma? But you are so good you needn't be."

"No," said Mrs. Lynn, with a smile, "I'm not afraid, not because I am good, but because when God calls me to come up before him, I can say I belong to Jesus, then it will be all right. If I am asked about my sins, I can say Jesus took them and suffered for me; or if I am asked about being pure and holy, I can say the Lord is my righteousness, or whatever I may be asked, I can say I love the Lord Jesus, then God will smile upon me, and bid me come into the beautiful city.

"Don't you see, my dear, how easy it will be in that day, if we only belong to Jesus? That is the great thing. To every one He says, 'Come, and I will give you a heart to love me, and everything else you need, and take you to live with me when you die.' Go to Him, darling, and tell Him all about it, how you are afraid of that day that will surely come, how you want to hide yourself in Him, and have a new heart."

"Oh, I can't, I don't know how."

"Don't you know how to come to me and ask my forgiveness when you have displeased me?"

"But I've tried, I 'can't,' I can't be a Christian."

"My poor little Katy, you can't be anything else, unless you belong to Satan. Every one serves Jesus or Satan. God commands every one to repent. To repent means to be sorry that you have sinned against God and stop sinning. If I command you to do anything, am I pleased with you until you obey me? When one comes to Jesus, he must come meaning with all his heart to give up every sin and try to please Him."

"I said the prayer you told me; it didn't do any good; I said it every night, too."

"Katy, do you remember how you wanted to go up on the hill with the girls after beech-nuts, and I was afraid the walk would be too long for you, how you came into my room and begged to go, and said you would stop every little while and rest? You were willing to promise anything, if I would only let you go. Did you ask Jesus that way when you knelt down before him."

"No," said Katy, blushing. "I guess I was thinking of something else, and I was so tired and sleepy."

"If you had come to me when you wanted to go after beech-nuts and asked in a stupid, sleepy way, if you might go, looking as if you didn't care whether I said yes or no, would I have taken much notice of it? I should have thought, 'Katy does not seem to care much about going; it is just as well that she should not.' You must be wide awake and mean what you say, when you pray."

"But I can't be 'good,' I've tried ever so hard."

"No, you never can make yourself good. You must tell Jesus so, and ask Him to take you just as you are, and make you His child. He says, 'Come to me and I will save you.' You must believe Him and come. That is being a Christian, believing what He says, and trusting Him to save you."

"Is that all? Haven't I got to be good?"

"You will try with all your heart to please Jesus when you really love Him. That is being good. He will keep you from being naughty if you ask Him and trust Him to do it."

"Oh, mamma, won't you ask Him to give me a new heart now?"

"Yes, I will my dear, but you must ask for yourself, and try to give up all your will to Jesus, and feel toward Him as I have told you, you must feel toward me. Be willing that he should plan and choose for you, and obey Him cheerfully."

They knelt together, and Mrs. Lynn asked most earnestly that Katy might now be taken by the Lord Jesus for His child, to be His forever. Then Katy asked Him too, and gave herself away as she never had before.

These prayers were answered. From that time, Katy was a true little disciple of the Lord, often making mistakes it is true, but always going with a grieved heart to her Savior for forgiveness. She felt from that time as if she belonged to the Lord. It was a great help when tempted to think, "What would please Jesus best?" or "If He were here looking at me, would I do so?"