After Arthur left home on that dark, cheerless Monday morning, he felt
very sorry indeed that he had made any complaint to his mother; for he
knew that by doing so, he had given her trouble, instead of being a
comfort and help to her, in the midst of her sorrows. Besides, he had
broken his resolution; for he had most firmly resolved not to complain;
he had yielded to the strong impulse of the moment, and now he was
afraid he never should gain self-control. But there was nothing to be
done, but to make stronger efforts to be contented and useful in his new
home. He humbly asked God to enable him to do better, and to pardon the
weakness of the past.
Whenever a little boy desires with his whole soul to do right, and prays
to God for strength, he will certainly find he can, however difficult it
may seem at first. God, our kind heavenly Father, has promised to give
us his Holy Spirit if we ask Him for it in sincerity; and however young
you are, or weak, or ignorant; however far away from earthly friends, or
human sympathy, He will hear the softest word you utter, the faintest
breathing of a silent prayer, and will come into your soul and bless it.
That glorious spirit is infinite. It gives life to the archangel hosts;
it blesses the weakest, and lowliest child.
Arthur found that by making a great effort, a _very_ great one, he
could restrain his tears and turn his thoughts away from his own
troubles, and indeed from himself entirely. He had a few books, and he
became fond of reading them. Sometimes Mrs. Martin would ask him to read
aloud, and though she seldom wished to hear any thing but newspapers,
that was a diversion of his thoughts. Arthur had a clear, pleasant
voice, and read very well for a child of his age; and every time he read
aloud, he was improving himself in this part of education. Another
pleasant change was, going to school. Arthur had dreaded this very much,
because all the scholars would be strangers to him, and he had never
been to school without older brothers and sisters with him. Being so shy
and timid, he did not form acquaintances so readily as some boys; but in
two or three weeks, he had become quite friendly with some, particularly
Theodore Roberts. Theodore was two years older than Arthur, but recited
in the same classes. He passed Mr. Martin's on his way to school, and
usually called for Arthur. They walked about half a mile, partly through
a wood, to reach the school-house; a little brown building, with only
one room in it. Theodore was a bold, generous-hearted boy, and his
influence over Arthur was very good; while Arthur's gentler nature and
more refined manners were of service to Theodore, who was not very
particular about little things.
One night, as Theodore and Arthur were coming home from school, they
stopped to look at a squirrel's nest in a hollow tree, just in the wood.
A pretty striped squirrel was running up and down a tree at a little
distance, whisking his bushy tail, and watching them with his large,
bright eyes. They found a large store of nuts in the hollow tree, and
Theodore proposed they should take them out.
