MY DEAR LITTLE FRIENDS, — I suppose you all know what a Refuge is: if you don’t know, I will try and tell you.
Refuges are places to keep little boys in who have got no homes of their own; and, if they have homes, they are very wretched ones—not like those of some of my little readers.
Now, what I want to tell you is about two little boys from one of those refuges. One day there was a boy brought into an hospital: his name was William Baker. He looked very ill, but seemed happy. He must have been a good boy at the refuge, because he had two red stripes on his coat-sleeves, and he also got a Bible for answering in the Scriptures. Ten days after, another boy was brought into the hospital; his name was Tommy. He had hurt himself playing at leap-frog. We all knew he would never get well again. He had been in about a fortnight, during which time he seemed very patient. He never spoke unless asked how he was, and then all he’d say was, “Nicely, thank you,” and smile very sweetly. One night his nurse went to see if he was comfortable before leaving him for the night. He seemed in a great deal of pain. She made him a poultice, which he-refused for the first time. She sat by his side, and tried to comfort him. I also sat by his side. He asked me to put the pillow on my knee, which I did; he then laid his head on it. He was very quiet for a few minutes, when, all at once, he opened his eyes and asked, “Nurse, ain’t you coming home?”
I said, “To what home? Is it to the school?”
He replied, “No; my heavenly home. Ain’t you coming? OH, DO come home!”
He then called across to Baker (who was sleeping in the same ward), “Come home, Baker; do come home!”
Nurse S—told Baker to get up, and come and sit by Tommy’s bedside, which he did.
When Tommy saw Baker crying, he said, “Don’t cry, Baker: ain’t you coming home? Don’t you see Jesus waiting? Oh, do come home—come on!”
Baker made answer and said, “I am not going just yet, Tommy.”
Tommy complained of cold, and then he would say, “There is no cold there” (meaning heaven). Dr. M—d came and spoke to him, and asked him what made him so happy. Tommy’s answer was, “I am going to see Jesus. Ain’t you coming? Come on!” He begged of every nurse he saw, or patient, to go home with him. He wanted everyone to come to Jesus. Tommy knew nothing of Jesus a year before. He was then living with a lot of wicked people, and some kind people found him and brought him to the refuge, where he learned to love the Saviour.
He went home that night to his Saviour’s bosom, and he saw Jesus.
Baker soon followed Tommy. He said to me one day, “Nurse, I am quite ready and waiting to go home to Jesus.” I said, “You will see Tommy.” He said, “Yes, but I think I shall like to see Jesus best.”
E. S.
[The persons mentioned in the foregoing paper are all known to the publisher.]