THE OLD TINKER AND THE SCHOOL-GIRLS.
By Miss Lambert
About two years ago a traveling tinker came into our school grounds at Foochow to see if he could pick up a job. A pewter tea-pot needed attention, so down he sat with his bellows and little charcoal stove, to mend it. A group of girls gathered round him, and some of the elder ones, who often try to sow a seed here and there, said to the old man: “Ibah [uncle], do you know God’s doctrine? We will tell you a little about it.” He listened quietly, and then looking up said: “There are such a number of women in my house. Would you ask the kuniong [lady missionary] to come and tell them? My house is a long distance from here, but I will follow the kuniong’s chair and tell the coolies where to go.” I was sitting at my desk surrounded with work, weary after the day’s teaching, feeling it almost impossible to get through all I had to do, when a knock (about the fifth during the last few minutes) came at my door. “D’éli” (“Come in”), I said, and a dear, bright girl entered. “O kuniong! there is an old man in the garden, and he does so want you to go to his house and teach the women the doctrine.” “Does he? Tell me all about him. When does he want me to go? Where does he live?” “He wants you to go to-morrow. He says he will stay near here to-night, and come round quite early for you in the morning.” Visions of work which would have to be put to one side arose before me, but, difficult as it was at that moment to promise to go, who could dare say, “No”? When God’s voice calls, no one but He knows what the results of obeying it may be. “Very well, tell him I will go, and take our old Bible woman with me.” When we reached the place, we found many branches of the family living in the same house, which was a very large one, tho the inhabitants were poor. The center court soon filled with people, and my helper and I prayed for the right words. The crowd listened long, many standing all the time, and we were much pressed to go again. Not many weeks after, the old tinker’s wife found her way to our school, and said she would like to come and worship on Sundays. We told her the days of the moon upon which Sundays would fall, and she promised to come, tho we did not think she would be in time for service, as she had so far to come. But the next Sunday there she was, in good time, her face beaming. She had started at the first streaks of dawn. For many weeks she and her husband came regularly. The girls helped to teach her the Lord’s prayer and “Jesus Loves Me,” after the service, and soon she was happily converted. Soon after she brought her sister-in-law to service, and the latter has professed Christ. The old man is still most regular in his attendance at the services; his sister-in-law’s brother is beginning to be interested, and anxious to give up his trade, which is connected with idol-worship; and a little girl from their village is now applying for admittance into our boarding-school. How true it is that, sowing “the seed of the kingdom,” we know not whether shall prosper either this or that, or how it ought to spur one on, not only “in the morning” to sow diligently, but also “in the evening” not to “withhold our hand”!—Miss Lambert, in Awake.