TEDDY'S BOOK.
SOMETHING about it made Teddy stop and listen. I am not sure whether it was the text itself, or the minister’s reading it a second time in a very earnest manner. He was a new minister, and was preaching to the children this morning. His text was:
"And another book was opened, which is the book of life." And, as I say, he read it over twice. Then he went on to say: "The book of life, the book of each one of our lives; do you ever think of that book, children, and what you are writing in it? Every morning you start with a fresh page, and at night what do you find written there — temptations met and overcome, kind words spoken, little acts of helpfulness performed? Or is it a record of temptations yielded to, cross and fretful words, and no kind actions? Think of it, children, when you are tempted to do what is wrong, that it will be written in the book of your life, and at that last great day it will be opened and read." Teddy sat at the end of the seat that Sabbath, and was just wondering if he could possibly snap an apple-seed—he had some in his pocket—at Joe Peters without Sadie's seeing it, when, as I said, something, either in the text itself, or the reading of it, caught his attention. It was such a new thought to him—he, Teddy, writing in a book, one that would be opened and read on that awful day.
On the whole, be did not like the idea. He could think of many things done during the past week that he should not like to have written in the book. Then he tried to think of something that he should like to see written there; but he could not remember anything, unless it was that he carried poor Mrs. Kent a basket of apples. "Wouldn't a done it though, only mamma made me," he confessed to himself.
"I say, mother," he asked anxiously, when he reached home at noon, "the minister said God puts everything we do in a book; do you b'l'eve he does? Maybe he don't see everything, you know."
"O yes' he does, Teddy—every single thing.
We cannot hide even our thoughts from God. So we should be very, very careful even of them," replied mamma, smoothing his rumpled curls lovingly.
"Well, then, I guess folks forget about it; don't they? Or else maybe they don't know."
"I think we all forget sometimes, Teddy; but mamma wants her little boy to remember that God sees him always, wherever he goes, or whatever he does; will you!"
"I'll try," said Teddy, with a sober look in his brown eyes.
Just then the dinner bell rang. Teddy went down stairs, and being very hungry, forgot all about the sermon, his book, and all, until Monday afternoon in the spelling-class at school.
Now Teddy did not like spelling. In fact, he was not over-fond of study of any kind, but spelling was worse than all. He almost always failed, and this very afternoon Miss Westwood made a rule that all who failed must stay half an hour after school. Teddy heard it with a sad heart. It was such good skating down the river, and the first they had had this winter, and they were all going from school to try it. For once he studied so hard as to forget everything around him; he never lifted his eyes from his book after Miss Westwood said that, until the class was called.
But it was of no use; the very first word that came to him was "believe," and he could not remember whether it was "ei" or "ie." He waited, grew red in the face, and was just going to say
"leive," when Miss Westwood was called to the door "Ahem!" said some ohe, softly.
Teddy looked around, and there was Will Adams,
holding up his slate with "ie" in great big letters on it.
Teddy felt as though a mountain was lifted off his shoulders, for he was quite sure of the rest of the lesson. Then it was that he remembered the words of the text, and what the minister had said, and what he had promised his mother; it all
flashed through his mind in an instant. Suppose he were to spell the word as Will had written it for him, which was not the way he would have spelled it himself, how would it look in that book?
But then to think of having to stay in when all the rest were having such sport, and his new skates just aching to be used. What should he do?
It seemed to him that it was all of half an hour before Miss Westwood closed the door and came back to her class, though it was really but a few minutes.
"Well, Teddy, how is it?" she said.
Teddy felt sure that every one in the room must hear his heart beat, it thumped so loud.
"B-e, b-e-l- "What should he say?
"God sees us always; whatever we do is written down in the book of our life. Remember that, children, when you are tempted to do wrong; think how it will look in your book."
"E-i-v-e," he said, hurriedly.
Will Adams looked up in surprise. "Couldn't you read it on my slate?" he asked after school.
"Yes," replied Teddy, turning red in the face; "but I didn't want to write a cheat in the book."
S. S. Times.