a sea-captain. Being absent from home, he sent her five
dollars to buy candy, or any thing else which she wished. As this little
girl had heard about the heathen, she determined to throw all her money
into the missionary-box, instead of spending it for her own pleasure.
The mother, on learning her intentions, asked her if she would not like
to spend a part of it for candy, and similar things. She replied, that
she would not, and in due time she put her five dollars into the
missionary-box. Not long after this, she was attacked with a severe
toothache. The mother proposed that the defective tooth should be
extracted. The little creature, for she was only about eight years old,
dreaded the operation, and seemed at first to be backward about having
it performed. To encourage her to submit to it, her mother offered her
twenty-five cents. This little girl did not then begin to reason, Now,
if I can only get those twenty-five cents, I can buy a doll, or I can
buy some sugar-candy; but she reasoned thus, Now, if I can get those
twenty-five cents, I can go and put them into the missionary-box. So she
said to her mother, I will go and have the tooth taken out. The tooth,
however, ceased to ache, but still she wished to have it extracted. Her
mother then interfered, and told her that, as it had ceased to ache, it
might be well for her not to have it drawn until it ached again. The
little girl, however, persisted, saying, that if it were not taken out,
she could not get the twenty-five cents to devote to the missionary
cause. She therefore went to the dentist's, submitted to the operation,
received her twenty-five cents, and went and threw them into the Lord's
treasury. Was not that a noble little girl? Doubtless you will all say
she was.
I must tell you about a noble little boy also. Some time ago, I was
preaching to the children of Canandaigua, in the western part of New
York. After I had preached there, I went on to Rochester. Returning from
that place, I met with a lady in the cars, who told me as follows:
"After you had preached in Canandaigua," said she, "a young lady there,
who had lost her mother, and who had six or seven or eight of her
brothers and sisters under her care, formed them into a missionary
society." Oh, I wish that all the dear children in America were formed
into missionary societies. After she had done this, she asked her little
brother how he was going to get money to put into the missionary-box.
"By cat
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