, what
more can I do."

"Oh, Uncle," Palko began to jump for joy. "Really, you have already
accepted Him. He came and took away your load, and threw it behind
God's back."

"What do you say, boy?" said the surprised man. "Is that all?"

"Yes, that is all. We are only to believe Him. You know well how He
said, 'Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest.' Don't you believe He means what He says?"

"I do believe, my boy, and already believe, and even understand all
like Zaccheus. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. He
came to seek even me, the lost sinner, and I let Him find me."

When the next moment they kneeled before God, the man and the boy,
there was great joy in heaven that again a sinner had received the
Lord Jesus Christ. Because to those who receive Him, to them gave He
power to be the sons of God. Thus the angels wrote His name in the
Lamb's book of Life. They wrote that Peter Filina believed, and that
Jesus of Nazareth took his heavy burden of sin upon His cross, there
suffered for him the penalty of death, and thus it was that Filina was
forgiven all, and received the Son of God for ever and ever. So for
the first time Filina prayed with his whole heart to God as his
Father. He thanked the Lamb of God for His death, and thanked Him also
for Palko whom He had sent to those mountains.

When they were done, the boy sighed deeply. Said he, "Since I am
finished with you, I don't have to ask the Lord Jesus any more for
you, but can ask so much better for Ondrejko's mother. Surely He will
grant to me that she will soon accept Him too."

They went together a little way, but Bacha turned to the clearings and
Palko ran back again to the hut at the sheepfold. On the way, he sang
until the echo rang everywhere.

There was much stirring in the hut that afternoon. The boys cleaned
and arranged everything so that no particle of dust could be found
anywhere. They brought flowers to Ondrejko that he might braid a chain
of them. It was a very long one. Bacha himself afterwards draped it
over the door.

"Well, it is time for me to go," announced Palko. "Ondrejko, come with
me part of the way. I saw some nice flowers not far away and you can
pick them. These we will place on the table afterwards."

"Verily it is time that you go," agreed Bacha, "and go together."

Ondrejko obeyed very gladly. Merrily the boys went into the woods and
soon found the flowers they wanted.