s been to me, and oh I think I must always
remember it as a good one because in it I have learned to love Jesus! I
know I have done some very wrong things even since I begun to try to be
his servant," she went on, hanging her head in shame and contrition,
"but O papa I do love him and want to serve him all my life! How glad I
am that he is so loving and forgiving, and that he says he will never
let any one pluck me out of his hand!"

"Yes, dear child, it is a most precious assurance and we may well
rejoice in it;--you and I and all his people.

"But ever let us keep in mind and obey those other words of our blessed
Master, 'Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.'

"Remember that we are to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, and that we
have a great battle to fight with the evil that is in our own hearts,
the snares of the world, and the powers of darkness;--Satan and his
hosts of wicked spirits whose great desire and aim is to ruin our souls
and drag us down to the dreadful place prepared for them."

"Papa, sometimes I feel so afraid of them," she sighed, shuddering. "But
Jesus is stronger than any of them, and will not let them hurt me if I
trust in him?"

"Stronger than all of them put together, and will not let any, or all of
them, pluck you out of his hand. We are safe there. In the eighth
chapter of Romans we find these triumphant words,

"'I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!'"

CHAPTER XI.

In all the homes of the Dinsmore connection Sunday was always a
peacefully quiet day--kept as a sacred time of rest from toil and
worldly cares and pleasures.

The quiet and leisure for thought were particularly grateful to Grandma
Elsie, in her pleasant home at Ion, on this last Sunday of the old year.

She had enjoyed having her friends about her and seeing the hilarity of
the children and youth. She was still youthful in her feelings and full
of an ever ready sympathy with the young, none of whom could know
without loving her, while to all who could claim kin with
her--especially her children and grandchildren, she was an object of
devoted affection; affection fully reciprocated by her.

And so the frequent reunions at Ion were a source of delight to both her
and them.