Sometimes Mrs. Pierce would walk out with little Orrin, and she always used to talk with him, so as to improve his mind. She would make him observe the works of God, and tell him of the wonders of Creation. Orrin was very fond of going to the sea-shore, and when he had been a good boy his mother would go there with him. He always took with him a basket to put his shells in, for there were many shells on the beach. His little dog, Dash, always went with him, and when Orrin threw a stick into the water, Dash would plunge in, and swim after it, and bring it to his little master.
Often during the summer, when the evenings were mild and pleasant, she would walk in the fields with Orrin, and they would sit down to enjoy the beauty of the scene. The calm, full moon, shining above them, shed a soft light on all around. Sometimes a cloud would pass over it and hide for a moment its brightness, and they would watch for it as the cloud moved on, and it would suddenly burst upon their sight; on such occasions, Orrin used to repeat some passages of Scripture to his mother, giving thanks to God, who made the moon and stars to shine by night.
Orrin loved very much to see the different animals, that are for the use of man. He liked horses and cows and dogs very much, but best of all he liked the sheep and lambs. There was a field not far from his mother's cottage where a flock of sheep were often kept. He used to watch the shepherd taking care of the sheep, and when he noticed how readily they followed him, he thought of the words of Christ, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." He also remembered that this harmless animal was employed as a type of Christ, who is called "the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world."