And Tom, glad to be so dismissed, ran off to his seat under the trees, leaving his books to take care of themselves while he read the precious letter—the first one he had ever received in his life.
There were two, he found, when he opened the envelope. One with all the dainty prettiness of French paper and stamped “M,” in the delicate handwriting of Miss Mason, and the other in the round, school-girl hand of Martha. Ah! how every word of those two letters went to Tom’s heart! Martha’s was full of home news, every item well expressed, because her heart was in this the first letter written to her brother Tom. It was penned in good spirits, for her mother had been able to obtain a few days’ work.
“I am looking for a place for myself,” she wrote, “and hope to get one, but I have not seen any opportunity as yet, and sometimes I almost wish I had gone with you.”
“I am glad she didn’t,” thought Tom.
“Our Sunday-school has been so pleasant lately,” she continued, “I only wish you could be here. Mr. Allen gave us some beautiful illuminated texts last Sunday. I had been thinking about you all the afternoon, and had been wishing you could have heard Mr. Allen’s talk, and I am afraid I was feeling a little wrong and disappointed that you could not be with us, when Mr. Allen laid upon my desk my little text. I did not wish any more, Tom; I just believed what it said, and kept still. Now I am going to send it to you, and if you have—as I have no doubt you often do, good as you are—any longings for home that grow too strong, then here is my text;” and Tom read in red and gold letters on a bit of card which fell from the letter:
“Trust in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.”
Tom’s eyes were blinded for several minutes, so that he could scarcely see to read Miss Mason’s kind note. It told him just what he wanted most to know—all the school news; how Martha was getting on, what new songs they were learning, and how his own class was prospering. “And knowing that you had your books with you,” she added, “and thinking you might have time for study, I have marked on a slip of paper all that your class has learned, and a few directions which will help you to study for yourself.
“And now,” she concluded, “I do not know that you need counsel, but let me just remind you that you are a soldier of Jesus Christ, and that it is a part of a soldier’s duty to see that his comrades are saved from danger; so, my dear boy, try and bring back to God some who are still outside the fold. We all have work to do for Jesus, you know.”
Tom’s heart rested. He did not see how he could be sorrowful with these two bits of cheer coming to him when he felt so weary and heartsick. He was not so any more—that night, at any rate—and the letters were shown to many admiring eyes. Jimmy opened his very wide.
“Had a letter from Miss Mason?” exclaimed he. “My sakes! let’s read;” but Tom could not do that.