"Dear Jesus, Oscar wants to be good. Will you help him; and help his mother, too, and me; and forgive all our sins; and let us go to heaven when we die? For Christ's sake. Amen."
"I don't know what it means," said Oscar, softly.
Then Mrs. Monson opened the door quietly, and, calling the boys to her side, she told the poor, ignorant child, of the dear Saviour, who came into the world to save children, and all who will trust in him. She told him that God was our heavenly Father, who loves us, and wants us to be good; that his eyes are everywhere, seeing what little boys do, and what they need to make them happy; and his ears are everywhere, so that he can hear the faintest whisper spoken to him by any little child who wants help to do right.
Oscar looked very solemn while she was talking, and then said,—
"I would like to be good if it would make me like Charley. I think Charley is the best boy in all the world. I'd rather take a hundred lickings than to hurt him again."
When Mr. Bryant went away, after leaving Charley's present, he made the boy promise to send him word how his plan with Oscar succeeded.
[CHAPTER VII.]
OSCAR'S STRUGGLES.
NO little girl or boy will suppose that Oscar, after all the years he had been sullen, disobedient, and revengeful, could become good in a day, or even a week. To be sure, by the kindness of Mrs. Monson, he had learned something of what his Saviour had done for him, and what he must himself do in order to please God; but there were still many ugly weeds which needed rooting out of his heart.
His new friends were greatly interested in him; but they were not always at hand to remind him how wrong it was to speak disrespectfully to his parents, or to be cruel to animals.