Tode nodded his head in solemn assent. Yes, he knew that better perhaps than his teacher. Then he asked:
"And what more about heaven?"
"Oh deary me! there's verses and verses about streets of gold, and harps, and thrones, and singing. Oh my! such singing as you never dreamed about, and we to be the singers, you know; and I couldn't begin to tell you about it all; and you never heard any of them verses? Well now, I am beat. Well I always pick 'em all out and read 'em Sunday. I like to make Sunday a kind of a holiday, you know, so I read 'em and study 'em, and try to picture it all out; but then you see I can't, because the Bible says that eyes haven't seen nor ears heard, and we can't begin to guess at the fine things prepared for us."
"Well now," broke in Tode, his lips hurrying to tell the thought that had been filling his mind for some minutes, "why don't everybody go there? I heard about that awful place where some folks go. Mr. Birge told about it in some of his preaching. Now what's that for? Why don't they all go to heaven?"
The little old lady heaved a deep sigh.
"Sure enough, why don't they?" she said at last. "And the curious part of it is, that it's just because they won't. They don't have to pay for it; they don't have to go away off after it; they don't have to die for it, because they've got to die anyhow; and they know it's dreadful to die all alone; and they know that every single thing that the Lord Jesus wants of them is to love him, and give him a chance to help them—and the long and short of it is, they won't do it."
"That's awful silly," ejaculated Tode.
"Silly! Why, there ain't anything else in all this big world that anywhere near comes up to it for silliness. Why, don't you think," and here her voice took a lower and more solemn tone, and the wide cap frill trembled with earnestness. "Don't you think, there's men and women who believe that every word in that Bible over there is true, and they know there's such a verse as that we just heard, 'Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name that will I do;' and there's tired folks who know the Bible says, 'Come unto me all ye that are weary, and I will give you rest;' and there's folks full of trouble who know it says, 'Cast thy burden on the Lord, and he will sustain thee;' and there's folks chasing up and down the world after a good time who know it says, 'In thy presence is fullness of joy,' and 'At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore;' and there's folks working night and day to be rich who know it says, 'I am the true riches,' and, 'The silver and the gold are his,' and just as true as you live they won't kneel down and ask him for any of these things! Now ain't that curious?"
"I should think he'd get kind of out of patience with them all," Tode answered, earnestly, "and say, 'Let 'em go, then, if they're determined to.'"
The old lady shook her head emphatically.