"Well, mine does," said Kitty. "I begin in the morning; something makes me cross, and I keep on getting crosser and crosser every minute, till it seems as if I should fly. Do you suppose I'll always do just so?"
"No," answered Tip positively, "I don't. You keep on trying a little bit harder every day, and by and by you'll find that you don't get cross more than half as easy as you used to. I know it will be so, because I've tried it in other things: when I first began to behave myself in school, it was the hardest work—my! You can think how I wanted to whisper, and things kept happening all the time to make me laugh, but I just kept trying, and now I hardly ever think of whispering. Kitty, does mother know?"
"No," said Kitty, "she don't."
"If I were you, I'd tell her."
"Oh, Tip, I can't! She never looks at me without scolding me; I can't talk to her about this."
"Yes, you can; I'd surely do it if I were you. It will be a great deal easier to try hard if mother knows you are trying."
They were almost at the church door.
"Kitty," said Tip suddenly, "let's pray for father to-night. I've been praying for him this long time; you help me."
Step by step, God was leading Tip Lewis in the narrow way. No sooner was he seated in the bright, warm little room, and had listened to Mr. Holbrook's earnest prayer, that every Christian there might do something for Christ that night, than the struggle began: what ought he to do for Christ? People all around him were, one after another, offering prayer or saying a few words. Ought he to? Could he? Oh, he couldn't! Who would want to listen to him? It wouldn't do any good. There was Mr. Burrows right in front of him; he would be ashamed of him, perhaps. Yes, but then, ought he not to own his Saviour? Mr. Holbrook had spoken of the verse, "Whosoever will deny me before men," and had made the meaning very plain. Mr. Minturn had just prayed that no one there might be ashamed of Christ. The end of it all was, that Tip slipped off his seat down on his knees, and said, "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Show me how to pray. I don't want to deny Christ. I want to love Him. I want the boys in our school, and my father, and everybody to love Him. I'll try to work for Jesus. I'll try to work for Him. Help me every day, and forgive my sins for Jesus' sake. Amen."
Tip had never felt so near to God as he did when he arose from his knees. Mr. Holbrook's voice trembled with feeling, when, soon after, he prayed for the young disciple who had early taken up his cross.