Chapter IV: The Watchword

"Without thy guiding hand we go astray."

"NOTHING else at present, thank you. You may put these with the articles Mr. Wynn has selected, and he will be in this afternoon to complete the order. Come, Mabel; dear, are you ready?" And Mrs. Wynn turned from the gentlemanly proprietor of the picture store, and addressing the last words to her daughter, prepared for her departure, drawing her handsome wraps a little closer, and giving a premonitory shiver.

Mabel was busy with a quantity of engravings, and replied,—

"Just wait a few moments, please. I want to select a few of these for the boys."

"Oh, those boys! I really believe you are more interested in making purchases for them than for yourself!"

"How can you think so, when I have already supplied my own wants in this line?" responded Mabel.

"Well, there are other wants to be provided for, I suppose you know. We are to go to Stewart's next to look at those shawls. I hope you will be able to give your attention to that matter," said Mrs. Wynn, a little impatient at the delay.

"Yes, mother, I promise to give my mind to shawls for a whole half hour if necessary. Only don't hurry me now, please."

"But we must hurry," was the reply. "We have only three hours more before we leave, and a great deal to do yet."

Mr. Wynn had come to New York for a stock of winter goods, and his wife and daughter had accompanied him to make purchases for themselves. Mabel always enjoyed such trips. She liked the whizz and whirr of the city; she liked to watch the hurrying stream of people, to spend a morning in an art or book store, to go to the park—in short, she enjoyed the sights and novelties as all residents of quiet country villages enjoy such occasional visits. She even shocked her mother by insisting that she positively enjoyed riding in the street cars. "Because," she said, "it is the very best place to see what sorts of people fill up this world."

But nowadays, she was always on the look-out for something to help her in her work for "those boys," as Mrs. Wynn always designated them. Having accepted the position of teacher, she took up the work with great interest and energy. Those boys were to carry through life the impress of her instructions. Would it be for good or ill? More than that—their characters were being formed for eternity. To lift them above low pleasures, evil thoughts and sinful habits; to teach them how best to use their powers, how to avoid failure, and make their lives a real success; to educate them for Christ—this was her work; for this she girded herself with much fervent prayer and faithful study; to this end, she sought a mere complete consecration to Christ, knowing that her own life should be the exponent of the religion she would teach them, realizing that an example of holy living is more than much teaching.

Some of them were nearing the age when boys think they are too big to go to Sunday-school, and their teacher resolved if possible to keep them, so their teacher was continually seeking to strengthen her hold upon them. Whenever and wherever she found anything she could make available as a means to the end she had in view, she seized upon it. Sometimes the merest trifle would give rise to a thought or plan, and she would say, "I must work that up for the boys."

And that morning in the picture room, she had caught an idea from a conversation which was going on over a portfolio of "Views on Venice." The gentleman of the party was evidently familiar with the scenes which these "Views" represented, and Mabel grew interested in his remarks. He was saying,—

"These paths, one can't call them streets, are fearfully narrow and tortuous. There is just one thing to prevent a stranger from getting hopelessly lost in the tangle of crossings and twistings. The principal footpath is of white marble, and this leads directly to the Ponte di Rialto. So one has only to keep to this white line to come out all right. And I have often thought," continued the speaker, whom Mabel now recognized as Dr. V., an eminent Sunday-school worker, "how the life of Jesus, pure and perfect, leading straight on to the goal of our aspirations, is laid before us in the Gospels, a sure guide for our feet amid the crooked ways of life."

That was all. At that moment, the clerk brought the articles for which she was waiting, and claimed her attention. But an hour or two later, having disposed of the shawl question, and various other matters in the way of laces, ribbons, gloves and the like, she had time to finish out her list of Christmas gifts for her class. It was a Bible this time for Henry Trafton, who did not own one. Not that his parents were too poor to buy one for their son, but they had never thought anything about it. In their handsome parlour a family Bible, in Turkey leather and gilt clasps, reposed upon a cushion that was a marvel of needlework and patience, and Mrs. Trafton had a smaller volume which she kept upon her private book-shelf. But Henry came Sabbath after Sabbath without a book, and read the lesson out of his neighbour's Bible. No wonder he never had a lesson!

As Mabel made her selection, a thought of the fragment of the conversation which she had just heard flitted through her mind, and her eye alighted upon the words, "I am the way," and then "None cometh unto the Father but by me," she exclaimed, "That's the very thing!"

"What did you say?" asked the attendant, wondering.

"Oh, excuse me; I'll take this, and this," and to herself she said, "I must learn not to talk loud when I speak to Mabel Wynn. But that is just the thing for our class motto. 'Follow the White Line.' If I could only manage the cards, if I were a bit of an artist, I could get them up myself. I must manage it."

She did. The cards with the motto printed in the style of the illuminated texts—which she had been looking over, failing to find just the right thing for her purpose—were ready by Christmas—small ones for book marks, and larger, handsomer ones in pretty frames. They were hung upon the tree of many fruits which the school met to enjoy and appropriate, and each boy received a private letter explaining the motto and containing words of earnest warning and affectionate entreaty. They were invited to take Christ as a pattern and more than this, to accept him as a Saviour.

When they came to talk it over together, the teacher said, "I hope you will all adopt it as your own motto. It is my earnest prayer that we may all make our lives as near like Christ's as possible. We shall need to 'watch and pray' if we would keep the path he has laid down, for there are many turns in this life and many things to draw us out of the narrow way. But none of you have said how you like it."

"I like it," said Lewie Amesbury. "At school, day schools, I mean, teachers are always holding up some great man for a pattern, but I think it is a great deal better to have a perfect pattern. I s'pose we can't be perfect, but we ought to try and live as near the rules Christ laid down as we can."

Lewie was the "best boy" in the class, always prompt, always ready with the lesson, always quiet, looking grave over the frolics and tricks of the other boys, giving assent to the truth presented, and seeming ready to follow the right course. But did he really love the Saviour?

Herbert Bradford spoke next.

"I like the motto well enough, but it wouldn't be honest for me to adopt it entirely. I don't want to be a Christian now, and that is what it means, isn't it?"

"It leads to that, certainly," answered Miss Wynn; "but, Herbert, will you tell us of one point in which you would not like to be like Jesus? We read that 'Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.' That was while he was yet a boy. You would not object to follow such an example? When he grew to manhood, he entered upon that work for which he came, 'Led by the Spirit.' Listen to this," and Mabel turned over the leaves of her Bible, and read,—

"'The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion; to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.' What a grand mission! And how perfectly and beautifully fulfilled! If we take up the study of Christ's life here on earth, as I proposed to you, we shall see how desirable it is to follow closely the example of our Divine Master."

After giving out the next lesson, which was to be a study of some of the prophecies regarding the Saviour, Mabel said,—

"And now remember the watchword and 'follow' closely. Whenever you are tempted or puzzled during this week, ask yourself—What would Christ say? Will you do that? Herbert, will you, so far as you can, let Him settle the questions that come up this week?"

It seemed a simple thing, and Herbert promised. Little did he think, that before another Sabbath, he should meet and decide the most important question that could come to him in his life.