Happy Days for Boys and Girls Part 61

"To whom shall I go for help and courage, this last night of my life, but to thee, O Lord? Thou knowest best what will happen to me. If it be in accordance with thy will, permit me to see my wife and children again. If thou seest that it is not best for thy glory that I should live, then I will obey willingly. Thy will, not mine, be done."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "FATHER, FATHER! THAT IS THE VERY TUNE WHICH WE WERE SINGING TOGETHER THE NIGHT THAT YOU WERE ARRESTED." See page 327.]

That was a n.o.ble prayer. Scarcely had the last word fallen from his lips, when he heard somebody gently lifting the latch of his door, and inserting the key.

"Save yourself," whispered the person who entered, who was none other than old Solomon's son, to whom Richard had confided his enterprise.

It was two o'clock in the morning, the very best time to accomplish his purpose.

"Put on these clothes," said he, as he unfolded a soldier's uniform; "take this hat, and here is a gun. As quickly as you possibly can, transform yourself into a soldier."

They escaped in safety from the prison, accompanied by the faithful Richard, and went as rapidly as they could towards the Rhine. They reached old Solomon's ferry house. The young man knocked gently at the window, and asked his father to come out as soon as possible and take the duke over the river.

"Are you not going to take your little girl with you?" said the old ferryman.

"What little girl?" asked the duke.

"Your little daughter, whom my brother has brought here this very day; and she is as sweet a child as I ever saw in my life. She lies asleep now in the corner of the room."

This was news which the n.o.bleman did not expect to hear, and he was almost overcome with joy. But he had no time to spend in greeting, except to give his dear Lillie a kiss. Soon they were over the Rhine; but before reaching the bank on the opposite side, they were fired at by soldiers who had come in search of them. A bullet pa.s.sed through the top of the duke's high soldier hat, but he was not harmed, and escaped in safety.

The great task for him to accomplish now was to find his wife and boy, though he had but little hope of ever finding them. Old Richard had enough money to buy the duke a horse; so the father mounted the horse, and took his little daughter on the saddle with him. They travelled over the mountains and through the vales, asking, whenever they met any person, to tell them if they knew of any strangers in that section of the country. But n.o.body gave any information.

Old Richard was yet with them, for he had still enough money left to buy a mule, and he rode beside his good master and Lillie until the 17th of July arrived, and that was Lillie's birthday. The duke determined that they three should stop and celebrate it by taking a little rest and a good meal in a cottage by the wayside. Having finished their dinner, they went out of doors and looked about the beautiful yard, which was all blooming with flowers. A bird cage was hanging by the side of the door, and the bird was singing the tune to these words:--

"Take courage, bird; Our Father says, In winter's storms And summer's rays You have no barns, You sow no wheat, But G.o.d will give you bread to eat."

Lillie was astounded at again hearing that sweet melody, and she exclaimed,--

"Father, father! that is the very tune which we were singing together the night that you were arrested."

The little bird went over it two or three times, and the father said,--

"You are right, my dear child. That is the melody--not a note is wanting. This is truly wonderful. I do believe that this bird has been taught to sing that song by Carl and your good mother. O, Richard, can you not find out how this bird came here?"

Richard said in reply,--

"I will do all I can, but I am afraid that it will be very difficult."

He made inquiries of the man who owned the bird, and who had furnished them with the dinner, as to where the bird came from. The Tyrolese replied,--

"I don't know where it came from, except that a young man who pa.s.sed along the road, and who lives about three miles from here, sold it to me for a trifling sum one day. I was pleased with its appearance, because it was a beautiful bird, and the price was very low."

Then Richard said,--

"Can you not see that young man, and find out where he got it from?"

"I will do so if you wish," he answered.

Richard then told him to report as soon as possible what he had learned.

That afternoon, about five o'clock, the young man was brought to Richard and the duke, and inquiries were made as to where he got the bird. He said that he did not know where it came from exactly, except that it was found one day after it had escaped from somebody's cage.

He did not know who owned it, or else he would have taken it to its owner.

"Where was it you found it?" said the duke.

"About ten miles from here, when I was going to see my mother, who lives a great many miles away."

"Do you know whether any strangers are in that neighborhood?" asked the duke.

"I heard my mother say that there were a lady and a little boy living some three miles the other side of her house, and that she was a very good woman."

"Did you ever see the boy yourself?" inquired the duke.

"Yes, I saw the boy going to school."

The duke, on making further inquiries as to his appearance, came to the conclusion that the boy whom he had seen was probably none other than Carl. He accordingly made his arrangements to go to the place of which the young man had spoken.

That night he reached the house where this good lady and her son were boarding. True enough, the duke and little Lillie were in the presence of the d.u.c.h.ess and Carl. It was a happy meeting, far beyond my power to describe. Their grat.i.tude to their heavenly Father for preserving them to each other knew no bounds. It was an hour of such happiness as is seldom permitted any one to enjoy.

They sat up late that night and recounted their experiences to each other, and then the duke revealed the secret of his coming to that house; that it was a canary bird which had been the instrument of his finding her and Carl. They spent a few days in great happiness there, and made a bargain with the man who owned the canary bird which had escaped from Carl's cage to get it back again.

Two years pa.s.sed on, and peace and quiet were again restored to France. The duke and his family were permitted to return to his castle, and the government made him ample reparation for all the losses that he had incurred. They took with them their little canary bird, which had lost none of its sweet notes by the lapse of time.

One day a magnificent new piano arrived from Paris, and after tea the duke said,--

"Now we will try the piano in our own quiet home. What shall we sing?"

asked he.

The d.u.c.h.ess, and Carl, and Lillie all answered with one voice,--

"We must sing our bird song."

"Take courage, bird; Our Father says, In winter's storms And summer's rays You have no barns, You sow no wheat, But G.o.d will give you bread to eat."

THE SHEEP AND THE GOAT.

Not all the streets that London builds Can hide the sky and sun, Shut out the winds from o'er the fields, Or quench the scent the hay swath yields All night, when work is done.

And here and there an open spot Lies bare to light and dark, Where gra.s.s receives the wanderer hot, Where trees are growing, houses not; One is the Regent's Park.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE GOATS.]

Soft creatures, with ungentle guides, G.o.d's sheep from hill and plain, Are gathered here in living tides, Lie wearily on woolly sides, Or crop the gra.s.s amain.