careful driver too, and that, with my heavenly Father's care,makes me feel safe while I am riding."
By this time, the carriage was rattling rapidly along over the smoothvillage street. It soon carried them beyond Rosedale into a pleasantroad, and Minnie was busy all the rest of the ride pointing to thepretty scenery they passed, and asking many questions about themansions, cottages, and farms which met her eye. Thus occupied, itseemed but a few moments to her before the carriage drove up to thehotel at which they were to stop for the day.
Very gayly did Minnie trip along at aunt Amy's side, as that lady walkeddown with her to the beach. Mrs. Brown, not being very well, did notwalk with them. Minnie was charmed with the broad, calm sea, sparklingso brightly in the sun. The splash of the waves, as they came rolling inupon the sand, and the constant hoarse murmur of the great sea, soundedlike grand music in her ears.
"Hark!" she said to her aunt; "hark, aunt! The sea roars to-day, yet itis very calm."
"Yes, Minnie, that is old Ocean's mildest voice you hear to-day. In astorm, he speaks in a voice of thunder. You would tremble before itshould you stand where you do now."
Minnie now amused herself and her aunt by picking up shells, by runningdown to the edge of the water, and allowing the returning wave to chaseher, and by digging holes in the sand. Her good aunt sat upon a rock,watching her movements, answering her numerous questions, and rewardingher playfulness with smiles. She was a sensible woman, and knew thatchildren not only need time to play, but that they should also beencouraged in it by the approval of their friends and relatives.
But after Minnie had played a long time, her aunt said to her,--
"Come, Minnie, you have played long enough for the present; let us walkback to the hotel."
When Minnie heard this summons, she did not pout, nor plead for moretime, as a self-willed child would have done; but she looked up to heraunt with a smile, brushed the sand from her fingers, and said,--
"Yes, aunt, I will come directly."
The moment after, she was standing close to her aunt, ready to return tothe hotel.
As aunt Amy arose from the rock, which had served her for a seat, shesaid,--
"We must now sow some good seed, Minnie, before we return home. It wouldhardly be right to spend a whole day in seeking our own pleasure withoutdoing a little good to some one."
"But how can we sow good seed here on this beach?" asked Minnie,somewhat puzzled by her aunt's remark.
"Do you see those little vessels down yonder, Minnie?" inquired auntAmy, as she pointed to a distant part of the beach.
"Yes, aunt, I see them, a little this side of those great rocks."
"And do you also see those persons on the beach near the vessels?"
"Yes, I see some men who look like sailors."
"Well, I have some tracts in this little package; and if we give thesetracts to those seamen, we shall sow some good seed; for the tracts maylead them to God and heaven."
"Then sowing good seed means the same as being a sunbeam, don't it,aunt?"
"Yes, my child. By speaking a kind word, by smiling upon persons whoneed encouragement, or by giving a tract to do the same things for us,we are sunbeams to those we act upon. So that being a sunbeam or sowinggood seed amounts to one and the same thing. But let us go and sow ourseed."
They now walked down the beach until they came to the spot where theysaw the sailors. Here aunt Amy gave Minnie a tract to carry to a stoutsailor, who had on a large tarpaulin hat. She ran up to the man, withone of her sweetest smiles, and said,--
"Please, sir, will you accept a tract?"
"A tract!" replied the man, looking at Minnie's happy face withsurprise.
"Yes, sir, a pretty tract, if you please."
"Yes, little miss, I'll take it to please you;" and the rough-lookingman stretched out his hand and took the tract, very much to the delightof Minnie.
While Minnie was giving her tract to the sailor, aunt Amy gave anotherto a fine-looking lad who was on the beach. She also sent one by thesame boy to a sailor; and then she and Minnie set out for the hotel.
"Now," said aunt Amy, "we shall have at least one pleasant thoughtconnected with our trip."
"Only _one_ pleasant thought, aunt? Why, all my thoughts of it will bepleasant ones."
"So will mine, my dear. But I shall be most pleased to think we have notspent the day entirely for ourselves. Our tracts to those men may dothem great good. They may be as sunbeams to light them on the way toheaven. Isn't that the most pleasing thought of the day, Minnie?"
"Yes, aunt; but do you think tracts are always sunbeams to those whoreceive them?"
"No, Minnie, by no means. Many persons get no good from them at all. Butthousands have been greatly benefited by them. We must hope and praythat ours will prove to be as good seed sown on good soil. If not, wehave done our duty."
By this time they had reached the tavern. Here they dined with Minnie'smother. After dinner, they took a long ride round the country, andreached home at an early hour. When Minnie lay down to sleep that night,she had many happy thoughts about what she had seen and done. But, asher aunt Amy had said, the thought which gave her the richest pleasurewas, that the tracts she and her aunt had given away might be doinggood. And she fancied how the sailor looked, at his own fire-side,reading her tract; and how it touched his heart, and made him weep, andpray, and seek the road to heaven. It was a beautiful fancy, and it madeMinnie's heart swell with a rich joy. She fell asleep thinking she wouldbe a sunbeam to some one every day of her life. Happy Minnie! She waslearning to taste the pleasure of being kind and good to others.
The next day aunt Amy bought some things to make up for Kate Button.Minnie and her mother helped her, by sewing nearly all day upon Kate'snew frock. And they enjoyed themselves too. They kept thinking of thepleasure it would afford poor Kate to be neatly dressed, and to be amember of the Sabbath school. Many times during that day Minnie sprangup from her chair, held up her work, and cried aloud, with a gladheart,--
"O aunt Amy! won't Kate be happy when we dress her up in this nicefrock? It makes me joyful to think of it."
"That will depend upon the state of her heart, Minnie. Clothing may makeher comfortable; but it takes something else to make either children orgrown people happy besides clothes. If Kate seeks to be good, loving herSavior, she will be happy indeed. But if not, she will be wretched,even if we should dress her in silk, and adorn her with jewels."
"Yes, I know Kate must be good if she is happy. But I think she will bewhen she gets her dress, and goes to Sunday school. Don't you, aunt?"
"We will hope so, my dear. But now let us lay aside our work and take awalk."
To this Minnie could make no objection. So she and her aunt walked outinto the shady streets and lanes of Rosedale. On their way, they saw apoor old soldier, with a wooden leg, hobbling towards them slowly. Assoon as Minnie saw him advancing, she said,--
"O aunt! here comes poor Corporal Jim, the one-legged soldier."
"Poor fellow!" replied her aunt. "It must be hard work for him to hobblethrough the world on his wooden leg."
"Yes, aunt; and he is very poor. He lives in a little shanty alone; andhe has not a relation in all the world."
"Well, let us speak kindly to him, and cheer him on his lonesome way. Wemay cast a sunbeam in his path."
Minnie looked up into her aunt's kind face, and smiled with delight atthe idea of being a sunbeam to poor old Corporal Jim, who, by the way,was a great favorite with all the children in Rosedale.
By this time, the poor old soldier was close upon them, holding out hishat for a gift. Aunt Amy stopped, asked him several questions, and,finding that he was pious, cheered him with gentle words of hope. Shethen dropped a piece of gold in his tattered hat, and passed on.
Poor Corporal Jim! The kind words of aunt Amy, and the sight of thepiece of gold, went to his heart. Tears filled his eyes. "Heaven blessye!" he murmured; and then he hobbled to the roadside, sat down upon alarge rock, and wept for joy.
Minnie's keen eye had watched the effect of her aunt's words and giftupon the old corporal. She saw how glad they made his heart. The sightof his joy caused a stream of rich emotion to flow through her ownlittle bosom. It filled her so full she could not, for the moment,speak. But fondly pressing her aunt's hand, she walked on by her side insilence. As soon as she recovered herself, she said,--
"Dear aunt, you have been a sunbeam to Corporal Jim. I saw by his facethat you made him feel very happy."
"That is just what God expects us to do, my dear, to every one whocrosses our path. If every person in the world would smile upon and helpevery body, nearly all the misery and sorrow which make the worldwretched, would be prevented; and every heart would be cheered