Page:Her Benny - Silas K Hocking (Warne, 1890).djvu/205

 throngh a smoked glass, an' it all 'pears dark. But I tell 'e, lads, this I know, that God loves ns, ay, loves us, and He'll make everything right and square by-and-bye, if we will only leave it wi' Him."

"I dunna see much sign o' the love anywheres," said the man in reply.

"Pr'aps so," said Joe. "But yer see, mates, as how sin an' the devil have corned in th' world, an' they's made terrible mischief, terrible, and many o' us 'as bin 'elping the devil all wc could, an' so between us we's got oursels into a queer scrape, an' piled misery an' sorrow o' top o' our 'eads. But God loved us so much that He sent the Saviour to take away our sin an' make us free. An' yet all the time we complain as if our Father made all the mischief an' trouble, when most o' us 'as a-made it oursels."

"Ay, that's true, lad," said Dick Somerset, the man that had spoken most.

"Course it are true," said Joe, brightening up. "An', besides, it may be a good thing for us to be kep' poor an' 'ave plenty o' 'ard work. The Lord knows best, you may depend on't, what's best for us; lots of us couldn't stand riches, 'twould be the greatest curse we could 'ave. I b'lieve if you place some people on a hoss they'd ride to the devil, but if you were to keep 'em in clogs they'd plod on all the way to Paradise."

"Ifs 'nation 'ard, though," said several of the men, "to be allers a-grindin' away at it as we's bound to do."

"Ay, lads," said Joe, "that are true, an' yet I reckon