of him, and where he was to be found. Half rising from
her former position, and looking earnestly in the face of her humble
instructor, which was beaming with her own admiration of the glorious
works and power of the Lord, she exclaimed vehemently,--

"That Lord,--who's him? I's never heerd of him afore."

"Laws, honey, don' ye know? He's de great Lord of heaben and earf, dat
made you and me and ebery body else. He made all de tings ye sees,--de
trees, de green grass, de birds, de pigs,--dere's noffin dat he didn't
make. Oh, he's de mighty Lord, I tells ye, chile! Didn't ye neber hear
'bout him afore?"

Tidy shook her head; she could hardly speak.

"Tell me some more," she said at last.

"Well, chile, dis great Lord he lib up in de heaben of heabens, way up
ober dat blue sky, and he sits all de time on a great trone, and he sees
ebery ting dat goes on down har in dis yer world. Ef ye does any ting
bad, he puts it down in a great book he's got, and byme-by he'll punish
de wicked folks right orful."

"Whip?" questioned Tidy.

"Whip! no; burn in de hot fire and brimstone for eber and for eber. 'Tis
orful to be wicked, and hab de great Lord punish."

"I ha'n't done noffin," cried out Tidy, fairly trembling with terror.

"Laws, no,--course not, chile; ye's noffin but a chile, ye know; but
some folks does orful tings. But ye needn't be afeard, honey; he's
a good Lord, and lubs us all; and ef ye tries to be good, and 'beys
missus, and neber lies, nor steals, nor swars, he'll be a good friend to
ye. He'll make de sun to shine on yer, and de rain to fall; and when ye
dies, he'll take yer right up dar, to lib wid him allus. There now, jest
hark,--dat's old Si comin' up de lane. Don' ye h'ar him singin'? He lubs
de Lord, he does, and he's allus a-singin'. Hark, now! a'n't it pooty?
Guess de pone's done by dis time;" and she shuffled to the fireplace, to
look after her cake.

Tidy, almost overwhelmed with the weight of knowledge that had been
poured in upon her inquiring spirit, and hardly knowing whether what
she had heard should make her glad or sorry, leaned back against the
door-post, and carelessly listened to the voice, as it came nearer and
nearer. In a minute the words fell with pleasing distinctness upon the
ear.

"Dear sister, didn't you promise me
To help me shout and praise him?
Den come and jine your voice to mine,
And sing his lub amazin'.
I tink I hear de trumpet soun