message came from Jairus' house. The worst had
happened. The little girl had died, and there was no use troubling
Jesus. Already it was too late.

But before Jairus could speak, Jesus took him by the arm and said:

"Don't be afraid. Just keep on believing."

He sent the crowd away, and told the disciples that none of them could
come with him except Simon and James and John.

Jairus led the way to his house. When they got there they found that
the bad news was true. The little girl had really died. Already the
flute players, who played at funerals in Palestine, had arrived.
Everyone was mourning and weeping.

Jesus spoke sharply to the mourners.

"Why are you making all this fuss?" he asked. "The little girl isn't
dead. She is only sleeping."

Everyone laughed at him, as though he were a fool. "So he doesn't know
the difference between being asleep and being dead," they said to
themselves. But Jesus told them to get out of the house. When they
were gone he took Jairus and his wife, and the three disciples, and
went into the little girl's room.

There could be no doubt about it--the girl was dead. She was lying
white and cold and still. No doctor in the world could ever help her
again.

Jesus bent over the still body, and opened his mouth to speak. Simon
and James and John held their breath. Not many hours before, they had
heard him say to the sea, "Peace, be still." When he spoke, the sea
obeyed him. They heard him speak to a madman, and after he spoke the
man was in his right mind again. But what use would it be to speak to
someone who was dead? The dead could not hear him!

Or could they hear him? Had Jesus not once told them, "The dead hear
my voice"?

[Illustration]

The little girl did not know anything. She did not hear anything. She
could not know or hear anything, for she was dead.

Then a voice came through the silence. The little girl began to hear
someone talking. It was a man's voice, and it was saying the very
words her mother used each morning to wake her up from sleep.

"Little girl, get up!" she heard.

She opened her eyes. She looked into the face of Jesus. He took her
hand, and helped her to her feet. Her parents were there too. She went
to them.

"Give her something to eat," said Jesus. "And say nothing about what
has happened."

But no one could keep a secret like that. Soon everyone had heard the
story. Everybody heard how Jesus spoke and brought the dead back to
life.

[Il