Soldiers of the Great King
by Mary Wingfield Bell

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Chapter 1	Chapter 2	Chapter 3	Chapter 4	Chapter 5	Chapter 6
Chapter 7	Chapter 8	Chapter 9	Chapter 10	Chapter 11	Chapter 12

CHAPTER 2

Janet was on the playground at school, waiting in line for her turn at jumping rope when she noticed a girl sitting by herself on top of the pump house.  The pump house was mostly under ground with steps leading down to the door.  About ten inches of it was above the ground.  There was a cement top and that was where the girl sat alone.  She was crying.

 

Quickly Janet ran to her and asked, “Do you want to jump rope with us?”

 

“No,” said the girl shaking her head.

 

“What is your name?” asked Janet.

 

“Lorena Bailey,” answered the girl.

 

“I never saw you before,” returned Janet.

 

“We just moved here,” said the girl who was crying.

 

“Why are you crying?” asked Janet.  “Maybe I can do something to help.”

 

“No one can help me,” sobbed the girl.  “My mother died last month and I have to stay by myself at night and I am so afraid.  I miss her so much!  I wish God had let her live.  She was a good mother.”

 

“Where is your father?” asked Janet.

 

“He has to travel from town to town to sell Zanol.  People don’t buy much in one town.  He won’t be home until Friday night.

 

Janet sat down by the girl and said, “Come home with me after school.  My mother will know what to do for you so you will not be afraid.  Oh, I forgot to tell you that my name is Janet Cubber.  My father and brother are in Heaven.  I know what it is to miss someone you love.

 

Lorena wiped her eyes with her hand.  “You really mean that I can come to your house?”

 

“Sure, my mother won’t mind.  She is a good woman.”

 

“Now come play with us,” invited Janet.  “After school I will let you walk home with me.”

 

Lorena smiled a little.  She was relieved to think she might not be alone come night time.  She followed Janet to where the girls were jumping rope. 

 

When school ended for the day, Lorena walked home with Janet.  Lorena hoped that Janet’s mother would let her spend the night with Janet so she would not have to be alone in an empty house.  Lorena had not slept well.  Every little noise frightened her.  When the wind blew a tree branch against her house, it made a noise like someone trying to break in.  She would cover he head with a quilt.  Finally, she fell asleep.  Lorena was very sad when she awoke to think that her mother would never be with her again.  It was in that sad state that Janet first saw her on the school ground.

 

“Well, dear, who do we have here?” said Mrs. Cubber when Janet came into the house with her new friend.

 

“Manie, this is Lorena Bailey,” informed Janet.  “She is new at our school.  Her mother is dead and she is afraid to be home alone.  I told her she could say overnight with me.  I knew that you would have a way to help her.”

 

“I see,” returned Manie.  “I am glad to meet you, Lorena.  I like to know all of Janet’s friends.  You may stay here tonight and we will see what can be done so you won’t have to be afraid.  But, sweet child, there is one thing I must tell you.  We do not have a lot to eat.  I don’t get much cleaning work to do.”

 

“Oh, I got food,” Lorena said quickly.  “I will go get food if Janet will come with me.”

 

“Manie, may I go to her house with her?” asked Janet.

 

“Yes, dear,” answered Mrs. Cubber, “But you girls hurry back and I will cook us some supper.”

 

Janet found Lorena’s house to be dark and cold.  The shades were down.

 

“Why don’t you let in the sunshine?” asked Janet.

 

“I don’t want anyone to peep in the windows,” replied Lorena.  “Janet you are a nice friend to help me this way.”  Lorena looked in the cabinet and took out a can of carnation evaporated milk.

 

“Daddy left four boxes of Zanol pie mix.  We can have cocoanut pudding,” said Lorena.

 

Janet saw a box of raisins on the shelf and said, “I really like raisin cookies.”

 

“Then we can have cookies,” said Lorena.  For a moment it seemed her sadness went away.

 

The girls took the raisins, pudding mix, milk and potatoes to Janet’s house.

 

“That’s good,” said Manie.  “We will have a nice supper because Neena brought over a ham bone while you were gone.  I will cut chips of ham from the bone and we will have potato stew.  After supper you girls can bake raisin cookies.  Now if you children have homework, do it right away while I prepare the food.”

 

Janet and Lorena went into the bedroom so as not to be in Mrs. Cubber’s way.

 

“Your mother is nice like my mother was,” said Lorena.

 

“I think she is most likely a nice woman now,” said Janet.

 

“What do you mean?” asked Lorena.  “My mother is dead.”

 

“Did your mother ever talk about Jesus?”

 

“Not much,” answered Lorena.  “My daddy did not want her to mention anything about God, but when he was not home I could hear her singing songs about Jesus.”

 

“Then I feel sure your mother is in Heaven and you will see her again someday,” said Janet.

 

“Really!”  Lorena’s face lit up in a smile.  She was happy to learn that she could see her mother again.

 

“But you can’t go to Heaven unless you ask Jesus to come into your heart,” said Janet.  “Without Jesus living in us we will not get to be living in Heaven.”

 

“How do I let Jesus into my heart?” asked Janet’s new friend.

 

“First, do you know that Jesus died on the cross for the whole world so everyone can be saved from sin?”

 

“No, I do not know much about Jesus.”

 

“Jesus was a good man who lived on earth,” said Janet.  “He taught people to be good and love everyone.  He healed all the people who asked to be healed.  Wicked religious people had him killed.  They hung him on a cross between two criminals.  There he died and shed his blood.  Only the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, will wash away our sin.”

 

“Janet, what is sin?”

 

“It is the wrong things we do and say that makes us unhappy but when Jesus comes into our hearts he gives us a clean heart.  It is so wonderful to know him.  And he is a great king, too.  There is no greater king than Jesus.”

 

“Please, Janet, show me how to get Jesus.  I want him to be my friend.”

 

“Say these words after me: ‘Lord Jesus, forgive my sins and come into my heart.  I believe that you died for me so I can be a happy girl and when I die, I will go to Heaven.”

 

Lorena prayed as Janet said and she became a new person.

 

“Oh my!” she said.  “He really makes me feel good inside.  I want to know more about him.  Will you tell me more?”

 

“You can go to Sunday school and learn much about Jesus and you can read the stories of him in the bible.”

 

“Where do you go to Sunday school?” asked Lorena.

 

“I go to a nice Methodist Church in Whatknot.  You can go there or to one of the other churches.”

 

“Janet, I want to go with you to your church.”

 

“Good, I’ll tell you where the church is,” said Janet.  “But we best study now so we will have our homework.  I want to make cookies, don’t you?”

 

“It’s so nice being with you in this house,” said Lorena.  “It’s such a warm and peaceful house.”

 

“Yes, that’s the way Manie and I like our house to be.  It’s because we both know Jesus, our Lord and king.  I forgot to tell you Jesus arose from the dead.”

 

“Jesus is my king now,” said Lorena smiling.  “I believe I have a new friend.”

 

“You do have a new friend.  He will always be with you.  He will never leave you, no never.  You can tell him all your troubles and he will make you feel better.  When things go wrong, Jesus can make them right.  There is no one like our King Jesus.”

 

“I am so glad I met you, Janet,” said Lorena.  “Maybe Daddy will get another job.”

 

By the time the girls finished their homework, Mrs. Cubber had supper on the table.  The three sat down to the table to eat.  They ate golden brown biscuits and chow-chow with the potato stew.

 

“I never ate chow-chow before,” said Lorena.  “It tastes real good with the potato stew.”

 

“We eat chow-chow with beans, too,” said Janet.

 

“Mrs. Cubber, your biscuits are good like the biscuits Mama made,” said the new friend.

 

Thank you, Sweetie,” said Janet’s mother.  “You do have good manners.  Your mother has taught you well.”

 

For dessert the three ate cocoanut pudding made from the mix that Lorena brought to Janet’s house.

 

After Manie washed the dishes Janet and Lorena made raisin cookies.  Each girl ate a cookie and they put the rest away to take in the school lunches the next day.

 

“I feel so warm and comfortable in your house,” said Lorena to Janet when the girls crawled under the quilts that night.

 

“Oh, I must pray,” said Janet and she got out of bed and knelt by it.

 

Lorena listened to Janet pray so she would know how to pray.  “I’m going to start praying every night,” she said, “because I know God will listen to me.”

 

At the same time Mrs. Cubber was in her room praying to God to make a way that this little girl would not have to be alone each night.

 

In the morning Janet’s mother made pancakes for breakfast and served them with hot tea.  Then the girls went to school.  Sometimes Lorena looked sad but she had quit crying.  She knew that Jesus would keep her safe.  His presence in her heart gave her hope.  She would learn all about King Jesus and that would make her happy again.  Already she wanted to tell someone about how he was helping her.  Janet had told her about the king’s soldiers and she would be a soldier, too.  She planned to be at the next meeting.

 

When school ended that day, Lorena went to her own house.  When she shut the gate, a woman in the yard next door spoke to her.  “Little girl, do you live there?” the woman asked.

 

“Yes, I do,” answered Lorena.  “My daddy and I live here.  My mother is in Heaven.”

 

“I’m sorry about your mother,” said the next door neighbor.  “My name is Elizabeth Hall but most folks call me Miz Lizzie.  My daughter lived in that house before she moved to Oregon and I have just this day returned home.  This dog is Whopper. He is my companion and good friend.  What is your name, dear?”

 

“My name is Lorena Bailey but people just call me Lorena.”

 

“What a pretty name and it fits you because you are pretty, also,”

 

“Thank you, Miz Lizzie,” said Lorena.  “I am glad you live next door.  It is lonesome living here by myself.  At night I was so scared but I don’t think I will be so scared now that Jesus lives in me.”

 

“Where is your father?”

 

“He travels on weekdays selling Zanol.  He will be here on Friday night.  I will be happy when he comes home.”

 

“See this side gate,” said the woman.  “My daughter and I were always going through it to see each other.  Now honey, you can use it to come over here anytime you want to talk to someone.

 

“I’m glad,” said Lorena.  “Your dog looks like a friendly dog.”

 

“Oh, he is,” said Miz Lizzie.  “He won’t bite.  Look he likes you.  See how he wags his tail?”

 

“I best go in and put down my school books.”

 

“I’m having macaroni and cheese for supper.  Would you like to come over and eat with me?”

 

“That’s nice of you to invite me,” said Lorena.  “Cheese and macaroni is my favorite food.  I will be over if you call me when you are ready to eat.”

 

“Will do that,” said Miz Lizzie.

 

Although Lorena missed her mother in a terrible way, she was beginning to accept the fact that life could be good again.  She and Miz Lizzie got to know each other at the supper table in Miz Lizzie’s house.  The woman made Lorena feel comfortable.  Lorena was not a bit afraid when she went to bed that night.  She had Jesus living in her heart and Miz Lizzie and her dog Whopper living next door.

 

When Lorena saw Janet at school next day, she told the Cubber girl that she was not afraid anymore because she now had Jesus with her.

 

Mr. Bailey came home on Friday night and he had a surprise for Lorena.  He brought his sister Ruth with him.

 

“Aunt Ruth, I’m so glad you have come,” said Lorena happily.  “Will you stay long?”

 

“Yes, dear, I am moving in for a while,” said Aunt Ruth.  “I can’t afford to pay rent now and your father asked me to come stay with you because he has to travel.”

 

“Nice things are happening since Jesus came into my heart,” said Lorena.

 

“That’s wonderful,” returned Aunt Ruth.  “We can go to church together.”

 

“I want to go to the Methodist Church where my new friend Janet goes.  She is the one who told me about King Jesus.  I will be his soldier, too.”

 

Chapter 1	Chapter 2	Chapter 3	Chapter 4	Chapter 5	Chapter 6
Chapter 7	Chapter 8	Chapter 9	Chapter 10	Chapter 11	Chapter 12