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 10

 

Viola was no longer fretful.  Now she was to enjoy her stay at Janet’s house.  She was a welcome guest.  She liked Janet very much and said, “I wish we were sisters so we could live together all the time.”

 

We might get tired of each other,” Janet said jokingly.  “But it is nice having you here now.”

 

The two cousins worked together.  They were busy cutting out quilt squares from two old coats for Manie to make into a quilt.

 

“It will be a warm quilt,” said Janet’s mother.  “We can use more quilts.  I want everyone to stay warm in bed so they can get a good night’s rest.”

 

“Cousin Manie, did you make all the quilts?” asked Viola.

 

“No, not all of them,” answered Manie.  “Mother Cubber gave me two quilts.  She is a good seamstress.”

 

When night came Janet and Viola knelt by the bed to pray.  Both girls prayed for Viola’s mother to be well soon.  Then they lay in bed talking quietly so as not to disturb Janet’s mother in the next room.

 

“Janet, why do people in your church call each other brother and sister?  They are not related.”

 

“They say brother and sister because we are all in the family of God,” explained Janet.  “But the children do not say that to other children, only to the grown-ups.  What do people call each other in the church where you go?”

 

“They mostly call each other by the first name,” answered Viola.  “I think it is kind of nice that people call each other brother and sister.”

 

“What are you going to wear to school tomorrow?” asked Janet.  “I’m going to wear my black jumper that Manie made out of Uncle Herb’s pants.  It looks good with a red ribbon on it.”

 

Then I’ll wear my blue jumper that my mother bought at Gutmans,” said Viola.  I like the silver colored buttons on it.”

 

After much conversation the cousins fell asleep.

 

When they awoke in the morning they smelled bread in the kitchen.  Manie had baked biscuits to eat with apple jelly.  There was a man sitting at the table eating a biscuit.  He was a stranger.  The girls asked Mrs. Cubber why the man was there.

 

“He is a traveler needing food,” said Manie.  “I’m sharing our bread with him.  But he must leave as soon as he has eaten.  It’s not right that he should stay around here.  Hobos eat wherever they find food but we don’t have much to give.”

 

“Why doesn’t he work to get money for food?” asked Viola.  “My mother would not feed a tramp.”

 

“Dear, jobs are hard to find,” said Janet’s mother.  “He is not likely to come back for biscuit and jelly.”

 

The man thanked Mrs. Cubber for the two biscuits and left.

 

Maria came by to go to school with Janet and Viola.

 

“What did you have for breakfast, Maria?” asked Viola.

 

“We had canned sausage, eggs and biscuits,” said Maria.

 

“Now that is a good breakfast,” said Viola.  “But Cousin Manie makes delicious biscuits.  I am ready to leave.”

 

The morning was cold and the girls walked fast on their way to school.  Viola pulled her toboggan down over her ears.  Janet and Maria pulled their scarfs over their foreheads.

 

“I’ll be glad when spring arrives,” said Maria.  “It’s too cold for Lolita to play outside today.  She will be getting in my mother’s way.”

 

“I wish it were warm today,” said Janet.  “I do not like weather when it is this cold.”

 

“I know how we can take a short cut and get to school quicker,” suggested Maria.  “We can go down the alley behind the restaurant.”

 

“I don’t think I should do that,” said Janet.  “I’ve never been in that alley before.  Manie might not like for me to go that way.”

 

“Ah, come on Janet,” begged Viola.  “It’s too cold out.  I want to be at school.”

 

Janet went with her friend and cousin down the alley.  The buildings were strange to her.  They saw three boys coming toward them.  Fear began to take hold of the three girls and they moved to let the boys pass by but the boys did not pass.  They each grabbed hold of a girl.”

 

“Let go of me, you dumb nut,” Viola cried.

 

“Why should I let go,” answered the rough lad.  “I always wanted to catch me a little girl.”  The boy was two years older and two inches taller than Viola.

 

Another youth grabbed Maria.  “Hey, doll,” he said laughing.  “You are just what I want to play with me.  Don’t pull away.  You might even like me.”

 

Janet tried to run from the third boy but he caught her right away.

 

“What are we going to do with these girls?” he asked.  “We can’t let them go to school, now can we.  They might cause trouble for us.”

 

Maria fought the boy who held her.  She scratched his face and tried to kick but he was too quick for her effort.

 

Viola began to cry.  “I wish I were home with my mother,” she sobbed.

 

“Shut up, sad face,” said her captor.

 

Nearby was a shed and the boys pushed the girls into the shed and fastened the door.  Then the boys left, leaving Janet and her friends shut up inside the shed.  It was mostly dark in there but big cracks in the building let in streaks of light.  It was a dreary cold place for the girls to be in.

 

“Maybe somebody will come by and we can call for help,” said Maria.  “I expect to get out of this horrible shed.”

 

“I am so scared,” said Viola.  “I’ve never been so afraid in my life.”

 

“Let’s think of something nice,” suggested Maria.  “This is such a dreadful place.”

 

“Sometimes I like to think of our trip to Grandest View,” said Janet.  “That was a lot of fun meeting the children there.”

 

“All I can think about is wanting to be at home in our nice apartment,” sighed

Viola. 

 

Janet peeped through one of the long cracks in the wall.  She saw a woman coming by.

 

“I see Sister Ellie,” said Janet.

 

“Call her,” said Maria.  “She can open the door for us.”

 

“Sister Ellie,” cried Janet in a loud voice.

 

The woman looked all around but seeing no one she went on her way.

 

“Maybe someone else will come,” said Maria.

 

“We can die here,” moaned Viola as she shivered in the cold.

 

“Cheer up, Viola,” said Janet.  “We will get out of here

 

“Why don’t we all pray,” said Janet.  “God saved Peter when he was in jail.  He can get us out of this place.”

 

The girls held hands and Janet prayed, asking God to do something so they could leave the shed.

 

“I heard God say, ‘Try the rock,’ “ said Janet. “ Is there a rock in this place?”

 

The girls began to look about the shed.  Darkness was so strong that it was hard to see anything but Maria saw something in one corner of the shed.

 

“Yes, here is a rock,” said Maria.  “Now what do we do with it?”

 

“I thing we can hit the boards with the rock” said Janet.  “The wood is old and some of it is rotten.”

 

Maria tried beating the rock on a board next to the door.  A small piece fell away, letting in a little more light.  When she was tired, she let Janet pound on the board.  Janet beat off another piece of wood.

 

“We still can’t reach the fastener, that little piece that holds the door shut.” said Janet.

 

“If we can knock a piece loose and let it fall inside we will be free,” said Maria.

 

The girls pounded some more with the rock and after four tries they managed to get a stick of wood inside.

 

“Now I will try to hit the piece of wood that is keeping us prisoners,” said Janet.

 

“Hurry up,” said Viola.  “I am freezing to death.”

 

Janet did not move the fastener so Maria tried to open the door.  At first nothing happened but a second time brought results.  Maria had succeeded and the girls were free to go to school.

 

The friends hurried to get to school and they were late getting to their classrooms.

 

“It’s not like you to be tardy,” said Janet’s teacher.

 

“I’m sorry,” returned Janet.  “Something happened.  I could not get here on time.”

 

The remainder of the day things went well for Janet.  When her body had warmed she thought of how God had helped her in the time of trouble and silently she thanked him.  I know the Lord, our king, never leaves me.  He is so good she thought.

 

When school was out for the day, Maria and Viola joined Janet.  The three girls walked home together.

 

“Are you going to tell your mother what happened this morning?” asked Maria.  “I am afraid to tell my parents.  I don’t know what my father might do to the boys.”

 

“Sometime I will tell Manie.  I’m not sure when but not today,” answered Janet.  “She might worry about me and I am doing fine.”

 

“If my mother were here, I would tell her,” said Viola.  “She would see that the boys are punished.”

 

“I think we should pray for the mean boys,” said Janet.  “They are not happy.  They do not know King Jesus.”

 

“We don’t even know their names,” said Maria.  “I do know they need to have Jesus in their hearts so they won’t do such a mean thing again.”

 

“God knows who they are and what they did,” said Janet.  “We just have to ask God to make them sorry for their actions.”

 

“I will have a hard time praying for children who are so mean,” said Viola.

 

“We must forgive them,” said Janet, “So God will forgive us if we do something wrong.”

 

“Janet, you know we are never going to be that mean,” said Maria.

 

“Anyway, I forgive those boys,” Janet said.

 

When the girls arrived at the shotgun house, Manie was there to greet them as always.

 

“How was school today?” she asked.  “Fine,” replied Janet.  “I got a 100 on my Arithmetic paper.”

 

“And I made 98 on my science paper,” added Viola.

 

“Both of you are good students,” said Mrs. Cubber.  “Would you girls like to make cookies?  The dough is ready to roll out and cut the cookies and put them in the pan.”

 

Janet and Viola threw their books on the bed.  Making cookies was what they liked to do.  Soon there was a platter filled high with ginger cookies.

 

When Maria came in later, they had a little party with hot tea and ginger cookies.  The girls were happy.  It was like celebrating freedom from the locked shed.  Nothing was said about their time in the shed but it was still on their minds.  They were glad that Jesus was there with them and helped them to break out of the shed.

 

“I will be going home soon,” said Viola, “But I will never forget this visit and the fun I have had here.  Also, I will remember our time as prisoners.  I never thought that such a thing could happen to me.”  The children had promised each other not to talk about their misfortune but Viola forgot and let it slip.

 

The rest of the week was ordinary.  Nothing unusual took place.  Maria did homework at Janet’s house.  Viola did homework at the same time.  Sometimes the three girls played with other children in the neighborhood.  Trilby and Tim joined the girls and Maria’s brothers Marlo and Tony.  They had races to see who could run the fastest.  Maria was often the winner but Trilby won two races.

 

On Saturday soldiers of the king met in the junior classroom of the Methodist Church.  Mrs. Cubber was there to help the children enjoy their meeting.

 

“I think I am a soldier of the king, too,” she said.

 

Janet was to be the leader.  She would tell stories from the bible.  She hoped that her cousin would like the story she would tell.  That Saturday Janet decided to tell about Jesus and Lazarus.

 

Janet began, “Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus lived in the town of Bethany.  Lazarus was sick.  The sisters sent someone to tell Jesus.  The person said to Jesus, ‘behold he whom thou loved is sick.’  When Jesus heard that he said, ‘this sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God.’  Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters.  Jesus didn’t go to Mary and Martha right away.  He said, ‘I will go and awaken Lazarus.’  Jesus said, ‘Lazarus is dead.’  Martha went to meet Jesus.  She said, ‘Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died.  But I know that even now whatever you ask God, God will give it to you.’  Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’  Martha said, ‘I know he will rise in the resurrection at the last day.’  Martha went to tell Mary that Jesus had come.  Mary went to see Jesus and fell down at his feet saying, ’Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.’  Jesus said, ‘Where have you laid him?  The people with Mary said, ‘Come and see.’  Jesus went to the grave and said, ‘Take away the stone.’  Martha said, ‘By this time he stinketh for he has been dead three days.’  Jesus said, ‘If you believe you will see the glory of God.’  They took away the stone from where Lazarus was laid.  Jesus prayed, ‘I thank you, for you have heard me.’  Then he said with a loud voice, ’Lazarus, come forth.’  Lazarus came forth and people took off his grave clothes that bound him.  “See how powerful Jesus is,’ said Janet.  “He can bring the dead to life.  He is the greatest king of all and he is a good king.”

 

            “Tell another story,” said Elmer.

 

“Another time Jesus went to Mary and Martha’s house,” said Janet.  “Mary liked to sit at Jesus feet and hear what he had to say.  Martha was working in the house.  She said, ‘Jesus, why not tell Mary to help me.  She left the work for me to do.’

 

‘Martha, you worry too much,’ said Jesus.  ‘Mary has chosen the good part that is needed.  It won’t be taken away from her.’

 

“Tell us more,” said Viola.  She had not heard Janet tell stories before.

 

“I think I will tell about when Jesus comes to sit on his throne in Jerusalem.  He will divide the people into two groups.  The ones on his right side will hear him say, ’You are blessed by the Father, enter the kingdom because when I was hungry, you gave me bread, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, when I was a stranger you took me in.  When I had no clothes you gave me clothes and when I was in prison you visited me.’

 

People will say, ‘When did we do these things?’  He will answer, ‘What you did to the smallest ones, you did to me.’

 

Jesus will say to the ones on the left, ‘Get away from me, go into the eternal fire that was made for the devil and his angels.  You did not do anything for the least of these.  So you never did good to me.’

 

“We do good for people,” said Tim.  “We help because we are the king’s soldiers.”

 

“Yes,” said Janet.  “We will enter the kingdom because we serve him.”

 

“Will God remember the good things we do?” asked James.

 

“Yes, I think God keeps a record of the good we do and we will be happy that we have served the great king,” said Janet.

 

“He will remember how we helped the Ruddenberrys,” said Richard.  “I had fun making toys for the children.”

 

“When we do good work for people, it always makes us feel good,” said Dalthea.  “Isn’t it wonderful serving the great King Jesus.  I love him so much.”

 

“Has anyone worked for Jesus this past week?” asked Janet.

 

“Yes,” said Donald.  “I ironed my overalls for my mother.  She did not feel like ironing.”

 

“I thought that ironing was a woman’s job,” said Richard.

 

“I think boys should know how to iron,” said Maria.  “Women have much work to do.  I think Donald was being nice to his mother and I know King Jesus was pleased with his help.”

 

“Anyone else give their best work for our great king?” asked Janet.

 

“I swept the house everyday,’ said Joy.  My mother says I am a big help.  I think King Jesus thinks I am a big help, too.”

 

“Did I ever work hard cleaning the rug?” said Myrtle.  “Mother says the house smells cleaner.  I gave my best work for the king.”

 

“Janet, I helped you clean the house,” reminded Viola.  “We baked cookies, too. Is that my best work for the king?”

 

“What do you think?” asked Janet.

 

“I think Jesus was pleased with our work and we did enjoy the cookies,” returned Viola.

 

“Now it is time for bible verses,” said Janet.  “Who is first?”

 

“I will be first,” said Elmer.  “A fool’s mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of the soul.  Proverbs 18:7”

 

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.  Proverbs 18:24,” said Richard.

 

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.  Proverbs 25:11,” said Maria.

 

“The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established forever.  Proverbs 29:14,” said Myrtle.

 

“I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me. Isaiah 45:5a,” said Donald.

 

“Hear ye deaf and look ye blind that ye may see.  Isaiah 42:18,” said Mrs. Cho.

 

“I, even I, am the Lord and beside me there is no saviour.  Isaiah 43:11,” said Joy.

 

“Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” Saith the Lord god; “And not that he should return from his ways and live.  Ezekiel 18:23,” said Dalthea.

 

“Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe?  John 16:31,” said Viola.

 

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23,” said James.

 

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:23” said Janet.

 

“For the Lord shall give his angels charge over you and keep you in all your ways.  Psalm 91:11,” said Mrs. Cubber.

 

“Now we will sing: Jesus Loves Us.” Said Janet.

 

The children sang joyfully.  

 

                                    Jesus loves us.

                                    He’s our king.

                                    That is why

                                    We shout and sing.

                                    Jesus hears us

                                    When we pray.

                                    He stays with us

                                    Through the day.

 

                                    We will love him

                                    Till we die.

                                    Then we’ll live

                                    With him on high.

 

                                    Jesus loves us

                                    He’s our king.

                                    That is why

                                    We shout and sing.               

 

After the song, the boys and girls went outside to sing and march.  They sang another song and marched.  They sang Onward Christian Soldiers loudly.  They marched around the church three times.  Then Mrs. Cubber called them for refreshments – hot cocoa and doughnuts.