“Well, I shall not object to that, if you are a good man. A wicked lawyer is almost as bad as a sailor. Above all things, I want you should feel that the Lord has the first claim upon your love and service. Don’t you ever think, James, that you ought to give your heart to Him, and try for a more useful life?”

This question was unexpected to James, at the time, although such interrogations had often been put to him formerly. Indeed, the inquiry that Mrs. Garfield put was unexpected to herself, for she did not intend to put such a question when the conversation began. She expected to come to it sometime, however. She was feeling her way along, and leading her boy as best she could; yet James answered:

“I’ve thought more about it lately.”

“I hope you will continue to think about it, my son. It is the greatest thing you can think about. If you will only consecrate your powers to God, I know that you will make the best possible use of them; and you won’t make such use of them unless you do that.”

Mrs. Garfield was very discreet, and thought it not best to press the matter too persistently, but leave James to his own reflections. She was confident that the Lord had taken him in hand, and was leading him in a way the son knew not. She was greatly encouraged, and her prayers were more earnest than ever for his conversion to Christ.

The weeks dragged heavily along, and winter set in. James was still sick, but convalescent. A few weeks more, according to his improved symptoms, and he would be well enough for business or school.

The winter school near Mrs. Garfield’s began the first week in December, and it was taught by a young man by the name of Samuel D. Bates. He was a young man of ability; a very earnest Christian, looking forward to the ministry in connection with the Disciples’ Church. He was, also, an energetic, working young man, possessing large common sense, and intensely interested in benefiting the young people, intellectually and spiritually. From the commencement of the school he was very popular, too.

Mrs. Garfield made his acquaintance, and at once concluded that he was just the person to influence James to aspire to an education. She could not help him herself, but her faith that God would open the way for him to go to school was unfaltering. She improved the first opportunity to tell Mr. bates about James—his sickness frame of mind, and aspiration. She frankly announced to him that she wanted he should bring all his influenced upon James to induce him to strive for an education. The teacher readily consented, for that was a kind of business in which he delighted, to help young men onward and upward. His first call upon James was immediate, though he did not announce the real object he had in view, thinking it would not be wise.

“Mr. Bates is a very interesting man, James,” remarked Mrs. Garfield, after the teacher left. I don’t wonder the scholars like him.”

“I like him very much,” replied James. “I hope he will come in here often. I wish I was able to go to school to him.”

“I wish you could; but Providence orders otherwise, and it will be all for the best, I have no doubt. Mr. Bates is working his way into the ministry. He teaches school in order to earn money to pay his bills. That is what you could do. If you could go to school a few months, you could teach school next winter, and, in that way, earn money for further schooling.”

“I don’t know as I should be contented in that occupation,” responded James. “Once in a while, mother, I have a strong desire to go to sea again. There is something about the water that fascinates me. The sight of a ship fills my eye; indeed, the thought of a ship awakens a strong desire within to tread its deck and handle its ropes.”