CHAPTER XVIII.
KATY STRUGGLES BRAVELY THROUGH A SERIES OF TRIALS.
The morning sun rose clear and bright, casting a flood of light into the chamber of the sick mother, watched over by the beloved child.

It was Christmas, and all over the Christian world arose paeans of praise for the birth of the Saviour.

The sufferer was conscious of the fact, and a sweet smile played upon her lips, as she thought of Jesus--that he had lived and died for her.

Pain, that could rack the bones and triumph over the weak body, was powerless to subdue the loving, trusting spirit, that reposed gently on Him who has invited the weary to a present and an eternal rest.
"Katy," said Mrs.Redburn, in a faint whisper.
"I am here, mother," replied she, bending over her and endeavoring to anticipate her unspoken desire.
"Is the hymn book on the table ?" "Here it is, mother." "Won't you read me a hymn ?" "What shall I read ?" asked Katy, who could with difficulty keep back the flood of tears that rose up from her heart.
"'Come, said Jesus' sacred voice.'" Katy opened the book to the beautiful hymn commencing with this line, and in a voice broken by the emotion she could not wholly control, she read it through.

The smile that played on her mother's face showed how deep and pure was the consolation she derived from the touching poetry.
She could smile while racking pains tortured her frame, while her frail body seemed hardly to retain its hold upon mortality.