And so the years passed in toil, in pleasure, and in attainment--active
years that were filled with glorious doing, and with never a heavy
moment or idle wasting of time or vain dawdling.
"Never waste time," said Skipper Ed, one stormy winter's day when Bobby
was over there, and he and Bobby and Jimmy were luxuriating in their big
chairs before the fire. "If you can't be busy with your hands, be busy
with your brain. You were put into the world for some purpose, and your
destiny is the will of the Almighty. But we may spoil His will by
refusing to do the very best we can. The Almighty plans some fine thing
for each of us, but He leaves it with us to decide whether we will have
the fine things or not. What we're to be or to do comes to us gradually,
just as the sun rises gradually. We never know ahead what He has planned
for us. That's His big surprise.
"He may have put us into the world to do some great thing, and to become
a great and useful man, or we may be intended just to help other people
to be noble and honest and true, by doing our duty always, and setting
an example of honesty and nobility."
"Do you think you or Jimmy or I will ever be great men?" Bobby asked in
some awe.
"Partner is a great man _now_" declared Jimmy. "He knows most
everything!"
"No, not everything," laughed Skipper Ed. "Not everything, Partner.
But," and he spoke gravely again, "I've always tried to do my duty as
God has pointed it out to me. Perhaps the Great Thing that I was
intended to do was to teach you two chaps what I could, and perhaps your
Great Thing is to teach others, and perhaps working all together in this
way we may guide someone else to a great destiny.
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