Stories of Holy Lives by Mfs Author:Mary Seymour General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1875 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: Blessed Sebastian Valfre. Iebastian Valfk£ was bom iu a small village of Piedmont upon the 9th of March, 1629, and that same day he was made one of God's children by the Sacrament of Baptism. His was a good old family, but one so tried by misfortune, that at the time of the little boy's birth his mother and father were working hard for their daily bread. But though Sebastian was reared in the midst of poverty, he had from his earliest years a great desire to help every one in need, and if any poor person was sent from the door unaided he wept bitterly, so bitterly, that the neighbours would come to ask what was the matter, and often gave him the food for their relief which his mother could not bestow. At ten years of age this boy fasted during the whole of Lent on bread and water, and at all times denied himself many of the little indulgences which came in his way so rarely. He was also a very obedient child, never requiring to be told of even a trifling thing a second time, because his delight was to attend to the first wish and word of his parents. One day Sebastian was left in the kitchen to watch some food which was boiling on the fire, yet in spite of all his care it boiled over, and was spilt on the floor. The little boy was very much troubled -- in a poor home this was a terrible misfortune -- and he knew how grieved his mother would feel at the loss; but he never thought of concealing what had happened, or even making excuses for himself, as most children would do. He almost expected he might be punished, yet when his mother came in he went towards her, saying directly, " Mother, if you ...« less