United States or Malawi ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Up to this hour he had never known what love was, for he had never loved any human being, but as he gazed into the pure depths of those blue eyes and saw the baby fingers flutter feebly toward him, his heart went out in love to the child, and he held out his arms to take him. Nan hesitated, with a quick glance at Tode's dirty hands and garments, but he cried imperiously, "Give him here.
Then the man looking down with his rare, beautiful smile into the uplifted face, gently raised Tode's ragged cap from his rough hair, and laid it on the cushioned seat beside him. Then he went away, and Tode felt as if the sunlight had been suddenly darkened. His eyes followed the tall, strong figure longingly until it disappeared then he looked about him, at the beautiful interior of the church.
For several weeks all went well, and the boy began to consider himself on the high road to fortune, but then came a setback. One day his stand was surrounded by a crowd of boys all clamoring to be served at once, when the big fellow who had taken possession of Tode's newspaper route, months before, came along.
Three times did Tode's astonished eyes go over this commandment in all its length and breadth; then he looked up and spoke with deliberate emphasis, "This beats all creation! And the strangest part of it is that you didn't tell me anything about it, grandma."
He had never forgotten or forgiven the boy for getting the better of him on that occasion, and now he thought he saw a chance for revenge. Creeping up behind the group of hungry boys, he suddenly hit one of them a stinging blow on the face, and as this one turned and struck back angrily at him, the big fellow flung him back with all his strength against Tode's stand.
"Oh, I've got to send these back to the bishop." Tode's face was grave as he spoke. "But I don't see why. He won't want em," Nan remonstrated. "It's this way, Nan." Tode spoke very earnestly.
Tode's face glowed with pleasure as he flung aside his grammar and came briskly forward to wait on his distinguished guest. "I'll take a glass of lemonade, if you please," began Mr. Birge, preparing to feel his way cautiously into the heart of this bright eyed boy, and find if he was indeed the one whose mother had prayed for him but once in her life, and that on her dying bed.
There are boys, I fear me, who having been shielded by both these things, placed in like position would have followed his example. The seat he selected was as far as possible removed from the one which Mr. Hastings occupied. It was no part of Tode's plan to be discovered by that gentleman just at present. On the whole, this part of his journey was voted "tame."
"What is there so interesting about it?" "What's it got such a queer name for? What does H-a-b-a-k-k-u-k spell, and what does it mean?" "That's a man's name, I believe." "Who was he, and what about him?" "More than I know, my boy. Never heard of him before that I know of. What do you care?" It was Tode's turn to bestow a searching glance. "Got a Bible of your own?" he asked at last.
So at least they were going to sing about him. Yes, and talk to him also, for Mr. Birge's prayer, though couched in language quite beyond Tode's reaching, yet closed with the to him wonderful sentence, "We ask in the name and for the sake of Jesus our Redeemer."
Word Of The Day