FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146  
147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>   >|  
, as the eager eyes were raised to his awaiting his answer. "Oh _dear me_!" she answered in consternation, "I should be flustered all out of my head entirely. I never spoke to such a man in my life. I shouldn't know what to say at all, and it wouldn't do any good if I did. Jim, he said if you couldn't do it nobody need try." "Jim overestimates my powers in this direction as in all others," Theodore said, smiling. "I have perhaps less influence with Mr. Hastings than with any other person, and I haven't the slightest hopes that--" And here he stopped and listened to his thoughts. "After all," they said to him, "perhaps you misjudge the man--perhaps he really does not think what an injury he is doing to those boys simply by his good-natured carelessness. Suppose you should go to him and state the case plainly? You really have some curiosity to see how he will meet the question; besides, it will at least be giving him a chance to do what is right if the trouble arises from carelessness; and, moreover, how can you be justified in disappointing this poor old mother? At least it would do no harm to gratify her, if it did no good." "Well," he said aloud, "I will make the attempt, although I am afraid it will be a failure; but we will try it. I will see Mr. Hastings at the earliest possible moment, and will do what I can; but, in the meantime, are you doing _all_ you can for your boy? Do you take him to God in prayer every day?" The mother's eyes drooped, a little flush crept into the faded cheek, a little silence fell between them, until at last she said with low and faltering voice: "That's a thing I never learned to do. I don't know how to do it for myself." "Then you must remember that there is one all-important thing which you have left undone. My mother's prayer saved me from a drunkard's life. I know of no more powerful aid than that." Very grave and sorrowful looked the poor mother; evidently she knew nothing about the compassionate Savior, who was ready and willing to help her bear her burden. Well for her that the young man in whom she trusted leaned on an arm stronger than his own. The mother had one more request to make of him. "Could you _possibly_ go to see my Tommy?" she asked, with glistening eyes. "If you only could know him, and kind of coax him, he would take a notion to you like enough, and then he would go through fire and water to please you; he's always so when he takes notions, Tommy is
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146  
147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
mother
 

Hastings

 

carelessness

 
prayer
 
remember
 
powerful
 

drunkard

 

undone

 

important

 

silence


drooped
 
learned
 

faltering

 

notion

 

glistening

 

request

 

possibly

 

notions

 

compassionate

 

Savior


sorrowful
 

looked

 

evidently

 
leaned
 

stronger

 
trusted
 
burden
 

thoughts

 

consternation

 

listened


stopped

 

slightest

 
misjudge
 
simply
 

natured

 
answered
 

injury

 

person

 

overestimates

 

powers


couldn

 

wouldn

 
shouldn
 

direction

 
influence
 
flustered
 

Theodore

 

smiling

 
Suppose
 

attempt