FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104  
105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   >>   >|  
untain--there to live or die. And Faith, feeling that her hand was ministering those drops of life, lost every other thought,--except to wish for a hand that could do it better. Once she ventured a proposition. "I have a friend here, Mrs. Custers, who can tell you about all these things much better than I can. Will you let him? May I ask him to come in and see you?" "Better?" she said slowly--"I don't believe it. Who is he? your brother?" "No--I haven't any brother. But that don't matter. He's somebody that is a great deal better than I am. May I let him come in? He's here," said Faith very quietly, along with her flushing cheek. There was a poor little faint smile for a moment upon the sick woman's lips while Faith spoke, but it passed and she answered in the same tone--"I'll see him--to please you--before you go. I just want the words now--and I like you best." Faith troubled her no more with unnecessary suggestions, and gave her "the words." Gave them with the fragrance of her own love about them, which certainly is the surest human vehicle for the love above human that is in them. As on that first occasion, Faith placed herself on the side of the bed; and holding one of Mrs. Custers' hands in her own, bending her soft quiet face towards the listening eyes and ears, she gave her one by one, like crumbs of life-giving food, the words of promise, of encouragement, of invitation, of example. No answer cheered or helped her; no token of pleasure or even of assent met her; only those fixed listening eyes bade her go on, and told that whether for life and refreshment or no, the words were eagerly taken in, each after the other, as she said them. There was something in the strong sympathy of the speaker--in her own feeling and joy of the truths she told--that might give them double power and life to the ears of another. Faith reported the words of her Master with such triumphant prizing of them and such leaning on their strength; she gave his invitations in such tones of affection; she told over the instances of others' prevailing faith with such an evident, clear, satisfying share in the same;--the living words this time lost nothing of their power by a dead utterance. Of her own words Faith ventured few; now and then the simplest addition to some thing she had repeated, to make it more plain, or to carry it further home; such words as she could not keep back; such words, very much, as she would have spoken to J
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104  
105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

brother

 

listening

 

ventured

 

Custers

 

feeling

 
strong
 

sympathy

 

speaker

 

spoken

 
truths

reported

 
Master
 

encouragement

 

double

 

eagerly

 

pleasure

 

helped

 

cheered

 

answer

 

assent


refreshment

 

invitation

 

utterance

 

simplest

 

repeated

 

addition

 

living

 

promise

 

invitations

 

strength


untain

 
triumphant
 

prizing

 

leaning

 

affection

 
evident
 

satisfying

 

instances

 

prevailing

 

moment


flushing

 

friend

 

passed

 

answered

 

quietly

 

things

 
Better
 

slowly

 

matter

 

holding