desire each petition with all your intense nature. Often one petition
uses all my strength and I can plead no more--in words. You seem to think
that every time you kneel you must pray about every thing that can be
prayed about, the church, the world, all your friends, all your wants,
and everything that everybody wants.

"What do you think of my short prayers? This morning all I could
ejaculate was: 'Lord, this is thy day, every minute of it.' I have had
some blessed minutes. When the sinner prayed, 'Lord, be merciful to me a
sinner,' he did not add, 'and bless my father and mother, brothers and
sisters, and all the sick and sinful and sorrowing, and send missionaries
to all parts of the world, and hasten thy kingdom in every heart.' And
when Peter was sinking he cried: 'Lord, save me, I perish,' and did not
add, 'strengthen my faith for this time and all time, and remember those
who are in the ship looking on, and wondering what will be the end of
this; teach them to profit by my example, and to learn the lesson thou
art intending to teach by this failure of mine.' And when the ship was
almost overwhelmed and the frightened disciples came to him--but why
should I go on? Child, _pour_ out your heart to him, and when, through
physical weariness, mental exhaustion, or spiritual intensity of feeling,
the heart refuses to be longer poured out, _stop_, don't pump and pump
and _pump_ at an exhausted well for water that has been all used up.
We are not heard for much speaking or long praying. Study the prayer he
gave us to pray, study his own prayer. He continued all night in prayer
but he was not hard upon his weak disciples, who through weariness and
sorrow fell asleep while he had strength to keep on praying. Your master
is not a hard master. We pray when we do not utter one word. Let the
Spirit pray in you and don't try to do it all yourself. Don't make
crosses for yourself. Before you begin to pray think of the loving,
lovely Saviour and pitiful Father you are praying to and ask the Spirit
to help you pray, and then pray and be joyful. Pray the first petition
that comes out of your heart, and then the second and the third, and
thank him for everything.

"But here come the girls laughing upstairs and I must listen to the story
of their afternoon. Linnet will tell you about the pictures.

"More than ever your sympathizing friend,

"P. P."

* * * * *

"_Feb_. 2, 18--.

"DEAR HOLLIS: