"I'm glad our friend has spoken that way. I guess it's all true what
he has just said. We've got the right dope; only we aren't using it. I
guess it looks mighty like to the world as if we didn't really believe
it all, the way we live; but believe me, I'm going to try to make
things different in my life this week, and see if I can't make at
least one person believe we have something here they want before next
Sunday."
He seemed about to give out another hymn, but the plain girl spoke up
and interrupted him. She was sitting forward in her chair, an almost
radiant look upon her face that quite changed it; and she spoke
rapidly, breathlessly, like a shy person who had a great message to
convey. She was looking straight at Allison as if she had forgotten
everyone else in the room.
"I've got to speak," she said earnestly. "It isn't right to keep
still when I've had such a wonderful experience, and you spoke as if
it might not all be true about Christ's being our companion every
day." In spite of himself Allison met her eyes as though they were
talking alone together, and waited for what she should tell.
"I've always been just a quiet Christian," she went on; "and I don't
often speak here except to recite a Bible verse. I'm sort of a
stranger myself. But you all ought to know what Christ has done for
me. When my people died and everything in my life was changed, and
troubles came very thick and fast, there wasn't anybody in the world I
could turn to for every-day help and companionship but Jesus; and one
day it came to me how my mother used to feel about Him, and I just
went to Him, and asked Him to be my companion, as He used to be hers.
I didn't half believe He would when I asked Him; but I was so hurt and
alone I had to do something; and I found out it was all true! He
helped me in so many little every-day ways, you wouldn't believe it,
perhaps, unless you could have lived it out yourself. I guess you
really have to live it out to know it, after all. But I found that I
could go to Him just as if I could see Him, and I was so surprised the
first day when He answered a prayer in a perfectly wonderful way. It
all came over me, 'Why, He loves me!' And at first I thought it was
just happening; but I tried it again and again, and every day
wonderful things began to come into my life, and it got to be that I
could talk with Him and feel His answer in my heart. If it were not
for Him, I couldn't stand life sometimes. And I'm sure He'll talk with
any one that way who wants Him enough to try and find Him," she
finished; and then, suddenly conscious of herself, she sat back, white
and shy again, with trembling lips.
The meeting closed then; but, while they were singing the last hymn
Allison and Leslie were watching the face of the quiet girl with the
holy, uplifted light on it.
"I think she is lovely, don't you?" whispered Leslie after the
benediction, as they turned to go out. "I'd like to know her."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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