"No, Mother dear," she answered; "I haven't slept a wink for thinking
of the goodness of God and wishing lots of other unfortunates had such
good luck as me tonight."
"I also, Lucy; furthermore, I'm pondering how to proceed to procure
them a home with nice large grounds in which they can work and take
pleasure, but I haven't any means. All I now own is my bicycle. I left
it for sale in Woodland. Perhaps God will soon find a purchaser; if so,
I will take it as a sign that he wants me to travel from place to place
in their behalf. Give me your hand, Lucy." She clasped mine under the
covers whilst I prayed in a low tone, "Father, art thou impressing us
to seek a home for the girls, a home removed from city temptations and
environments? If so, I pray thee, seal the impression with thy Word. In
Jesus' name I ask this"; and Lucy fervently echoed my Amen. Next I
lighted the lamp on the little stand by our bed side, on which lay a
writing tablet, a pencil, and my Bible. Reverently opening the latter,
we found ourselves looking down upon Genesis, twelfth chapter, first
and ninth verses. Thus did our Father seal the impression of the Holy
Spirit with his Word. "We will prepare for a long trip, Lucy," I said,
"and when we start we will journey toward the South."
Without further notification, I received by mail, within the following
fortnight, a cheque for twenty dollars (purchase price of wheel). This
amount procured us some necessaries, paid a few small bills and our
fares to Redwood City, leaving us with the sum total of sixty cents.
Before proceeding on this undertaking, we occupied every hour of the
day, with but few exceptions, in active preparation; our evenings and
Sundays we spent in church or prison, or among the outcasts. I am
indebted to Lucy for admission into many heretofore forbidden places,
where she would be invariably welcomed with such a greeting as this:
"Well, hello, Kid! glad to see you. When did you get out? How's all the
rest of them?"
"This is my dear Mother Roberts," she would say. "Please welcome her
for my sake. I want to tell you I'm not one of you any longer. I've
found my Savior. Don't I look different? Don't I look happy?"
"You bet yer life y' do, Kid. Say, we don't mind being preached to if
you'll do the preaching. Go on girlie, pitch in, we-uns would like to
hear from the likes of you, cause we know you," etc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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