"They came into the barn--we were in the haymow, and father asked if
he was going to explain something, and Boltman laughed kind of funny
and said, 'Oh, be reasonable, Artman, you know we are all human.' And
father said, and his voice sounded very grim and--like an archangel,
or something, and he said, 'Yes, thank God, we are, but some of us have
manhood enough to make us good to children and loyal to our friends.'
And father said, 'There is something in the Bible about the man who
puts a stumbling block in the way of one of His little ones-- And you
have put a block in the path of faith for one of the children of the
church.' And Boltman said, 'Won't you pray with me, Brother?' And
father said, 'Yes, in a minute. But first I have to let you know what
I think of you.' And father knocked him down-- He did that very thing,
we were peeking through the cracks, and Boltman's nose bled something
awful. Then father got a piece of waste out of the car, and wet it at
the hydrant and gave it to Boltman to wipe the blood off, and then he
said, 'Now we will pray.' And they knelt down-- What did father say in
his prayer, Treasure? I was so scared I couldn't hear good."
"He said, 'Oh, God, wash the heart of this man who professes to be
thy minister, and teach him loyalty, teach him tenderness, teach him
purity!' or something like that. And he said, 'And, dear God, help me
to remove that stumbling block from the path of Thy little one.' And
then father said, 'Now get out. I will pack your bag and send it to the
train for you.'"
"And father struck out through the meadow as fast as he could go, and
Boltman wiped the rest of the blood off, and went toward town, and--"
"Whatever in the world do you suppose--"
"We must not ask any questions, girls," said Doris quickly, without
glancing at Rosalie's face. "It is something connected with the
ministry, and you know those things are sacred to father. So we must
not ask about it, but let it pass."
Rosalie's eyes were suddenly very bright, and she turned and ran
breathlessly up the stairs. She knew that when her father was ready,
he would come to her. And after a time, came father, with a little of
shame in his eyes, and a flush on his face.
"And how is the Problem now?" he asked gently.
"All solved," she cried. "A fatherly blow from a strong right arm was
the answer."
"I--You--How--"
"The girls were in the haymow, but they do not know what it is all
about, and Doris said we preachers must not ask questions in a case
like that."
"Rosalie," he said, "some people say that God does not watch over us,
and guard us. Yet Providence certainly kept that man out of the house
when you first told me,--I am afraid I could have killed him--there
was hate in my heart--not now, dear. And believe this, dear, I did
not strike him in anger. I thought it over carefully and decided it
would do him good. But I did not hit him furiously, or wildly--it was
deliberate."
"Then you do not always believe in--turning the other cheek?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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