Nineteen hundred? A forecast and a storyFarningham, Marianne
General
Nineteen hundred? A forecast and a story
Farningham, Marianne
Christian life -- Fiction; England -- Social conditions -- Fiction; Reformers -- Fiction
Fanny did not laugh, as her custom was, but she went toward the crowd,
and pushed her way in and listened. A man was talking of the love of God
and somehow Fanny understood it, for her mind was full of the beautiful
sights and sounds of the wood, which seemed to make the fact of God’s
love not only possible, but most likely to her. She had heard it all
before, but did not understand the whole of the address. The words which
the speaker, in common with all evangelists, used bewildered her. “Come
to Jesus! Will you not come now and be saved?”
After the address a hymn was sung, “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds!”
and then there was a prayer, and the meeting was over.
Fanny had been watching her opportunity, and as the speaker moved away
she laid a hand on his arm. “Tell me,” she said, “tell me quietly what
you mean. How am I to come to Jesus?”
“In prayer,” said the man. “Jesus can hear every word you say just as
well as when He was on earth; and He says, ‘Come unto Me.’ You ask Him
to save and forgive you, and He will.”
A girl with a Salvation Army bonnet on came up, and was about to take
possession of Fanny, but she, looking up, saw the Basket Woman, who had
no basket, as it was Sunday, and who was regarding the scene with
interest. She saw something in Fanny’s eyes as they met hers; and this
friend of the people understood, and was at the girl’s side in a moment.
“What is it?” she asked, gently. “Can I do anything for you? Your name
is Fanny Burton, isn’t it? Will you come into my room, and have a talk
with me?”
Fanny looked rather frightened, but she turned her face toward the home
of the Basket Woman, who shook hands with the Salvation Army girl as if
she were her friend.
“I know Miss Burton—she lives near me, and I should like to help her if
I may,” she said courteously; and the other, with equal good feeling,
quitted the court and joined her friends.
“You have never been to my home, have you, Fanny? I am glad you are
coming now.”
The room into which Fanny went was plainly furnished and was
scrupulously clean. On the table were a snowy cloth and shining glasses,
and two or three knives and forks, which Fanny thought looked like
silver. There was a delicious scent of coffee, too, in the place, and,
as the girl looked around, she thought, “This is too good for me.”
“I will not stay now, thank you,” she said aloud. “Perhaps I will come
again another time, when you have had your supper, or whatever it is.”
“Oh, don’t say so. I do not like to eat alone. You do not know how dull
it is to be quite lonely, especially on Sunday,” said the Basket Woman,
and Fanny saw that there were tears in her eyes. Fanny yielded
instantly; and while they had the simple meal together the Basket Woman
talked to her on all sorts of things. When the meal was over, and the
coffee drunk, they sat together in the pleasant room, and Fanny told her
friend where she had been, and some of the things she had seen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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