Alabama -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Fiction; Domestic fiction; War stories
"Edna, do you believe that? 'What things soever you desire, when ye
pray believe that ye receive them, AND YE SHALL HAVE THEM!' Jesus said
that: and if I pray that my eyes may be opened, do you believe I shall
see? They tell me that--that pa will not live. Oh! do you think if I
pray day and night, and if I believe, and oh! I do believe, I will
believe! do you think Jesus will let me see him--my father--before he
dies? If I could only see his dear face once, I would be willing to be
blind afterward. All my life I have felt his face, and I knew it by my
fingers; but oh! I can't feel it in the grave! I have been praying so
hard ever since the doctor said he must die; praying that Jesus would
have mercy on me, and let me see him just once. Last night I dreamed
Christ came and put his hands on my eyes, and said to me, too, 'Thy
faith hath made thee whole'; and I waked up crying, and my own fingers
were pulling my eyes open; but it was all dark, dark. Edna, won't you
help me pray! And do you believe I shall see him?"
Edna took the quivering face in her soft palms, and tenderly kissed the
lips several times.
"My dear Huldah, you know the days of miracles are over, and Jesus is
not walking in the world now to cure the suffering and the blind and
the dumb."
"But he is sitting close to the throne of God, and he could send some
angel down to touch my eyes, and let me see my dear, dear pa once--ah!
just once. Oh! he is the same Jesus now as when he felt sorry for
Bartimeus. And why won't He pity me, too? I pray and believe, and that
is what He said I must do."
"I think that the promise relates to spiritual things, and means that
when we pray for strength to resist temptation and sin, Jesus sends the
Holy Spirit to assist all who earnestly strive to do their duty. But,
dear Huldah, one thing is very certain, even if you are blind in this
world, there will come a day when God will open your eyes, and you
shall see those you love, face to face; 'for there shall be no night
there' in that city of rest--no need of sun or moon, for 'the Lamb is
the light thereof.'"
"Huldah--daughter!"
The child glided swiftly to the cot, and, looking round, Edna doubted
the evidence of her senses; for by the side of the sufferer stood a
figure so like Mr. Murray that her heart began to throb painfully.
The corner of the room was dim and shadowy, but a strong, deep voice
soon dispelled all doubt.
"I hope you are better to-day, Reed. Here are some grapes which will
refresh you, and you can eat them as freely as your appetite prompts."
Mr. Murray placed a luscious cluster in the emaciated hands, and put
the basket down on the floor near the cot. As he drew a chair from the
wall and seated himself, Edna crossed the room stealthily, and, laying
her hand on Huldah's shoulder, led her out to the front steps.
"Huldah, has Mr. Murray ever been here before?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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