Trail-Tales of Western CanadaRobinson, F. A. (Frank Alfred)
Religion
Trail-Tales of Western Canada
Robinson, F. A. (Frank Alfred)
Canadian fiction -- 20th century; Missions -- Canada, Western -- Fiction; Short stories, Canadian
Those who had met and heard Dr. Ransom before, vied with each other in
recalling events connected with his former visits. They remembered his
appeal for their "fair share" of money to help build the little church.
Everybody said the amount could not be raised until Dr. Ransom came,
but after he had painted his word-picture of their glorious
heritage--after he had pleaded that that heritage should never become
"the wild and woolly West"--after he had shown the Gospel as the
"antiseptic influence" in the life of the great Westland--after he told
them what they got their land for and what it was worth that day, and
after that strong voice, with its downright sincerity, had been lifted
in prayer, everybody in the dining-room of the boarding-house knew the
amount was raised.
And then that hand-clasp, and that identification of himself with the
poorest settler's problems, and sorrows--who could forget these things?
"D'ye mind," said Dick McNabb, "the time he was here just after Alex.
McLaren's son was killed on the railway? Well, sir, I'll never forget
seeing them two old men standing with hands clasped. The Doctor looked
as if it might 'a been his own boy what was killed. "McLaren," he
said, "I'm sorry for you. I once lost a boy, and I know what it
means;" then he whispered something, and Alex. wiped away the tears as
he still clung to the old Doctor's hand, and I guess they stood that
way for two or three minutes."
"Well, sir, you bet Grant Sinclair won't miss Wednesday night," put in
Dan McLean from behind the counter. "D'ye mind when Dr. Ransom was
here, Grant couldn't walk at all! Say! will I ever forget that day in
the Fall when he fell off the fence on to the scythe he was carrying?
The gash was a foot long, and there was no doctor within thirty miles,
and the road wasn't as good as it is now, and it ain't anything to
write home about even yet. Bill Grayson was the only one who had the
grit to sew the gash up, and it was fourteen hours before the doctor
got here. Nobody thought Grant would get over it; he lost so much
blood. He'd been on his back about two months, I mind, when Dr. Ransom
came. It was one of them dirty days when it don't know whether to snow
or rain, but the old Doctor had heard about Grant and was bound to get
out there. The folks said he did him more good than the regular doctor
did. Jim Sinclair and the boys had rigged up a pair of crutches so's
to get Grant a-moving around, but they didn't make a very swell job of
it. Well, sir, about three weeks later the slickest pair of crutches
you ever set eyes on come out here with some express of mine. They was
addressed to Grant and marked 'Rush.' Mind you, they come from
Toronto, and they fitted Grant as if he'd been measured for them.
Jimmy said after they got the crutches he remembered the old Doctor
kind o' spanning the quilt along Grant's side while he was talking, but
he never paid no particular attention to it, but he says that's how he
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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