Little Falls herald., 1900-12-14
Martha Dcan'S Doubt
BY Mary Sweet Potter.
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$50 long have | prayed and waited
for prosptrity--nay, even a sufficient
income 10 yieh my children and my
self the common ntctssarits Of life
without receiving all answer to my
prayers. that l am tempted to believe
that God does not redeem His promises,
but to "A few favored ones.' So spoke
Martha Dean
The very essence of bitterness must
dwell in the heart Of one who gives ut
terance 10 such sentiment. and, in
deed. Martha Dean was in a bitter and
desperate mood, Which was quite un-
usual with her, for she had never lost
faith before.
She sat there before her freless
Kitchen range, her dull eyes watching
the progress OF a great snowstorm.
She saw nothing of its white. fierce
beauty, however. bat gathered only the
one harsh idea that it was the
inevitable cruelty of winter. for by
bitter experience she had learned that
to her and hers, THESE later years of
her life, winter brought little but cold,
1t was not get dark, but 10 keep the
children from taking cold she had
tucked them as warmly as possible into
their beds; for there was SO little fuel
hat she had allow ed the fire to die out
as soon as she had cooked the simple
supper, thus insuring a little warmth
and comfort for he next day, as we'll
as u blaze TO cook their meals.
Nov she heard them calling 10 each
Other across the room, and then little
. later ,]ennie the oldest Of the four, was
telling a story TO little Edith. who lay
beside her, and trying to keep herroice
up TO a pitch high enough for the Two
little boys, Tommy and Johnny. TO
hear also over across the room.
Here WAS one source Of bitterness
for Martha Dean. She wanted her chill
dren chatting and playing a bout hex in
comfort and happiness. but her pinch
ing poverty forbade even that.
The words Of Jennie's story came
now and then TO her mothers ears; it
was an e>travagantly generous Christ
mas 81 Org. and Martha Deans lip
} curleG IN a smile of bitterness as she
tened.
My poor babies!." she mur1nuretl.
''rheirs will be d sorry Christmas time,
with not even a fire to keep them
warm
For the next day would be Christ
mas. and being, for the time. faithless,
she felt sure that no Christ mas cheer
awaited them-nothing, indeed. but
priration and misery. The hours
passed, the chi]dren's voices were
hushed in sleep, and she could no long
er watch the storm, but she knew by
the light patter against the window,
with DOW and then fierce fling of the
sleety snow, that it was still raging.
and she sat in silence and darkness
thinkipg-not of some plan to work out
of the difficulty they were in, for it
seemed to her that every outlet was
closed-but of the past, when she and
her little ones had been surrounded bv
comforts and blessed and protected by
the love and care Of the husband and
father, who had died and left them four
years before.
Suddenly there came to her ears
Il r.
Martha Dean fastened to light her
lamp.
''Wha1ever it is that wants to come
In out of such a storm, it shall GOMEZ
she thought. ~ can at least give shell
ter to any creature that is without, be
it beast or human" And she hastened
to throw open the door.
A little child stood there, covered
with snow, it's face uplifted in anxious
inquiry. it's breath coming in quick
gasps.
Not a poor-looking child in thin
clothing, with pinched face, as one
might expect to see out upon such
night, but child weighted down with
rich, cumbersome wraps, with face
round and rosy and beautiful
Fearlessly she stepped inside, and
in so doing disclosed the one fault
in her dress which had rendered her
! short exposure to the storm danger
Gus and uncomfortable. Her feet
were clad in light slippers, and in