“But what possible harm could a wounded shoulder get from his just getting up and telling of his experiences? I think that’s ridiculous!”
“Well, the navy doesn’t think so,” said Mother Graeme, smiling quietly.
“Well, I guess you’ll find that a spirited fellow like Rodney won’t be tied down that way by any navy, now that he’s home. Besides, I guess you don’t know he’s going to speak next Sunday night at the Harper Memorial Church in the city. I saw the announcement myself today when I was in town. In front of the church. I certainly thought it was strange that you hadn’t told me, but that seems to be the way I am treated by my family in everything. However, he’s going to speak, even if you don’t know it. These boys think now they have been off to fight that they have a right to run their own lives without consulting their parents. I presume that was it. He wouldn’t want to decline an honor like that, in that big important church. There’ll be a big audience there, and you ought to be ashamed to try and stop it.”
“No, Louella, you are mistaken,” said Margaret Graeme with an upward quiet look. “It is Jeremy who is to speak at Harper Memorial.”
“Jeremy!” almost screamed the cousin. “You don’t mean that they would ask the younger brother to speak and leave out the older, more experienced man who has been in the service so much longer? Why, Jeremy is nothing but a kid, just a child. He couldn’t speak.”
The mother went quietly, patiently on with her sewing and let her guest rage on explaining why this could not be, but when Louella stopped talking to begin on her second doughnut she spoke quietly. “Why, you see, Louella, Jeremy has already done quite a little speaking on the radio and other places, and of course Rodney has also, for they have been through some great battles. But this Harper Memorial engagement came through a buddy of Jeremy’s who is a member of that church, and he wrote home to his friends about Jeremy, so he had the engagement to speak there before he sailed for home.”
“You don’t mean it!” said the astonished cousin. “Well, that’ll be quite a feather in Jerry’s cap, won’t it? And aren’t you afraid it will create jealousy between the brothers, having Jerry speak instead of Rodney?”
“No, Louella. I don’t see why it should. They don’t regard it in that light at all. It’s merely another duty in the winning of the war. Besides, the boys each have had experiences that may help someone. And now, Louella, I wonder if you wouldn’t like to go down behind the barn with Kathie and see the new colt. It is very cunning and attractive, and Kathie is taking a pan of mash down for the mother. There is a nice path all the way down, and you won’t get your feet wet.”
Cousin Louella took her last swallow of coffee, and arose. “No thanks, I don’t care for animals, and colts don’t appeal to me. But I think I’ll be going now. There are several people I want to see, and I have an appointment with a lawyer in the city this afternoon. Well, I’ll be seeing you, as the young folks say. I suppose, Margaret, even if it’s only Jerry that’s going to speak, you’ll all be going in to hear him, of course.”
“Why, we haven’t talked that over yet, Louella. There’s a possibility it may be on the radio, and then everybody will be able to hear it.”
“Really? Well, Jerry must be quite set up having such a fuss made over him. I suppose of course Rodney will at least go in with him, won’t he?”
“I really wouldn’t know what Rodney’s plans are. But you needn’t worry about Jerry. He doesn’t get set up with things like that. He just wants to do the right thing.”
“Oh, yes, Margaret, you always did think your children were models of every kind. Well, I’m sure I hope you won’t be disappointed in them.”
“No? Well, thank you, Louella. But I feel rather happy that both my children are saved. That’s the only thing to be proud of.”
“Yes, of course,” said Louella. “Most parents are proud when their children get honor to themselves doing hard things and being courageous and all that and then get safely home without any very bad scratches. Yes, they are saved from this horrible war. I don’t suppose they’ll have to go back again, will they? So you really count them saved. Saved and all through with it.”
Mother Graeme looked at Louella perplexed. “Oh Louella, you know I mean saved from something far worse than any war. I mean saved from sin—from eternal punishment. Saved for heaven.”
“Oh! That!” said the cousin sanctimoniously. “Well, I guess you never can tell about that until you get there. Or course some do say that if you died in the war, you did what the Lord did. You died for others, and therefore you are saved. But your boys didn’t die, so they wouldn’t be saved on that score. I wouldn’t count on that too much if I were you though. You might find out when you get over there that you were mistaken. It sounds rather far-fetched to me, and boastful.”
“No, Louella, I won’t find out. I’m not mistaken and it’s not boastful, because it’s nothing the boys have done themselves, only their trusting in what Christ has done on the cross. The Lord has promised, and my boys have accepted the promise and believe in Him as their Savior. The Bible says, ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life,’ so I know my boys are saved. But Louella, you go and hear Jeremy and you will understand.”
“Oh, really! Well, I may go, I’m not sure. If I can get my friend to go with me, I might go. It will be odd to hear him speaking in a big church. Little Jerry! Do you think he’ll be embarrassed? Talking about himself and what he’s done?”
Jerry’s mother smiled. “No, Louella, Jeremy won’t be talking about himself and his achievements. He’ll be talking about his Lord and what He has done for Jerry.”
“Oh!” said the cousin uncomprehendingly. “Well, I’m not sure I know what you mean, but maybe I’ll go and see if I can understand. Well, good-bye.” And Louella Chatterton went out of the house and wondered at herself over how very little she had been able to find out about Rodney.
Then came Kathleen with her duster in her hands, smiling at her mother.
“That was great, Mommie dear,” she said, coming over and kissing her mother on the top of her head. “You certainly did give her something to think about, although I don’t believe that poor soul understood at all what you meant.”
“Yes, dear, I’m afraid you’re right,” the mother said, sighing. “I was just thinking of the Bible verse that describes her. ‘If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.’ ”
“Oh, Mother!” said Kathleen solemnly. “Do you really think she is lost?”
“I’m not her judge,” said the mother sweetly, “but she certainly is not saved yet and doesn’t know what it means. But it isn’t too late yet for her to believe.”
“But I don’t think she even wants to believe, Mother.”
“A great many don’t,” the mother said with a sigh. “I guess we ought to pray more for her and criticize less.”
“Well it isn’t a bit easy to pray for anybody that has such a vitriolic tongue as our cousin,” Kathleen said, laughing. “But say, I must run upstairs and put out my signal for Rod to come back.”
Then there came a voice from the top of the front stairs—Jeremy calling to know the signs of the times. “Mom, has that old harridan gone yet?”
The mother smiled. “Why, Jerry, I thought you went with Rod. Yes, the coast is clear, son, but what kind of a cataclysm would you have precipitated if she hadn’t gone yet and you had called those words down in time for her to hear? You know that would not have been an easy thing to live down.”
“Oh,” said the grinning young man, “but perhaps I wouldn’t want to live it down.”
“Oh, but you must, dear. For I was just about to ask you to help us to pray for that unpleasant cousin. You can’t exactly feel that way toward her if you are going to pray for her.”
“Hm!” said Jeremy thoughtfully. “I hadn’t exactly thought of her as a candidate for prayer.”
“Well, perhaps that’s the reason she is that way. Nobody has been praying for her.”
“Why this sudden anxiety, Mom?” asked Jeremy. “I never heard you mention her as a subject for prayer. What started you on this line?”
“Well, I don’t just know, dear. We got to talking. She asked about your engagement to speak. She had seen a notice of it in front of the church. Only she thought it was Rodney, not you, who is going to speak. But I think she is coming to hear you. Perhaps you’ll be given a message that will reach her heart.”
“Say, Mom, you know how to go to the heart of things, don’t you? But I’m afraid it would take more faith than I’ve got to get up a message to reach that woman.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t have to get one up, Jerry. If you did it would be powerless. That’s the trouble with so much of the preaching, these days. Remember the Holy Spirit will do that for you. Just be sure you have your heart open to be led, and don’t clutter up your mind with all your childhood’s dislikes and prejudices. Just ask the Lord to show you what He wants for you. And then don’t worry about it. You are well taught in the Bible, and the Holy Spirit can speak through you if you are fully yielded to Him. That’s all. Now, what are you going to do, Jerry? Any plans?”
“Not ’specially, not today. I’m expecting a phone call tomorrow night, but till then I’m free to do anything I please, that is anything you please, Mom!”
Mom Graeme’s eyes grew misty. “Dear boy!” she said. “To think I have you home again. To think I have you both home! If I only could be sure it was to stay.”
“Well, Mom, it might be you know. That is it might not be far away. There’s something in the wind, but we’ll let you know as soon as we find out.”
A sweet, tender look came into her eyes, a kind of a light as if some great hope were shining in her heart.
They were still for a minute, and then the mother spoke again. “Jerry,” she said, “tell me something. Rodney isn’t quite happy, is he?”
“Well, I’m not sure. No, I don’t know as he is, not exactly the way he used to be.”
“Do you think it’s that girl? That Jessie?”
“I’m not sure, Mom,” said Jerry, looking troubled. “I don’t want to force his hand.”
“Of course not,” said the mother. “But I wanted to find out what your reaction is to the whole thing. Do you think Rod is mourning for that girl?”
“No, Mom, I don’t think so. I was afraid that might be the matter with him when we first talked it over, but after that gal appeared on the scene I saw he wasn’t grieving after her. And didn’t you take notice how happy he was when he came back from the pantry and settled down to eat his pie? No, Mom, I don’t think he’s grieving. I don’t think he has been anything but mad for a long time. I think he has sorted her out with the enemy, and I don’t believe he’s in any further danger from her. Except, of course, she can annoy him. But he’s had experience enough fighting the enemy, not to be caught napping now. After all, Mom, he’s your son, and he has eyes to see a whole lot.”
“Yes,” said Mom thoughtfully, “I could always trust Rod. Of course—” She hesitated thoughtfully an instant. “Of course, I was troubled when he first began to go with Jessie. She didn’t seem up to him, but I realized he was a young boy, and then a good deal of their intimacy probably came from the girl. Some girls seem to be born that way, or else, well, she didn’t have much upbringing, I’m afraid.”
“That’s it, Mom. Now you’ve reached the point. I don’t think you ever knew what her mother was, or you would have done something about it sooner. However, I guess there’s no harm done. And a fellow has to grow up sometime and learn how to judge the world. Besides, you’ll have to remember this, Mom. Rod has been to war. He wouldn’t pick out the same girl now that he would before he went through the service. Of course if she’d have been half decent and hadn’t gone back on him herself, he’d have been true to her, because he wouldn’t think it was right to do otherwise. And that’s partly it now, he couldn’t believe at first that Jessica had done this to him. He knew he was true to her. And when he finally reached the stage where he accepted the truth, it made him angry. It took the heart out of him so much that he flung himself into this war business, not caring what became of him. It was partly what made him such a wonderful fighter. Mom, I guess God has everything worked out for all His children. He sees they need some hard going, and when He can trust them to take it right He gives it to them. Isn’t that right, Mom?”
Mother Graeme looked at her boy, who such a little while ago was just her little boy, her mere baby, as she heard him utter these words of wisdom, and wondered. Then her face blazed with that rare smile that she sometimes wore that suggested nothing else but glory in her face. And then after a moment of deep thought, as if she were receiving a revelation, she said, “Oh, my dear son, God has been wonderfully teaching you, too. You are speaking thoughts I never knew you could understand. My boy. My two boys! How proud I am of them, proudest of all that you have been taught of God. Thank you for telling me that!”
And then Hetty came in with her brooms and sweeper and cleaning cloths and announced that she was going to clean the living room if that was agreeable to the family, and the conference between mother and son broke up.
Chapter 7
It was the next afternoon that Jeremy met his old admiration, Beryl Sanderson.
He had wondered about her and almost decided that before he had to go away from that region he would perhaps call on her, just a brief call of greeting as an old schoolmate. But he wasn’t at all sure that he would. Before he ever decided to do anything like that he would have to find out all about her. Maybe she was married or engaged. Maybe she had moved away. Certainly he did not wish to bring either himself or her into the limelight by making too pointed inquiries about her. No, he would go slowly. He had nothing to lose by going slow, and perhaps nothing to gain. Nevertheless he kept thinking he would like to meet her again and see if she was as interesting as he had thought several years ago. But he wasn’t bothering himself about it yet. It would all come in good time, if it came, and perhaps would only upset him and make him discontented if he should discover that she was definitely not for him. One night as he knelt beside his bed before retiring, the thought of this girl had come to him, and he had definitely laid the matter before his Lord.
“Lord,” he prayed, “this is a matter I can’t very well do anything about. I don’t want to make any mistakes. So I’m laying this in Your hands. If You want us to meet, please make it plain. If not, please help me to put her out of my thoughts. I leave it with You.”
It was a habit he was forming, to leave important matters, or even trifling ones, to his Lord. And each time he did it, somehow the matter seemed to be settled for him without his worrying about it.
That was two days ago that he had made that prayer, and he had scarcely thought of her since.
Today Rodney had asked Jeremy to drive with him to see the family of a buddy of his who had died in combat overseas. He was a stranger to them of course, but he had been close to their son, and he could tell more than anybody he knew, of the last days, even the last few minutes of his friend’s life, and he felt he ought to go as soon as possible. So he had asked Jeremy to drive him, and after the call was made they would go to the hospital where Kathie was working today and bring her home.
So Jeremy had agreed, not realizing that Rodney’s call would lead him into the region where the Sandersons lived. When he did draw up at the curb and let Rodney out, he saw that the Sanderson house was not more than a block and a half ahead. Still it did not matter. It was not in the least likely that he would see Beryl, and if he did, why worry? That was something entirely in the Lord’s hands now.
So he sat quietly behind the wheel and waited, gazing idly about the pleasant surroundings, thinking how glad he was that the girl of his fancy lived in such a lovely spot. She was the kind of girl that it seemed to him fitting that all should be quite perfect around her.
It occurred to him to make the contrast between this sort of life and the places where h
e and Rodney had been in their war service. It was good that fine, sweet girls and women had places like this street and these attractive houses where they could be cared for and safe. So good that these nice people were not subject to some of the terrible things that had happened to beautiful homes abroad. There had been no bombing in his own blessed country, thank the Lord. Not yet, anyway.
It was just at that point he looked up and saw her coming straight toward him, just walking briskly down the sidewalk, not at first noticing him at all. But then suddenly she stopped and looked straight at him, a little rosy glow in her cheeks, a sparkle of welcome in her lovely eyes.
“Jeremy! Jeremy Graeme! It is really you, isn’t it? I am so very glad to see you.”
She put out both her hands with a real welcoming gesture, and Jeremy sprang out of the car and took both her hands in his, and there they stood looking down and up at each other and reading great joy and deep interest in each other’s eyes.
Somehow they didn’t have many words at first to express their joy in finding one another, but something in the touch of their hands spoke, something in the glance of their eyes, and presently the words came.
“What are you doing over here, Jeremy?” she asked, her cheeks brightly rosy now. “I don’t think I ever saw you over here before.”
“No,” faltered Jeremy. “I often wanted to come. I always liked it over this way. But I never seemed to have time, and then I went across.”
“Yes, I know,” said the girl. “I’ve been reading about some of the things you did over there, some of the decorations you’ve had. But what are you doing here today? Don’t tell me you have friends over this way that I don’t know about.”