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梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響
'The toor o' Siloam察is it拭 Ay察a' ken fine aboot the toor o'
Siloam察and aboot the toor o' Babel as weel察an' a've read察too
about the blaspheemious Herod察an' sic like。 Man察but he's a hot´
heided laddie察and lacks discreemeenation。'
'What about Herod察Geordie' I asked。
'Aboot Herod'with a strong tinge of contempt in his tone。
'Aboot Herod拭 Man察hae ye no' read in the Screepturs aboot Herod
an' the wur´r´ms in the wame o' him'
'Oh yes察I see' I hastened to answer。
'Ay察a fule can see what's flapped in his face' with which bit of
proverbial philosophy he suddenly left me。 But Geordie thenceforth
contented himself察in Mr。 Craig's presence at least察with ominous
head´shakings察equally aggravating察and impossible to answer。
That same night察however察Geordie showed that with all his theories
he had a man's true heart察for he came in haste to Mrs。 Mavor to
say
'Ye'll be needed ower yonder察a'm thinkin'。'
'Why拭 Is the baby worse拭 Have you been in'
'Na察na' replied Geordie cautiously察'a'll no gang where a'm no
wanted。 But yon puir thing察ye can hear ootside weepin' and
moanin'。'
'She'll maybe need ye tae' he went on dubiously to me。 'Ye're a
kind o' doctor察a' hear' not committing himself to any opinion as
to my professional value。 But Slavin would have none of me察having
got the doctor sober enough to prescribe。
The interest of the camp in Slavin was greatly increased by the
illness of his baby察which was to him as the apple of his eye。
There were a few who察impressed by Geordie's profound convictions
upon the matter察were inclined to favour the retribution theory
and connect the baby's illness with the vengeance of the Almighty。
Among these few was Slavin himself察and goaded by his remorseful
terrors he sought relief in drink。 But this brought him only
deeper and fiercer gloom察so that between her suffering child and
her savagely despairing husband察the poor mother was desperate with
terror and grief。
'Ah madame' she sobbed to Mrs。 Mavor察'my heart is broke for him。
He's heet noting for tree days察but jis dreenk察dreenk察dreenk。'
The next day a man came for me in haste。 The baby was dying and
the doctor was drunk。 I found the little one in a convulsion lying
across Mrs。 Mavor's knees察the mother kneeling beside it察wringing
her hands in a dumb agony察and Slavin standing near察silent and
suffering。 I glanced at the bottle of medicine upon the table and
asked Mrs。 Mavor the dose察and found the baby had been poisoned。
My look of horror told Slavin something was wrong察and striding to
me he caught my arm and asked
'What is it拭 Is the medicine wrong'
I tried to put him off察but his grip tightened till his fingers
seemed to reach the bone。
'The dose is certainly too large察but let me go察I must do
something。'
He let me go at once察saying in a voice that made my heart sore for
him察'He has killed my baby察he has killed my baby。' And then he
cursed the doctor with awful curses察and with a look of such
murderous fury on his face that I was glad the doctor was too drunk
to appear。
His wife hearing his curses察and understanding the cause察broke out
into wailing hard to bear。
'Ah mon petit ange It is dat wheeskey dat's keel mon baby。 Ah
mon cheri察mon amour。 Ah mon Dieu Ah察Michael察how often I say
that wheeskey he's not good ting。'
It was more than Slavin could bear察and with awful curses he passed
out。 Mrs。 Mavor laid the baby in its crib察for the convulsion had
passed away察and putting her arms about the wailing little
Frenchwoman察comforted and soothed her as a mother might her
child。
'And you must help your husband' I heard her say。 'He will need
you more than ever。 Think of him。'
'Ah oui I weel' was the quick reply察and from that moment there
was no more wailing。
It seemed no more than a minute till Slavin came in again察sober
quiet察and steady察the passion was all gone from his face察and only
the grief remained。
As we stood leaning over the sleeping child the little thing opened
its eyes察saw its father察and smiled。 It was too much for him。
The big man dropped on his knees with a dry sob。
'Is there no chance at all察at all' he whispered察but I could give
him no hope。 He immediately rose察and pulling himself together
stood perfectly quiet。
A new terror seized upon the mother。
'My baby is notwhat you call it' going through the form of
baptism。 'An' he will not come to la sainte Vierge' she said
crossing herself。
'Do not fear for your little one' said Mrs。 Mavor察still with her
arms about her。 'The good Saviour will take your darling into His
own arms。'
But the mother would not be comforted by this。 And Slavin too察was
uneasy。
'Where is Father Goulet' he asked。
'Ah you were not good to the holy pere de las tam察Michael' she
replied sadly。 'The saints are not please for you。'
'Where is the priest' he demanded。
'I know not for sure。 At de Landin'察dat's lak。'
'I'll go for him' he said。 But his wife clung to him察beseeching
him not to leave her察and indeed he was loth to leave his little
one。
I found Craig and told him the difficulty。 With his usual
promptness察he was ready with a solution。
'Nixon has a team。 He will go。' Then he added察'I wonder if they
would not like me to baptize their little one。 Father Goulet and I
have exchanged offices before now。 I remember how he came to one
of my people in my absence察when she was dying察read with her
prayed with her察comforted her察and helped her across the river。
He is a good soul察and has no nonsense about him。 Send for me if
you think there is need。 It will make no difference to the baby
but it will comfort the mother。'
Nixon was willing enough to go察but when he came to the door Mrs。
Mavor saw the hard look in his face。 He had not forgotten his
wrong察for day by day he was still fighting the devil within that
Slavin had called to life。 But Mrs。 Mavor察under cover of getting
him instructions察drew him into the room。 While listening to her
his eyes wandered from one to the other of the group till they
rested upon the little white face in the crib。 She noticed the
change in his face。
'They fear the little one will never see the Saviour if it is not
baptized' she said察in a low tone。
He was eager to go。
'I'll do my best to get the priest' he said察and was gone on his
sixty miles' race with death。
The long afternoon wore on察but before it was half gone I saw Nixon
could not win察and that the priest would be too late察so I sent for
Mr。 Craig。 From the moment he entered the room he took command of
us all。 He was so simple察so manly察so tender察the hearts of the
parents instinctively turned to him。
As he was about to proceed with the baptism察the mother whispered
to Mrs。 Mavor察who hesitatingly asked Mr。 Craig if he would object
to using holy water。
'To me it is the same as any other' he replied gravely。
'An' will he make the good sign' asked the mother timidly。
And so the child was baptized by the Presbyterian minister with
holy water and with the sign of the cross。 I don't suppose it was
orthodox察and it rendered chaotic some of my religious notions察but
I thought more of Craig that moment than ever before。 He was more
man than minister察or perhaps he was so good a minister that day
because so much a man。 As he read about the Saviour and the
children and the disciples who tried to get in between them察and as
he told us the story in his own simple and beautiful way察and then
went on to picture the home of the little children察and the same
Saviour in the midst of them察I felt my heart grow warm察and I
could easily understand the cry of the mother
'Oh察mon Jesu察prenez moi aussi察take me wiz mon mignon。'
The cry wakened Slavin's heart察and he said huskily
'Oh Annette Annette'
'Ah察oui an' Michael too' Then to Mr。 Craig
'You tink He's tak me some day拭 Eh'
'All who love Him' he replied。
'An' Michael too' she asked察her eyes searching his face察'An'
Michael too'
But Craig only replied此'All who love Him。'
'Ah察Michael察you must pray le bon Jesu。 He's garde notre