t on. And when she
came near the Man with the halo, she fell on her knees and He stopped
his work. He had just half a fish in His hand when this woman spoke. She
said: 'Pardon me, Master, but I have heard of lots of wonderful things
Thou hast done, and now I must ask a favor of Thee.'
"The Man with the halo put down the fish that wasn't finished and turned
His big eyes upon her, and He said, 'Speak, woman.' And she said: 'Wilt
Thou come with me?' He waited a little, but felt pity in His heart for
her and so He went with her, His halo shining like the sun and making a
wide light path for everyone to walk in, and lots of people walked
behind Him, but no one in front.
"And they came to a little house, like ours set back from the road,
where lots of children lived. And there in the middle of the room, lying
in a white box, fast asleep was the littlest baby that had ever gone to
Heaven. And though the woman had lots of other babies, and maybe lots
more would come to her like they come to us all the time, she wanted
that one tiny little baby to open its eyes and look at her.
"And so she fell on her knees, and she said to the Man with the halo:
'Will you wake that lovely baby of mine for me? Oh, please, Master,
waken it--even though it should cry all night. Perhaps it's happy in
Heaven, but I am lonely. Dost Thou think I can have it back?'
"And just then Peter came into the room. He had followed the Man with
the halo. 'But it's only a little thing,' Peter said. 'And it made so
much noise when it was awake. Its big sister had to warm milk for it,
and take it out in the buggy and to wash its clothes, sometimes when its
mother was busy or had been up the night before. Is it not better for
all that it is in Heaven?'
"And then she said, 'I'm not speaking to you, Peter,' and she looked
again at the Man with the halo. And at last He spoke and His voice was
like music, thrilly and gentle. And He said, 'All mothers want their
babies and we've got plenty in Heaven, and I'll give this one back to
you.'
"And He went to the white box and He looked at the baby, and pretty soon
the baby got pink like my coral beads, and then its eyes opened and it
looked up into His face and it raised its arms up to Him.
"_Then He smiled!_--and He lifted the baby up and held it close, so He
warmed it all through. And then He put it into its mother's arms and
said, 'Well, I must be going.'
"And this is what I'm going to tell you, Maizie, _tha
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