Chapter 4. Part 3. An Unexpected Meeting.
The old lady stopped a moment. The surprise was too great, the excitement too much. William was sitting in the bed and stared speechless at the old woman. She continued again after a while:
“And you are the son of Robert Hartmann, my boy? Then you are my grand-child and I am your grandmother! Has the Lord sent you, poor child, to me to find a home and that I might have comfort and help in my old days? O Lord, how great is Thy kindness. Thy name be praised forever!”
After saying this she took William in her arms and kissed him tenderly. The dear boy did not know what was happening to him. He had experienced so many things, and now, so late at night, this unexpected meeting with his grandmother! He could not comprehend it and could find no words to express his feelings. When he recovered at last from his amazement, he said:
“This is a wonderful day; how good it was my brothers took me into the forest. Otherwise I would not have come here, nor ever- found my grandmother. O, how good! I thought I had no friend on the earth except Caesar, and now God has led me here!”
Both shed tears of joy together. After the first excitement was over, nature made her demands and our little happy friend’s eyes began to close, and the next minute he was sound asleep. His grandmother did not think of sleeping for a good while; her heart was full of joy and thanksgiving, and all traces of fatigue were gone. She sat down at the table and put her horn eye-glasses on and read in a low and trembling voice the 103d Psalm. Yes, the Lord had done great things for her and had satisfied her with good things in her old age. Again and again, she would say in a low voice: “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” Then she knelt down to thank and praise the God of all grace for His boundless goodness. O, her son, who had once caused her so much sorrow, and grief, but for whom the mother’s heart had reserved the same love, had gone home with faith in his Redeemer; had gone where she would soon see him again, and, also, the Lord had sent this dear grandchild to her in such a wonderful way.
She would spend her days in loneliness no more, young strength and energy would now take the burdens of labor from her, which had already become too heavy for her shoulders. Bright pictures of a happy future arose before her mind, and she marveled at the kindness and mercy of God. One circumstance put a taste of bitterness into her cup of joy, and that was the thought of William’s older brothers. But her faith could trust the grace of God concerning them too; that grace was sufficient even for these wicked and strayed young men.
The morning began to dawn before the happy old lady sought her resting place to get a few hours’ sleep, and the sunbeams had long been shining into the room when the two sleepers awoke. After rising quickly and preparing the breakfast, grandmother began afresh to ask the boy many questions, and the boy went over the past few months again, till it was noon. In the afternoon, grandmother showed William her goats and chickens and geese, and also the garden, in which grew all kinds of vegetables for her own needs. The care of the goats and poultry she put immediately into the boy’s hands, and he did his work with energy and skill.
A new life had begun in the little cabin near the forest. Grandmother, who was already more than seventy years of age, but rather robust, evidently grew young again, because of the presence of the child of her only and much-loved son. She taught him, as he grew older, how to work the field and garden; at the same time she instructed him in reading and writing and sent him into the next village, where they had a small school.
Several years passed by thus, and William had grown up to be a strong youth and walked in the fear of the Lord.
His grandmother dealt with him in much love and tenderness, but also with the proper severity when needed. Quite often she would say: “I have sinned deeply against your father. He was my only child (her husband had died shortly after the son’s birth), and I was too weak to punish him when he had been disobedient. Yielding to him in a false love, I left his naughty ways unpunished and so God punished me. Now, may God preserve me from making the same mistake with you.” When William had become big and more thoughtful, he was very, very thankful to his dear grandmother for having trained him thus, and truly, every child has cause to be thankful when God has given them faithful parents who bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and who spare not the rod if needed.
Thus one year after another went by in happiness. But no happiness is lasting on this earth. William was to experience this. The first change which brought grief to his heart was the death of his faithful dog. Many years Caesar watched faithfully the old lady’s possessions, but finally grew weaker and weaker in spite of the best care from the hands of his young master. The teeth began to fall out and finally he became blind, and one morning William found him dead in his house. He was not able to keep the tears from his eyes, and we can understand it very well. Had not Caesar been faithful to him when he was in great peril and forsaken by his own brothers and saved his life twice? He dug a grave for him under an old tree in the garden and buried him as he had deserved it.
But this grief was small compared with what was yet before our young friend. The dear old grandmother, who had meanwhile passed her eighty-fifth year, felt more and more the hardships of old age. But she was still quite strong and able to do the lighter work in the house. All at once she became sick and a few days afterward she passed away in the arms of her grandson. The reader can imagine the grief of William. Now he stood a second time in his life all alone. The little cabin and the garden and field were now his own, of course; but how lonely and forsaken he felt after putting the mortal remains of the dear old woman into the place of rest in the cemetery of the village! Everywhere he missed the dear grandmother and could not comfort himself for a long time. For several years he remained single and worked in field and garden. He had little intercourse with his neighbors, because he found very few like-minded with himself. But at last he felt too lonesome, and asked the Lord if it be His will, to give him a God-fearing helpmate. Not long after he got acquainted with a good girl, who had not so much in earthly goods, as rather a rich treasure of love and faithfulness, and a heart devoted to the Lord.
William asked her if she would become his wife and live with him in the little cabin near the forest. She consented, and a few months afterward the young woman entered her new home. Who was happier than William? Now he was alone no more; a faithful and God-fearing wife stood now at his side to share with him the joys and sorrows of life. The Lord was with the young couple and blessed the labors of their hands; in the course of time, He gave them several children, too, which William endeavored to train like his own grandmother had trained him, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
If for each blessing we would thank God, there would be no time left us to murmur and fret.
ML 07/18/1909