Meantime, the unexpected had happened in the little hut on the mountainside. Juriga had received a letter, not from his sons in America, but from Lesina, who had written as follows: “I have found that my wife is at present in a fair state of health; but my mother insists that I ought not to leave her in the future, and I feel that my mother is right. At the same time I must return immediately to the mountain, as you know, or I shall lose considerable money. I, therefore, intend to bring my dear wife with me, and I believe that Palko’s company will do her good. He is such a good lad, it will make her happy to be with him. I would pay well for the use of a portion of the hut. My wife is a good cook, even though, at times, she suffers so when her head is bad. With Palko near her it will be as if the Lord had sent His angel to help take care of her. As I read yesterday these words in Isaiah: ‘And a little child shall lead them,’ I seemed to see Palko before me. At any rate, is he not the one who has brought you and me into the light? Verily, then, perhaps he will be the one to lead my wife out of the darkness too.” Liska, who read the letter to Juriga, had to stop more than once to wipe his eyes, for Lesina had told him of the mental state of his poor wife. Liska, in turn, could not help but tell Juriga something of the story also.
To Juriga it was a great pleasure indeed to do what little service he could for Lesina. There was plenty of room in the hut, and it could be divided off. Let the poor woman come, and perhaps, in God’s mercy, Palko would be a great blessing to her.
Little did Palko dream what news awaited him on the mountainside. The very last thing that could have entered his head was that he would not be allowed to return to serve his beloved friend. But, when Monday morning arrived, Juriga flatly refused to let him go back to the village. Lesina was to arrive with his wife that very afternoon, and Palko would have to help care for her, especially while Lesina and Juriga were busy on the mountain. He would remain behind in the hut with her, or she could go with him when he went to look for strawberries.
No matter how Palko tried to make his grandfather understand that Father Malina could not do without him, it was all useless.
“Leave me in peace — you and your priest!” at last exclaimed the exasperated Juriga. “At most he’s only a foreigner, while Lesina is one of us, and it is our duty to help him first. Listen, you go about saying the Lord is with you and hears all that you say. I don’t know what He will be thinking, if you will do nothing to help a poor man in his trouble, so say no more.”
Palko took the water jug and started for the spring, but on arriving there he threw himself on the ground and cried as if his heart would break.
“Dear Lord,” he said, “he’s not a foreigner, and I did want to serve him, for I love him with all my heart. Please, I want to go back to him.” Then, suddenly, like a voice that spoke, there came to mind a verse the priest had taught him one day from the Old Testament: ‘I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things I will do unto them, and not forsake them.’ Palko went back to the hut at peace again with all the world. He was still in the dark, but God seemed to have promised that He would make the darkness light before him.
“Grandfather,” said Palko, “shall I have to give up my corner and sleep with you when Lesina and his wife come?”
“I suppose you will,” said his grandfather.
“Then can we receive the Lord Jesus here in your corner?”
“Yes, of course,” said the astonished old man.
“Then I am content,” said Palko happily.
It must be said, however, that, when he started out for the forest guard’s house to ask him to take a message to the priest that he could no longer serve him, he had a heavy heart under his small jacket, especially when he knew he could not even go and see his beloved master personally to tell him all about it.
What a pleasant surprise awaited him, however: there stood Father Malina before the forest guard’s house, and he had spied Palko coming up the path.
“Welcome, welcome, my son! I have risen even earlier than you this morning to go for a long walk with you.”
“Oh, dear, I can go no more walks with you, sir!” and poor Palko burst into tears. “My grandfather,” he sobbed, “has asked me to greet you in his name, and to tell you to look for someone else to take my place, as he needs me. He says a rich man like you will be able to find some other person.”
“My money cannot bring me another Palko,” said the priest, putting his arm about the boy. “Why does he need you so much? Perhaps he would let you come to me if I were to speak with him. Besides, I cannot stay here more than two or three days.”
“Dear me, no! It would be no use!” sighed Palko. Drying his tears he explained why he would be needed in the hut, and added how sorry he was to leave his friend’s service.
“Now,” he said, “I wish to obey my grandfather, but at the same time I am wondering whether the Lord Jesus will be angry.”
Father Malina seated himself on a fallen tree trunk, and Palko knelt at his side.
“Angry,” he said, “surely not. But I suppose He will be quite surprised.”
“Surprised at what?” said Palko.
“Let us see,” said Father Malina. “Did you not offer yourself for His service but a few days ago? He has taken you at your word and has accepted you as one of His young servants. If you were in my service you would go without question wherever I sent you, and do whatever I ordered you to do.”
“Oh!” cried Palko, “how willingly would I do whatever you ordered me to do, and so much more whatever He should ask.”
“Well, then! He is the One that orders you now, and I can hear Him say: ‘Take up thy cross and follow Me’! Do you not believe that Jesus would have preferred to stay with His disciples whom He loved so well? But when His Father said to Him: ‘Take up this heavy cross on Thy whip-mangled, bleeding shoulders, and carry it to Golgotha, and let them nail Thee to it there,’ what did He do? He obeyed!”
“Then you believe, sir,” said the boy, flushing, “that the Lord Jesus is asking me to leave your service, and to go to work for Uncle Lesina and his poor wife? Will that be my cross?”
“I am sure of it, my son. It is your duty to obey and accept the task cheerfully. God knows why He puts this poor soul in your path of duty, just the same as He knew what He was doing when He sent you to me,” and the priest saw the lad through eyes that grew a bit dim.
“Then you think by serving Uncle Lesina and his wife, I shall still be in His service?”
“Undoubtedly, Palko! and you shall surely be His messenger.”
“Perhaps He will give me the privilege of finding their little boy,” exclaimed Palko.
“Their little boy! What are you talking about?” asked the priest. “What little boy is that?”
“Oh, I forgot, I should not have spoken of it to anyone, for Lesina told me not to mention it. It is a secret between us, but I will tell you this much, now that I have gone so far. Some years ago they lost their little son on the mountain, and never, never have they been able to find him, and Lesina’s poor wife — but, oh! I must tell you no more, and please do not mention it to anyone, for Uncle Lesina would be so angry.”
The priest had heard something from Juriga one day that made him now turn and look at the boy eagerly. “How old are you, Palko?”
“Nine, sir.”
“How many years ago was it that they lost their boy?”
“I’m not certain, but I think Lesina said it was about seven or eight years ago.”
“Have you told your grandfather anything of Lesina’s story?”
“No, sir, for Uncle Lesina would not like me to. You see, I think he was a bit ashamed to let Grandfather Juriga know — that is — oh, dear, I must not tell any more please,” and Palko’s eyes filled with tears of distress and perplexity.
Father Malina’s pale face had a heightened color as he gently said: “Never mind, my dear, dear boy. God’s ways are past finding out. I am going to prophesy; I think the Lord Jesus is going to give you the joy of finding that poor woman’s child.”
“Do you really think so? O, how wonderful! Where do you think he is?” exclaimed Palko excitedly.
“I don’t think he is very far away, Palko. Meantime, serve your new friend well, and the day will soon come, I believe, when you will thank God for having been able to help her.”
A strange and solemn feeling came over Palko. He remained silent a moment with his head in his hands, and then suddenly turning he said: “I certainly am very sad!”
“Sad! and why should you be sad now?”
“Because I should have known it was Jesus who called me, and I refused to serve Him.”
“Oh, Palko, the same thing has happened to many older people. We begin by offering our services to the Lord and then, when He orders us to do something contrary to our own wishes, we refuse to submit, or to humble ourselves, forgetting that He has said: ‘Let him deny himself, and follow Me’! Don’t let it trouble you, Palko. Just remember what you told me you had done before. You prayed and confessed your sin and He pardoned you, didn’t He? Do it again, and then go and serve Uncle Lesina and your new aunt as faithfully as you have served me.”
Then the priest prayed for Palko, asking that he should be to Lesina and his poor wife the child that should lead them to Jesus’ feet as he had led others from darkness to the light. The priest’s lips trembled as he prayed.
Saying good-bye to Palko, Father Malina continued: “Now, don’t be troubled. We shall still be the best of friends, for are we not both in the service of the same Master? When you come down to the village, always be sure to visit me. Here’s your Testament. You’re going to need it more than ever now. I have my Bible with me always, and besides, I have ordered many other copies so that my people may know the truth.” Saying this, he took from his pocket Palko’s precious New Testament. Kissing it reverently, he gave it to the small owner with tears in his eyes, as he added, “Oh, that it may be to others what it has been to me!”
They returned together to the forest guard’s house and greeted their friends there, who, however, showed their annoyance at Juriga’s arrangement, but the priest intervened. “Oh, it’s all right now,” he said. “I am beginning to know all the mountain paths, and besides, I shall be here only two or three days more.”
The forest guard gave Palko a whistle with which to call Dunaj and a bright new coin, and the good wife added so much food and goodies that Palko could hardly carry all the gifts.
“When you come this way, even though you bring nothing to sell, be sure to stop and see us,” she said, to which Palko gladly agreed.
His friend went with him to the hut, for he wished to thank the old workman personally for lending Palko to him; and to leave his pay in Juriga’s hand. Juriga well knew that Palko loved the priest, and the old man said to himself that Father Malina would no doubt put a little money in the boy’s hand also, but he was mistaken in this, for Palko came to Juriga after Father Malina had left him and excitedly showed a large sum of money that his friend had given him.
Juriga opened the parcel which Palko had brought from the forest guard’s house. “Look, little Palko, you have not served for nothing indeed! The Lord bless that good woman who has thought of us with such kindness!”
“Don’t you see, Grandfather?” said the boy, proudly. “You do not need to do all the work. I am going to do my part.”
“That’s right, my son! With this money I shall be able to buy myself new shoes for the winter. I have thought and thought about it, not knowing where I should find the necessary money. Surely it is the truth we have read in your Book: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ It is as if God Himself had rained it down upon us, and now we shall lack for nothing in the winter. Besides, you have brought enough food from the forest guard’s wife to last for a fortnight,” and old Juriga’s eyes filled with tears. “They are not empty words when the Book tells us that ‘God is love’!”