“Isn’t that so, mother! father will be ready today with the big chimney?” said little Tom, as he was waiting for his father’s breakfast that he took to him every morning.
“Father said, that he would take down the scaffolding today;” answered the mother; “and I will be glad when it is done, for it is dangerous work; and father must remain the very last on the chimney.”
“Well, I’ll go there quickly, and send this up to strengthen him, before he comes down,” said Tom.
“And,” said the mother, “if all is well, father will be free tomorrow, and we will all go to the woods and spend a pleasant day.”
“Hurrah!” cried Tom, and ran as fast as he could to the chimney.
The mother stood a moment at the door looking after him; then she went in and falling on her knees, asked God to help and take care of her dear husband in the dangerous job he had on hand. Tom came to his father, gave him his breakfast, and went on to school. When he was returning in the afternoon, he went to the big chimney again to see if his father was nearly ready.
The father, with other workmen had been working for many weeks on this huge factorv-chimney, the highest in that part of the country. Tom looked up, and it made him dizzy to see his father standing on the chimney. The scaffolding was gone, and the men down below were busy piling up the beams and boards preparatory to taking them away. Tom’s father stood alone at the top. He looked around to see if everything was in order, and then waving his hat shouted, “Hurrah!” and then the men down below joined in lustily. When the cheering had died away, suddenly a terrible cry was heard,
“The rope! the rope!”
The men looked round, and behold! there lay the rope on the ground. They had forgotten to fasten it to the top of the chimney, and now the unfortunate man could not come down. There was a dead silence. Everyone knew that it was impossible to take the rope up to him, and to climb up the chimney was impossible. There they stood in dismay, not knowing what to do.
And Tom’s father? He walked round and round the small circle, until he was dizzy, and almost lost his presence of mind. Although in general fearless, he lost his courage now, and thought lie must jump down, and be dashed to pieces.
Tom’s mother had been busy the whole day. She had done her usual work, and besides that, all the work of the following day, so that she could spend the day in the country, and was just ready, when Tom, came storming in with a face as white as a sheet.
“Mother! mother! he can’t come down!” cried Torn.
“Who, child? your father?” asked the mother.
“They’ve forgotten the rope,” said Torn.
The mother stood speechless for a moment. Terrified, she covered her face with her hands, as if to hide from herself some terrible picture that rose up before her. Then an appeal to God went up from her heart, for wisdom and guidance and she hurried out.
When she reached the spot, where her husband worked, she found a number of people round the chimney, all looking up with affright, not knowing what to do.
“He is going to jump down,” one of them said, just as she arrived; “he says that he’ll jump down.”
“Don’t do that, John,” called out the woman with a loud, clear voice; “don’t do that, John! Pull off your stockings, unravel them, fasten a piece of brick to the thread; and let it drop down. Do you understand me, John?”
John made a sign that he understood. He took off his long, coarse, knitted stockings, unravelled them and wound up the thread. The people stood in intense expectation to see what would happen. They could not understand what the woman was going to do, or why she had sent hurriedly for a ball of stout cord.
The thread came slowly down and at last reached the outstretched hands of the trembling woman. While Toni held it, the mother fastened the thread to the cord, and then cried out:
“Draw the thread up gently, John!” He did so, and in a few minutes had one end of the cord in his hand.
“Now fasten the rope to this end,” she said to the men. When this was done, she called to her husband, to pull up the cord. This was no easy task, as the rope was heavy; but after much effort the rope was fastened to the chimney.
But John was not yet saved. Tis true the rope was up there fastened to the iron on the chimney. But was John in a condition to use it? After the nervous shock he had had, would he be able to slide down the rope?
She did not know what an amazing influence her voice had on John. How her calmness and firmness had made the hope of being saved, revive in him, and how his trust in God had been strengthened and refreshed. She did not know, that the Lord had comforted him with these words from Psa. 42:11,11Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. (Psalm 42:11)
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God.”
The poor woman still raised up her petitions to God, imploring His aid. It was all she could do now for her loved husband.
All at once there was a cry of joy, “Mother! he is saved! he is saved!” cried Tom.
“You saved me, Maria!” said John clasping her in his arms. “But what’s the matter? You look more sorry than glad?”
Maria could not speak. If her husband’s strong arm had not held her, she would have fallen to the ground. The sudden relief was too much for her, and she fainted away. John carried her home, and there she slowly came to.
O, what joy when they could embrace each other, and pour out their hearts together to God, to praise, and thank Him for His unspeakable goodness and grace!
Messages of God’s Love 12/25/1921