“Go, at once to the store, said widow Hilden to her son Hermann and fetch a half-pound of coffee. Here’s a shilling; the money you get back wrap up carefully, or you may lose it.”
Hermann went off and soon reached the store. The shopman weighed the coffee and gave him back out of the shilling two pennies. Hermann put them carefully in his pocket and started homeward. When he had gone a short way, he saw two boys like himself quarreling and fighting. “Come, Hermann and help me,” cried one of them; “Fred is too strong for me!”
“No,” replied Hermann, “I won’t play with such rude boys as you.” A moment later he suddenly stopped as if he had thought of something. What might it be? Was he going back to the boys? No; he stood still a moment, looked round him stealthily and then hurried down the next street. Here was a fancy baker’s store. Hermann disappeared in the door of the store and came out again soon after with four little cakes, which he had bought with the half of the money he got back at the coffee store. He quickly ate the cakes and started home.
Before he entered the house, he wiped his mouth carefully and saw that no telltale crumb was sticking to his clothes, so that his mother would not guess what he had done. As he gave her the coffee he said:
“Mother, two of my school chums were fighting on the road, and they wanted me to join in with them; but I told them I was not going to be wild like them. Was that not right of me?”
“It is right, Hermann,” replied the wise mother, “not to be wild and quarrel; but for all that, I do not believe you are better than these boys.”
“Why not?” asked Hermann surprised. “Because you have praised your own good behavior; and proud children are not better than wild ones, but sometimes quite the opposite. But where is the change you got back at the store?”
Hermann put his hand in his pocket and drew out a penny.
“Did you not get back two pennies?” asked his mother.
“No,” replied Hermann “he gave me only one.”
“Are you quite sure?” asked the mother, looking him sharply in the eyes.
“Yes, I am” said Hermann but he could not look his mother in the face but looked out the window.
“Hermann,” said the mother again, “I am afraid you are telling a lie. Remember you can deceive me, but you cannot deceive God.”
“No, no,” cried Hermann beginning to weep, “I have not told a lie! I have not told a lie! I only got one penny back.”
Just as Hermann was crying, the door opened and his sister entered the room with his handkerchief in her hand.
“Mr. Schelf in the next street has sent this handkerchief” she said “Hermann left it behind in the shop when he was buying cakes.”
Hermann stood there, as if struck by a blow. His mother looked at him and tears came into her eyes. Ah, she knew now how the matter stood. Hermann made no sound, he stood speechless in the middle of the room, his face covered with his two hands.
“O, Hermann, Hermann!” began the mother at last in painful tones “what a bad boy you are! You are a liar, for you have repeatedly told me an untruth, you are a thief, for you have stolen a penny, and bought yourself good things with it. And you are a hypocrite, for you wished to make me believe that you were better than your schoolmates and on the contrary you are worse than any one of them.”
Mrs. Hilden then opened the door and ordered Hermann up to the garret where he was kept all day and got only dry bread and water for his dinner. Hermann wept bitterly: in his solitude, he had time to think of the great sin he had committed. Not till late in the evening was he allowed downstairs, and before he lay down to sleep, she kneeled down with him and prayed God that He would forgive his godlessness and turn his heart to Jesus.
Hermann burst into tears. He had never seen himself thus in God’s sight. A liar—a thief—a hypocrite! Hermann trembled when he thought of it. Let us hope that this solemn experience led him to Jesus and that the prayer of his mother was not in vain.
ML 04/07/1912