A KIND Christian lady, on a visit of charity, met with a poor little orphan girl, who had neither home nor friends. She brought her to her own home. But, finding herself among strangers, the poor child felt very unhappy. She sat in the hall of her kind friend’s house, weeping. This lady had three young daughters. They tried to make friends with the little stranger; but she was timid and frightened, and turned shrinking away from them.
“There is a secret,” said this kind mother, “which will act like a charm on this poor child. It will draw her to you, and make her willing to go anywhere with you. This secret lies in a word of four letters. Now see if you can find it out, my darlings.”
Then the children began to think what this secret could be. They looked among their prettiest playthings to find something that would answer. At last the eldest daughter said— “I know what it is; d-o-1-1 is a word of four letters. I’ll try my pretty new doll.” So she took her best doll and offered to give it to the child if she would come into the parlor. But this had no effect upon her.
Then the next in age said to herself, “M-u-f-f is a word of four letters. Perhaps this is it.” So she took her beautiful muff, that had been given to her, and offered to show it to the little stranger. But she only turned away her head and wouldn’t look at it.
Grace, the youngest daughter, tried next; but she was puzzled to know what to do. Yet she was not willing to give up, but stood looking at the child and feeling great pity for her. At last she went and sat down by the side of the crying child, and she cried too. Presently she took the poor child’s hand into hers and stroked and patted it gently. Then she said to her tenderly, “Don’t cry, dear. No one will hurt you here. We only want to love you, and be good to you.” Then she put her little arms around the stranger’s neck, and took her head upon her shoulder, and gently kissed her.
The little girl stopped crying. She looked earnestly in the face of this new friend, and then dashing away her tears she said— “I’ll go anywhere with you.”
So Grace took the little one by the hand and led her into the parlor.
“Well, girls,” said her mother, “Grace has found out the secret. The four letters to which I referred spell the word l-o-v-e. Love has greater power than anything else in the world.”
God is love, and, love is of God.
ML 09/29/1918