This morning his mother saw him
going out of the yard, with a very sorrowful and determined look,
carrying his pet kitten. She didn't think much more about it until later
on he came in, with the most tragic little face, and told her, his
little body shaking with sobs, that he had drowned Stripey.
"'Why did you do that?' Mrs. Meredith exclaimed.
"'To bring Jem back,' sobbed Bruce. 'I thought if I sacrificed Stripey
God would send Jem back. So I drownded him--and, oh mother, it was
awful hard--but surely God will send Jem back now, 'cause Stripey was
the dearest thing I had. I just told God I would give Him Stripey if He
would send Jem back. And He will, won't He, mother?'
"Mrs. Meredith didn't know what to say to the poor child. She just could
not tell him that perhaps his sacrifice wouldn't bring Jem back--that
God didn't work that way. She told him that he mustn't expect it right
away--that perhaps it would be quite a long time yet before Jem came
back.
"But Bruce said, 'It oughtn't to take longer'n a week, mother. Oh,
mother, Stripey was such a nice little cat. He purred so pretty. Don't
you think God ought to like him enough to let us have Jem?"
"Mr. Meredith is worried about the effect on Bruce's faith in God, and
Mrs. Meredith is worried about the effect on Bruce himself if his hope
isn't fulfilled. And I feel as if I must cry every time I think of it.
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