A Brother Like That
C. Roy Angell
A college friend of mine named Paul received a new automobile from his brother
as a pre-Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."
The boy looked astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you, and it didn't cost
you nothing? Boy, I wish--"
He hesitated, and Paul knew what he was going to wish. He was going to wish he had a
brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels, "I wish,"
the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively asked, "Would you like to ride
in my automobile?"
"Oh, yes! I'd love that!"
After a short ride the urchin turned, and with his eyes aglow said, "Mister, would you
mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his
neighbors that he could ride in a big automobile.
But Paul was wrong again.
"Will you stop right where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
He ran up the steps. Then, in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he was not
coming fast.
He was carrying his little polio-crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step,
then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for
Christmas, and it didn't cost him a cent. And someday I'm gonna give you one just like it.
Then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've
been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the little lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older
brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve Paul learned what Jesus meant when He said, "There is more
happiness in giving."
0 comments:
Post a Comment