“Rescue party right here,” cried Bigbeard, as he banged the door. Soon they were busy unwrapping the wanderers and setting them by the fire. It was not Sander’s parents, but a schoolma’m and two of her pupils. The smallest boy had his feet partly frozen, and the girl a hand and a foot. When they looked up after the snow bathing, rubbing, and warming, and putting to bed it was almost midnight. The schoolma’m could speak now. They had wandered for a long distance.
“Alas, if I had only closed school earlier!” She sobbed at the thought. “Where are the other children! But who would have thought? It was so warm and bright and clear, and then just after four o’clock such a storm!”
“We cannot be too thankful for our escape,” said Bigbeard. “The Lord has saved us from the storm. Perhaps now we had better eat a bit. But, boy, how about your mama and papa?”
“Oh, they’re safe enough, I hope.”
Sander did not propose to fall short in hospitality. He now brought something from the cupboard. “My birthday cake,” he explained.
“What! On Christmas Eve, too?” exclaimed the young man.
“And how old are you, Sander?” asked the schoolma’m. For teachers always want to know about such matters.
But let us make a long story short. And it was a very long story to Sander. All that night the wind roared and howled. Snow seemed to get in everywhere. The stove glowed with heat, yet all were shivering. Every time Bigbeard put in a fresh chunk of coal he said a word of thanksgiving.
“Good coal never was a bigger blessing than this night. God care for the man who brought it here,” was his ejaculation. And then he would sit down once more. And when he saw that Sander, the little host, was at last getting sleepy, too tired to keep awake any longer, he pulled a Testament out of his pocket. They all sat about the table, this odd circle of strangers who had never before met nor even seen each other, and, as beasts that flee for safety to some cave or swamp are friendly in their common danger tho ever so hostile otherwise, were together, drawn into fellowship by singular bonds of charity in this sod hut amid the storm. The young man Bigbeard called John, and the teacher’s name was Miss Stone. Sander, wide-eyed with fear and wonder, was still sleepily waiting for his parents. The other children were in bed and asleep.
Bigbeard opened his Testament and all bowed their heads devoutly as he read from the holy pages the lesson so appropriate for the hour: