Grace Raymond seemed very thoughtful on the homeward drive. “Papa,” she asked at length, “do trees often fall suddenly like that one that came so near killing Aunt Zoe and the rest?”
“I think not very often, daughter,” he replied. “I have heard of only one other such occurrence. Some years ago, out in Wisconsin, two little girls, sisters, were walking along near the edge of one of those pretty little lakes of which there are so many in that State, when suddenly a tree fell, striking one of the children to the ground, crushing her to death instantly. Her sister, who had escaped unhurt, but was of course terribly frightened and distressed, tried hard to move the tree and drag her out from under it, but could not, so had to leave her there and go for help.
“They were the children of a poor woman who was washing for some one who lived on the other side of the lake, and it was while the little girls were on their way to their mother, probably to see her home when her day’s work was done, that this dreadful accident happened.”
“Oh, how sad!” sighed Grace; “and was the little girl the tree fell on dead, did you say, papa?”
“Yes, quite dead; probably instantly killed by the blow. It seems very sad; yet it is quite possible she may have suffered less than she would had she died after weeks of sickness and pain.”
“Oh, it makes me feel afraid to go into the woods again, to walk or to play.”
“It need not, daughter; it is a rare occurrence. We all have to die somewhere and somehow, and the only thing that need concern us is to be ready whenever God shall call. It is wrong to needlessly rush into danger and throw our lives away; we have no right to do that, though we have a right and it is a duty to brave danger when by so doing we can save others. And if we love the Lord Jesus and trust in him for salvation, we need not be afraid of sudden death, for sudden death will be to us sudden glory. ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’”
“It is very sweet to know that Jesus will be with us through that dark valley, papa. Oh, I should be so afraid to go alone, and even you, my dear father who loves me so dearly, could not go with me.”
“No, my darling, dearly as I love you, I will have to let you go alone should God call you first,” he said with emotion. “But you need not fear to go nor I to part with you, for you will be ‘safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on his gentle breast.’”
“Yes, papa; and if I go first, how glad I’ll be when you come, and if you go first, how glad you’ll be to see me when I come.”