“Please, ma’am, mother sent me here to ask you to pray for her.”
“What is the matter with your mother?” I replied.
“She is very bad, ma’am, and hasn’t got nobody to do nothing for her.”
When the little girl was gone, I inquired if anybody knew this person (Mrs S—), as she had only attended our meetings for a few times. Only one woman present knew anything about her, and she not much.
“I only know,” she said, “that she is a poor troubled thing, as has known better days, and likes to keep herself to herself, like; for her husband spends everything in drink, and never leaves her anything to make herself decent with.”
I said to them, “I feel sure this poor woman wants just the kind of help and sympathy that some of you know how to give. I leave her in your hands, and you can let me know if you want any help from me.”
The next afternoon, one of these newly appointed missionaries called on me. She said she had just come from Mrs S—, and described her visit as follows:—
“I really could hardly help crying, ma’am, when I first went in, and saw what a state the poor thing was in. Her baby was born on Saturday afternoon; and because she was too poor to pay the midwife the whole of the sum due to her, the woman did not return to her the next morning, as they usually do, to wash and dress the baby; but there she had been left, without a creature going near to do anything for her. She was too ill to do anything for the baby herself; and there they and the other children had been crying for hours. I tried to speak cheerfully to her, and told her I would soon set it all to rights; so I made up her bed clean and comfortable, first, while the water was heating, and then I got a great washing-pan and washed the poor miserable little baby in it, and put on it some clean things, which I found in the bag of baby-linen that had been lent her. The little thing had been crying for hours; but it soon felt comfortable, and went off to sleep before I had finished dressing it. I put it into bed with its mother, and then I got the Bible and read a few verses to her; and then I knelt down and prayed with her as well as I could. I asked God to help her out of her trouble, and keep her from thinking hard thoughts of Him, and make her to see He meant it for her good. Then I talked to her a good bit; and she told me how she had been well off once, but that her husband’s drinking had ruined them all. She cried very much, poor thing, and said she had been praying all the morning that God would send some one to help her. I tried to comfort her as well as I could, and told her that we would all pray for her, and that God could change her husband’s heart. Then I kissed her, and so I came away: and now, ma’am, I am come to you, if you please, for some food for them; for they all want that badly enough.”
The next morning another of these self-constituted missionaries went. She was not so gifted in many ways as the one who first called. She had fewer words at command, and her hands were stiff, having suffered from rheumatism, in consequence of which she found it impossible to dress the baby; so she went for the mother mentioned above, who wished to do something to help; and took care of her children while she was gone. After this she returned, carried away everything that wanted washing, and brought it all back clean in the evening. This she continued to do for three weeks: in fact, these three kind women took the entire charge of the poor sufferer, and watched over her till she was able to work again.
I shall not easily forget the evening when Mrs S— came amongst us again, bringing the new baby, as they usually do, to introduce to the meeting. The regular business had not commenced, and I was going about from one to the other, taking the money for the work. After congratulating her upon her recovery, and welcoming the new baby, she passed on to a seat by the fire, that some of them were trying to make extraordinarily comfortable for her. I saw a little group gathering round her, talking about the baby (we are rather in the habit of making a good deal of the last baby); and presently, as in the course of my work I passed near this group, I heard her say, “You have been just like kind sisters to me. It was the best day of my life when I came here, and I shall never forget how kind you have been to me.”