In the Way by Grace Livingston Hill Read Free Book Online Page A

were faded and the hair and dress were of years before. It made them seem unreal. She wished she knew which were her own father and mother. It was so strange a position, hers, not to know the look of the faces of those who had been the source of her being. With a sinking sensation as if everything were slipping away from her, she reached out her hand to the Bible and read a part of the ninety-first Psalm:
                  “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
                  There came a warm thrill of joy to her heart, and it was as if her Master were speaking sweet words in her ear. Here was a message for her, and perhaps then she was wanted just here to live and work for him. If she were under the shadow of the Almighty, then surely no earthly shadows could ever fall upon her. It was hers to dwell in the secret place of the Most High if she would. She dropped upon her knees and asked for strength to dwell in that sweet secret place, and then again for guidance in this her much-hedged-about path.
                  Then Ruth deliberately sat her down to face the question of this bare, old-fashioned, unattractive house—almost uninhabitable it seemed to her refined taste, used to having everything arranged in comfort and harmony. In the first place, the furniture was not abundant, and what there was was of the stiff; hard kind. How could she ever make this home attractive and comfort-able for her brothers and pleasant for herself? Some of the furnishings had suffered through much use and some through neglect. The boys had not been careful housekeepers. How could they have been expected to be? The rag carpets were musty from long dampness and lack of air in the rooms. Ruth leaned her head against the hard haircloth back of the only arm-chair the room contained and closed her eyes, thinking wearily and hungrily of the soft carpets in rich harmonious colorings which covered all the floors of the home she had left, and of the easy-chairs and pretty curtains, and oh! all the pretty belongings of a comfortable, even luxurious, city borne. She had helped to select many of those home furnishings, and her heart ached for a sight of them even after one day's absence, If she only dared bring them here, or some of them, but no—and here she sat erect. Was it possible that she was so bound down to mere things that she could not give them up for a time? Her brothers might be seriously offended if she should propose such a thing. Besides, she had put the house, furniture and all, into the hands of her agent to rent, and it was doubtless by this time rented. She had burnt her bridges behind her and must not look back.
                  David's step as he came through the hall from the kitchen in search of her roused her effectually. Had he returned so soon? She smiled as she heard his hesitating voice calling her by name. He scarcely felt that he had a right to speak to her so familiarly. A thought of sorrow that it should be so between own brother and sister came to her, and then she met him in the hall. He had brought her a letter, and as she took it a swift hope passed over her that maybe the Lord was calling her in other directions, that this letter contained an answer to her prayer. She tore it open hastily, while David stood awkwardly by, watching her, not knowing whether to go or stay, and half fearing himself that this letter might in some way snatch this new-found sister away from the gloomy house. He was beginning to be thoroughly glad she had come, even so soon.
                  But no, she found that there was no call for her to come back to the city. Instead, it was a letter from her agent saying he had an opportunity to rent the house at a good rate unfurnished, if only she were willing to have her goods stored. He desired to have an immediate reply as to whether she wished him to close this bargain or not,