The Challengers by Grace Livingston Hill Read Free Book Online Page A

dismay.
    At last Phyllis spoke. Phyllis was always the practical one.
    "What can we do, Mother? You can't charge anything anymore, can you?"
    "No, dear," said the mother sadly, struggling with the tears. "There's an unpaid bill almost everywhere. You see, I had to let them run, right away at first when Father was so sick. I had no time to think of anything else, and then came the crash of both banks where our money was, all the savings of the years, and our having to move, which took every cent and more-- And then, this last bank closing that had our cash account. I don't see what we can do. Poor Steve! He's been so brave, and it must have taken a lot of nerve to humble his pride and work so hard doing sort of menial tasks. He's proud, too, you know, and always kept himself looking so nice. I hadn't realized, but he hasn't had a new thing this year. If there was only something really valuable we could sell. Of course, that clock, but we never would know how to get its value, with Father sick. And besides, Father would feel that it was almost criminal to let that go. It has a special value to him, you know. And suppose that friend of his should come back? But then, we can't stop on that, of course."
    "But, Mother, aren't there a lot of things in storage that could be sold?"
    "I suppose there are some things," said the mother thoughtfully, "but not too much. We sold everything worthwhile, you know, when we broke up housekeeping. But even if there were, there's a big unpaid bill there, too. I must see what I can do. Perhaps they will let me get a few things out, but the last time I spoke of it they objected to letting anything go till it was all paid. They sell them at auction themselves, you know, after a certain length of time."
    "Oh!" said Phyllis sadly. "And I suppose there wouldn't be enough there, even if you sold everything, to cover all our needs anyway?"
    "No, I suppose not," said Mother.
    "Well, Mother, I don't see how you can believe in a God," said Melissa in the hard tone she had used the day before, "at least not in any God one would want to have."
    "Oh, Melissa! How terrible! Don't speak like that, child. Don't make things worse than they are."
    Melissa laughed a hard little worldly laugh.
    "Well, I don't see how that makes things any worse than they are. That's only looking facts in the face. It would be worse to my mind to believe in a God and have Him treat me the way He is than not to believe in Him at all."
    "Stop, Melissa! I can't listen to such things. Something even worse might come to us."
    Melissa laughed again.
    "How could there be anything worse?"
"There could be a lot worse!" said Phyllis indignantly. "You know there could. Look at us. We're all well, aren't we, but Father? And he's getting well fast. We ought to be all kinds of thankful for that."
    "Well!" sneered Melissa. "Well enough today perhaps, but likely to starve to death before the week's out. How long does it take people to starve to death, anyway, Mother?"
    "Don't, Melissa!" shuddered her mother.
    "For pity's sake, Lissa, haven't you any sense? Can't you see that Mums has had all she can stand the last two days? Hurry up, Mother, and open your other letter. Let's forget about our troubles and try to find a way out of them."
    "It's probably only a bill," said the mother dejectedly. "What's the use of opening it? Everybody we ever owed a cent to is coming down upon us today."
    "Seems as if Stephen might have managed without asking help when we're having such a hard time," mused Melissa sullenly.
    "Remember, we haven't told him a word about the bank closing or the stocks going down till we're practically stripped of everything. It was enough that he should work his way through his last hard year of college without having to bear all that, too," said Stephen's mother in defense.
    "Well, I think it's high time he knew," said Melissa. "He'll be furious that we didn't tell him, if I know anything at all about Steve."
    "Yes, I suppose he will. But