NARRATIVE TEXT
a.
Definition and Social Function of Narrative Text
Narrative Text is a text containing
story. It can be in the form of folktale/
folklore, fable, Legend, short story, fairy tale, myth, etc. The main function of this text
is to entertain the readers with actual or imaginary experience in different
ways. Narrative always deals with some problems which lead to the climax and
then turn into a solution to the problem.
b. Generic Structure of Narrative Text
1. Orientation
It is the background of the story
which tells about who, when, where, and what is the story about.
2.
Complication
A
problem arises and followed by other problems which lead to the climax of
conflict in the story. A story can have complication more than one.
3. Resolution:
It is
the problem solving of the problem which can end with happy ending or sad
ending or tragedy.
c. Language
Features of Narrative Text
1.
Use
of noun phrases ( a beautiful princess, a huge temple)
2.
Use
of adverbial phrases of time and place ( in the garden, two
days ago)
3.
Use
of simple past tense ( He walked away from the village)
4.
Use
of action verbs (walked, slept).
5.
Use
of adjectives phrases ( long black hair)
d.
Model of Short Story
Text
1
BE PATIENT
A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To
his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the
shiny paint of the truck.
The man ran to his son, knocked him away, and hammered
the little boy’s hands into pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he
rushed his son to the hospital. Although the doctor tried desperately to save
the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate fingers from boy’s both hands.
When the boy woke up from the surgery and saw his
bandaged stubs, he innocently said, “Daddy, I’m sorry about your truck.” Then
he asked, “But when are my fingers going to grow back?”
The father went home and committed
suicide. Think about this story the next time someone steps on your feet or you wish to
take revenge. Think first before you lose your patience with someone you love.
Trucks can be repaired. Broken bones and hurt feelings often can’t.
Too often we fail to recognize the difference between
the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is greater than
revenge.
I. Analyse
the story above by identifying the generic structure, language feature, and
social function.
II. Answer
the questions based on the text.
1. What is the story about?
2. Why did the man knock his son?
3. “The man ran to his son, knocked him away,
and hammered the little boy’s hands into pulp as punishment.” (paragraph 2)
What does the word ‘knocked’ mean?
4. What made the man angry?
5. “When the father calmed down, he rushed his
son to the hospital.” (parahraph 2). The word ‘rush’ can be replaced with ….
6. Why did the man commit suicide?
7. Did the sun realize his fault? Give a proof.
8. What moral values can you take from the story?
9. Do you think the little boy was naughty? Why? Why
not?
10. Do you think the man is a good father? Why? Why not?
Text 2
THE
MOST BEAUTIFUL HEART
One day a young man was standing in the middle of the
town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley.
A large crowd gathered and they all
admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it
truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen.
The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly
about his beautiful heart.
Suddenly, an old man appeared at
the front of the crowd and said, “Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.”
The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s
heart. It was beating strongly ... but full of scars. It had places where
pieces had been removed and other pieces put in ... but they didn’t fit quite
right and there were several jagged edges.
In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where
whole pieces were missing. The people starred ... how could he say his heart is
more beautiful, they thought?
The young man looked at the old man’s heart and saw
its state and laughed.
“You must be joking,” he said. “Compare your heart
with mine ... mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears.”
“Yes,” said the old man, “Yours is perfect looking ...
but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to
whom I have given my love..... I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them ... and often they give me a piece
of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart ... but because the pieces aren’t exact, I
have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the
love we shared.
Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away ... and
the other person hasn’t returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty
gouges…giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they
stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too ... and I hope
someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see
what true beauty is?”
The young man stood silently with tears running down
his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and
beautiful heart, and ripped apiece out. He offered it to the old man with
trembling hands.
The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart
and then took a piece from his old scarred heart
and placed it in the wound in the young man’s heart. It fit .... but not
perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.
The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore
but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man’s heart flowed into
his. They embraced and walked away side by side.
Answer the questions based on the
text.
1. Who claimed to have the most beautiful heart?
2. Why did people venerate his heart?
3. Why did the young man regard his heart is better
than the old man’s heart?
4. Did the young man finally admit that the old man’s
heart is better than his heart? Give a proof.
5. Suppose you are a good man. Should you proclaim to
all people that you are a good man? Why? Why not?
6.
“Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the
crowd and said, “Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine.” (paragraph 4) what is the synonym
of the word ‘appeared’?
7. What are the messages of the story?
8. What do you think a good heart look like?
9. Is it fair to judge someone’s kind heart by looking
at his/her physical performance? Wy/ why not?
10. What should we do to keep our heart better?
Text 3
A TEACHER’S PROTEST!
There was no timetable nor a room
designated for PRAYERS in the School. The School was ‘secular,’ hence prayers
were not supposed to be allowed.
After being interviewed and accepted by
the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said in protest: “Let me
see if I’ve got this right.” You want me to go into that room with all those
kids and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning. And I’m supposed
to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive
behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt
messages and dress habits.
You want me to wage a war on drugs and
sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass
destruction, and raise their self-esteem.
You want me to teach them firm belief in
God, patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, and fair play, how and where
to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, & how to apply for a job.
I am to check their heads for lice,
maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, offer
advice, write letters of recommendation for student employment and
scholarships, and encourage respect for their elders and future employers. And I am to communicate regularly with the parents
by letter, telephone, newsletter, & report card.
All of this I am to do with just a piece
of chalk, a blackboard, a few books, a bulletin board, and a big smile and on a
starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps!
You want me to do all of this, and you
expect me NOT TO PRAY. You expect me not to pray when Holy Quran (Baqarah 2:45)
says: “Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and PRAYER: It is
indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit.”
“O my Lord! Make me and my children
among those who establish prayers.” (Ibrahim: 40)
“Indeed it is the Prayers, which helps
to refrain from indecent acts and evils.” (Ankabut: 45)
You want me to do all of this and you
expect me not to pray when SUCCESS of every one depends on Prayers. Holy Quran
(Al-Mu’minuun: 9) says that successful believers are: “...... those who are
punctual in their prayers.”
Dear sir, since I am sure that I will
not be able to fulfill your expectations, nor I will be successful in my career
WITHOUT prayers, “I resign willingly from the post.”
The Administrator looked down for a
while then suddenly declared: “Young man, go ahead with your job. You have
taught me a very important lesson today: Without prayers and help from God, no
work is a success. We shall make special arrangements for prayers from today.”
100 Moral Stories by Akramulla Shed (2005) www.islamoccasion.com
Answer the questions based on the
text.
1. 1. Why was there no timetable nor a room designated for prayers in
the School?
2. 2. What
did the teacher protest? Why?
3. 3. Why
did the teacher want to quit from the post?
4.
And I’m supposed to instill a sense of pride in their
ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior,… (paragraph 2). What is the
synonym of the word ‘instill’?
5.
“You want me to teach them firm belief in God, …. (paragraph 4).
What does the word ‘them’ refer to?
6. 4. Did
the administrator eventually fulfill the teacher’s requirement? Give the proof.
7. 5. Who
are the successful believers?
8. 6. What
message does the writer want to say to
the readers?
9. 7. What
sura is in the Holly Quran which
declares that pray can help to refrain from rude acts and evils?
10. 8. Suppose you are getting a good job
with high salary in Singapore, but your boss does not allow you to do the five
prayers in a day, what will you do?
Text 4
MOURNING IN THE
MORNING
By
:Marrylion Fabian Whizzkid
I had appointment with Amy
to meet her at the second floor of library building in my campus. I promised
her to come on time at exactly nine o’clock in the morning. We were going to
discuss the introductory chapter of her thesis. I didn’t know why I had so
voluntarily eager to help her. In fact, my own thesis was still facing so many
troubles, a never-ending serious problem. I leaved my boarding house in
Karangmalang area in hurry. There was no figure in my mind but the face of Amy.
Soon after arriving at library, I put my bag in the drawer at the first
floor and went up stair. Coming to the second floor. I let my eyes look around
at every corner of the room to find her. I walked around restlessly. Finally,
my eyes caught a figure of a pretty girl sitting on the chair reading a book. I
watched her enthusiastically and then walked approaching her.
“Amy…Have you been long waiting for me?” I said in a soft voice.
“Hi Albert…not yet…just a moment.” Amy answered my question while threw a
sweet smile at me.
I had a seat beside her. My heart went on trembling. I didn’t understand
why every time I met her, my heart was always beating wildly. To hide my
nervousness I tried to have a look at her paper.
“Yesterday I’d tried writing the introductory chapter of my thesis. I
found it hard to arrange words into sentence and sentences into a coherence
paragraph like yours. Here is the result of my writing. I’m not sure whether it
is right or wrong. Anyway, I’d be very happy if you don’t mind lending me a
hand to revise it.” Amy talked so provocatively pleading me.
“Let me see…hm…it’s quite well. I catch the ideas that you convey. But…it
seems to me that you need to refine your grammar and choice of words.” I tried
to give comment, which did not offend her heart.
“What about the title of my thesis, is it alright?”
“That’s ok… you are quite well in relating your content and the title.
The ideas are clear enough.”
“Which one should I revise?”
“Sorry Amy …..It’s not an easy task to determine it. I need to think
over. I don’t think I can do it here. Any way..….If you don’t mind may I take
it home?”
“Oh…. It’s really no matter but I’m afraid if
it’ll disturb your own thesis.” Amy said politely.
“Never think about it. Make sure that I can
divide time fairly for my own interest and yours. You know that my thesis is
also in relation to equality. I must be justice even to myself.” I argued
provocatively.
“Thank you very much Albert for your help.”
“Don’t mention it. Today I help you, but on
the other day I certainly need other people help. We are Moslem. We have to
help each other. Well… so...when will we meet again?”
“What about tomorrow morning. I’ll see you at
your boarding house about at nine o’clock. Are you convenient?”
“It’s a good idea. By the way, do you have
class now?”
“Yeach… I’m going to down stairs right away. What about you?”
“So am I, I’ve got another appointment with
someone. As you see, to add my pocket money I teach in a college and open a
translation service.”
“OK…. Let’s go.”
I was really happy. My plan ran well. What a
great day I had at library with her. Oh…Amy…I would conquer your heart! You’d
be mine forever. You drove me crazy. I couldn’t think of anything but her
stature.
It was really a nice morning. The
sun shone like a polished coin. The morning air smelt as fresh as spring. The
day was a special gift. I opened it like a child wishing for a surprise. I’d
cleaned my room. I’d prepared everything to welcome her, the queen of my heart.
By the time of her arrival, I was always restless. What should I do and say?
How should I treat her? Oh…. Let it flow!
“Assalamu alaikum!” a soft voice startled me.
“Wa alaikum salam” I answered her greeting
politely.
“Oh Amy… It’s really nice to meet you. Come
on in and have a seat please. Sorry I cannot provide a place as comfortable as
yours.”
“No..no..no…You’ve prepared everything well
for me. I like simplicity and tidy like this. Albert… I do beg your pardon for disturbing
you. I’m poor in writing subject so that make you trouble. “
“Amy… never says such a word anymore. I feel
really delighted to be able to help you. Amy… one who cannot help other people
by his wealthy will be happy if he can assist others using his ideas and
thought. Isn’t like that our religious
teaching?”
“Firstly I was frustrated by this final task.
I almost despaired facing this endless problem. It’s really a good luck for me
finding a boy such as you whom voluntarily and kindly offer aid to me. Suppose
you don’t want to help me, what will happen to me? Maybe my four years study
will be in vain.” She spoke emotionally.
I saw her eyes turning into red and a drop of tear flew slowly behind her
beautiful eyeglasses. I couldn’t stand
looking at her. A feeling of pity crept into my heart.
“Don’t worry Amy. Don’t be upset. We are
classmates. I promise I’ll do my best to help you until finish. It’s a duty of
a friend Amy. One Moslem and another are like brother. All people need other
people. Everyone needs care and attention.”
The first meeting in my boarding house took a
long time. More than three hours we spent time talking about our background of
life. I didn’t realize why the topic of our discussion came to family and
background of life.
Day by day went on so quickly. My relation
with Amy got closer and closer. She went to my boarding house so often that
many people thought she was my girl friend. I never realized that her frequent
coming to my boarding house made my next-door neighbors jealous. They provoked
me that she really loved me very much, only she didn’t dare to express it since
she is a girl. It’s I who had to say it first.
Firstly, I never had such a feeling like
that. Instead, I only intended to help her. That’s all. Nevertheless, I didn’t
know why now I felt for her. Most of my friends supported me and encouraged me
to express directly my love to her. I doubt whether she really loved me or not.
She came from a rich family and I’m from a poor family. I realized who I am.
It’s quite impossible in present time a girl
such as Amy who accustomed living in a materialistic and hedonistic orientation
would accept me only because I had helped her.
My thesis problems mingled with Amy’s affair.
In this hard condition even, I received a letter from my sweet heart in Malang.
I had known her since I was a senior high school student but we loved each
other lately when I was at the edge of my study in University. We had loved
each other so deeply. Almost every month I wrote a letter for her but I met her
only once at her home in Malang. She was studying in management department.
What such a complicated problem I faced. In
fact, my parents didn’t welcome well my sweet heart, Annie. They consider Annie
still need a long time to finish her study. If I married her, it meant that her
burden of living and studying would be mine. However, it was impossible for me
to betray her since she was an orphan girl and Allah loved her. If I betrayed
her, it meant I committed a war against Allah, my creator.
My heart and my thought fought hardly. I was
just like an unmanned boat in the middle of ocean. Doubt drove me crazy.
Hamlet, one of Shakespeare works gave me a solution. I didn’t only ever
read the drama comprehensively but I ever see the film as well. I thought I was
Hamlet. I should not be crazy because of doubtfulness. Finally, I decided to
find certainty by expressing my feeling to Amy. My intention was only to know
whether she really loved me or not.
One day, I phoned her and made an appointment
to come and see her at her boarding house on the next day.
I turned on the bell of her
boarding house twice as a code of calling her. After a moment, she had appeared
in front of the door. She looked pale and sad. I entered into the room and sat
besides her.
“Amy… My coming here is not for doing
triangulation of my thesis but I have a very serious problem with you. “
“What kind of problem do you have?” Amy
replied in a soft voice full of astonishment.
“You know Amy…. Your frequent coming to my
boarding house…....in one hand made our friendship closer but on the other hand
it has drove me into confusion.”
“Why can it be like that? What’s wrong with
me?”
“You are not wrong Amy…. To speak frankly
Amy….. I…. I…fall for you. “
These words were a thunder in Amy’s ear. She kept silent for a moment.
“Albert… I appreciate your brevity and your
honesty to express your feeling. Nevertheless, I do beg your pardon if my
answer cannot satisfy your heart. I want to keep the relation between you and
me as it was. I only want to be a friend and not more than that. The relation
in friendship is longer than love. Albert… if I collect all of my parents
wealthy and I give them all to you, it is not enough to pay your help to me.
That is why, I want to be your friend forever….one day …I still need your
help.”
Actually, I had guest that it would be the answer and now what I guest
was right. My doubt had gone away.
“Amy it’s your right to make decision like
that. It doesn’t really matter. Please forgive me if I have offended your
heart.”
“You are not wrong Albert, every man has
right to express his love to woman in the same way as every woman has right to
jilt a man.”
I left her boarding house with no burden anymore and it reminded me that
now I was in the hospital.
More than two weeks I was
bedridden in hospital. In my weakest condition, I should be forced to grapple
with tuberculoses in one hand and to finish my thesis revision on the other
hand. I was about to give up. I left everything to the hand of God. If I had to
end up my life here, so be it. I’d be happy to take for granted my fate. I was
hopeless and helpless. I repented why I expressed my feeling to Amy if only to
made her offended. What a great sin I had done. What a poor man I was doing
such a fool thing in front of her. My heart was infatuated. It was a slender of
my foolish.
My imagination went flash back to the past
event. It’s the first day and the first time I stayed in hospital. It’s also
the first time I knew exactly that Amy jilted me. It’s Buddy, my close friend
who hospitalized me and brought me news that she didn’t love me.
“It’s too late Buddy. Your information is
useless. I have broken her heart by breaking my own heart. It’s unbearable. Why
don’t you tell me at that time?”
“I’m afraid you’ll be offended. It’s my
fault. Please forgive me. “
“Never mind. It has come to the pass.
“Unintentionally, tear dropped from my eyes just like a dew drop from the
grass. Again, I went back to my pass memory.
My desperation made me work so hard. I did my
thesis day and night. I hardly ever took a rest. I kept on doing Amy’s thesis
even harder and quicker than before. I hoped in this way I could pay my sin to
Amy. I forced myself to work overtime. Besides, I also wrote a literary work
entitled Birunya Langit Yogya, meant the blue sky above Yogyakarta. It contained my maneuver of love to
Amy. If my words that I uttered on that day were poison, I expected that this
book would be a honey. I started the first chapter by staying in Parangtritis
beach for a day to look for inspiration.
Finishing this book, soon I gave
her as the first and the last present. After working so hard, the day of thesis
examination finally came and I could pass it well with “A” mark. It really made
me happy. Feminism was the theme of my thesis. A week after this exam I felt
sick. Tuberculoses had destroyed my lung. Then, Buddy took me into this
hospital.
Now I would wait for nothing but dead. This
dreadful malady would take my soul away. This great affliction tortured my
soul. She visited me in the hospital with her classmates. I was startled,
unsure of what I was seeing. She was Amy. I almost couldn’t stand crying when
looking at my friends one by one. Amy was among them. She had stolen my heart.
And now like an angel she would take my soul away. Her love did not kill me but
poisoned my life.
Amy…Once
a bright light of our golden age in friendship died, it would die. Amy… you
were the light of the east. Once called the queen of my heart, you also had
been dabbed the girl of the morning calm.
A sweet-faced girl set your heart at rest. I had not been as good a
friend as you had expected, bidding farewell to you. You’re coming here just to
have a last look at me. Goodbye and I hope you enjoy long life and good health.
I lost my appetite. I couldn’t swallow even a spoon of rice. An empty
stomach made my body weak. The reflection of the misery I had just experienced
and the echo of desperate cries were still lingering in my mind. It made me
sick. It’s my own fault. I’d first raised a dust and then complained that I
couldn’t see. 18 days in hospital had elapsed. A good treatment of my kind
doctor and the help
of Allah had escorted me into a good recovery of my
health. I was happy even though I still needed to consume medicine for at least
six months to cure my illness. What such
a long journey to get my health back.
At the other place, arriving at home after coming home from campus, Annie
in hurry reached the letter lying on the floor under the door. It’s a letter
from Albert. She kissed it and jumped for a joy to the bed. Quickly she opened
the envelope and read the letter. The letter said:
Dearest
my sweet heart Annie,
With kind regard, I blow the wind of happiness to your town. I hope
nothing but you also enjoy my happiness. My sickness is a gold bridge toward
your heart. Annie,…I would be very glad if you could come on my graduation day.
I’ll share my pride and happiness with you. There is no happiness more joyful
to me other than you are besides me forever. My love to you has been deeply
planted in my heart that I cannot live without your love.
Please pray for me, May I get a good job soon after I graduated. After
that, wait me to engage you. In addition, the hit of all our pride and
happiness is when we marry.
I think that’s all from me now, please tell me whether you could manage
the time or not.
With love
Albert
Annie was
my first and my last love. I had closed all the doors and windows of my heart
to other women. I could have said a word when the pretty little girl lay in my
arms. Annie said nothing but “never leave me and be my love forever.” Just us
and the mountain in Kaliurang witnessed our promise. We rose our pray to the
heaven may
Allah blesses our love. No one was happier on this
graduation day than me. Annie was besides me.
In life, we had to make love management. The ‘Triangle Love’ made me aware that we had to put on the top, the
love to Allah. It was what I called ‘Love
Triangle’. Our love to human being is a horizontal love. However, love to
God is a transcendental love, which will never be betrayed. Loving human being without loving his/her
creator will lead to disaster. I had passed the long winding way toward her
heart. A hard time was over and I still waited for the next harder journey.
The end
Answer
these questions based on the short story.
- How
did Albert add his pocket money?
- How
long did it take in the first meeting at Albert’s boarding house and what
did they talk about?
- Why
was Albert reluctant to express his feeling to Amy?
- What
did Albert suffer from and where was he treated?
- How
long was Albert hospitalized and how long would he take to recover from
his illness?
- Why
did Albert invite Annie to his graduation day?
- Why
did Albert write a book ‘Birunya Langit Yogya’? What was the content of
the book?
- Do
you agree with the concept of ‘love Triangle’? Why? Why not?
- ‘The
unfulfilled love is the eternal love’, ‘love is not possession’. What do
you think of these expressions?
- Do
you believe that your dead and spouse were the destiny from the God? Why?
Why not?
Continue
this short story! Use these hints to guide you to discover your ideas. Please
do feel free to express your imagination.
- Does
Albert finally marry Annie?
- Is
Amy jealous when she witnessing Albert hand in hand with Annie on the
graduation day?
- What
will Albert do to persuade his parents to accept Annie as his wife?
- Why
Amy does not accept Albert’s love?
- Does
Amy know the long distance relation between Albert and Annie?
- Can
Albert forget his love to Amy after Annie besides him?
- What
will happen if Annie knows the relation between Amy and Albert?
- Suppose
you are to be Albert and both Amy and Annie love you, who will be your
choice? Why?
Text
4
Read
the following short story and make the synopsis.
AN ANGEL IN DISGUISE
Idleness, vice, and intemperance
had done their miserable work, and the dead mother lay cold and still amid her
wretched children. She had fallen upon the threshold of her own door in a
drunken fit, and died in the presence of her frightened little ones.
Death touches the spring of our
common humanity. This woman had been despised, scoffed at, and angrily
denounced by nearly every man, woman, and child in the village; but now, as the
fact of her death was passed from lip to lip, in subdued tones, pity took the
place of anger, and sorrow of denunciation. Neighbors went hastily to the old
tumble-down hut, in which she had secured little more than a place of shelter
from summer heats and winter cold: some with grave-clothes for a decent
interment of the body; and some with food for the half-starving children, three
in number. Of these, John, the oldest, a boy of twelve, was a stout lad, able
to earn his living with any farmer. Kate, between ten and eleven, was bright,
active girl, out of whom something clever might be made, if in good hands; but
poor little Maggie, the youngest, was hopelessly diseased. Two years before a
fall from a window had injured her spine, and she had not been able to leave
her bed since, except when lifted in the arms of her mother.
"What is to be done with the
children?" That was the chief question now. The dead mother would go
underground, and be forever beyond all care or concern of the villagers. But
the children must not be left to starve. After considering the matter, and
talking it over with his wife, farmer Jones said that he would take John, and
do well by him, now that his mother was out of the way; and Mrs. Ellis, who had
been looking out for a bound girl, concluded that it would be charitable in her
to make choice of Katy, even though she was too young to be of much use for
several years.
"I could do much better, I
know," said Mrs. Ellis; "but as no one seems inclined to take her, I
must act from a sense of duty expect to have trouble with the child; for she's
an undisciplined thing--used to having her own way."
But no one said "I'll take
Maggie." Pitying glances were cast on her wan and wasted form and thoughts
were troubled on her account. Mothers brought cast-off garments and, removing
her soiled and ragged clothes, dressed her in clean attire. The sad eyes and
patient face of the little one touched many hearts, and even knocked at them
for entrance. But none opened to take her in. Who wanted a bed-ridden child?
"Take her to the
poorhouse," said a rough man, of whom the question "What's to be done
with Maggie?" was asked. "Nobody's going to be bothered with
her."
"The poorhouse is a sad place
for a sick and helpless child," answered one.
"For your child or mine,"
said the other, lightly speaking; "but for tis brat it will prove a
blessed change, she will be kept clean, have healthy food, and be doctored,
which is more than can be said of her past condition."
There was reason in that, but still
it didn't satisfy. The day following the day of death was made the day of
burial. A few neighbors were at the miserable hovel, but none followed dead
cart as it bore the unhonored remains to its pauper grave. Farmer Jones, after
the coffin was taken out, placed John in his wagon and drove away, satisfied
that he had done his part. Mrs. Ellis spoke to Kate with a hurried air,
"Bid your sister good by," and drew the tearful children apart ere
scarcely their lips had touched in a sobbing farewell. Hastily others went out,
some glancing at Maggie, and some resolutely refraining from a look, until all
had gone. She was alone! Just beyond the threshold Joe Thompson, the
wheelwright, paused, and said to the blacksmith's wife, who was hastening off
with the rest,--
"It's a cruel thing to leave
her so."
"Then take her to the
poorhouse: she'll have to go there," answered the blacksmith's wife,
springing away, and leaving Joe behind.
For a little while the man stood
with a puzzled air; then he turned back, and went into the hovel again. Maggie
with painful effort, had raised herself to an upright position and was sitting
on the bed, straining her eyes upon the door out of which all had just
departed, A vague terror had come into her thin white face.
"O, Mr. Thompson!" she
cried out, catching her suspended breath, "don't leave me here all
alone!"
Though rough in exterior, Joe
Thompson, the wheelwright, had a heart, and it was very tender in some places.
He liked children, and was pleased to have them come to his shop, where sleds
and wagons were made or mended for the village lads without a draft on their
hoarded sixpences.
"No, dear," he answered,
in a kind voice, going to the bed, and stooping down over the child, "You
sha'n't be left here alone." Then he wrapped her with the gentleness
almost of a woman, in the clean bedclothes which some neighbor had brought;
and, lifting her in his strong arms, bore her out into the air and across the
field that lay between the hovel and his home.
Now, Joe Thompson's wife, who
happened to be childless, was not a woman of saintly temper, nor much given to
self-denial for others' good, and Joe had well-grounded doubts touching the
manner of greeting he should receive on his arrival. Mrs. Thompson saw him
approaching from the window, and with ruffling feathers met him a few paces
from the door, as he opened the garden gate, and came in. He bore a precious
burden, and he felt it to be so. As his arms held the sick child to his breast,
a sphere of tenderness went out from her, and penetrated his feelings. A bond
had already corded itself around them both, and love was springing into life.
"What have you there?"
sharply questioned Mrs. Thompson. Joe, felt the child start and shrink against
him. He did not reply, except by a look that was pleading and cautionary, that
said, "Wait a moment for explanations, and be gentle;" and, passing
in, carried Maggie to the small chamber on the first floor, and laid her on a
bed. Then, stepping back, he shut the door, and stood face to face with his
vinegar-tempered wife in the passage-way outside.
"You haven't brought home that
sick brat!" Anger and astonishment were in the tones of Mrs. Joe Thompson;
her face was in a flame.
"I think women's hearts are
sometimes very hard," said Joe. Usually Joe Thompson got out of his wife's
way, or kept rigidly silent and non-combative when she fired up on any subject;
it was with some surprise, therefore, that she now encountered a firmly-set
countenance and a resolute pair of eyes.
"Women's hearts are not half
so hard as men's!"
Joe
saw, by a quick intuition, that his resolute bearing had impressed his wife and
he answered quickly, and with real indignation, "Be that as it may, every
woman at the funeral turned her eyes steadily from the
sick
child's face, and when the cart went off with her dead mother, hurried away,
and left her alone in that old hut, with the sun not an hour in the sky."
"Where were John and
Kate?" asked Mrs. Thompson.
"Farmer Jones tossed John into
his wagon, and drove off. Katie went home with Mrs. Ellis; but nobody wanted
the poor sick one. 'Send her to the poorhouse,' was the cry."
"Why didn't you let her go,
then. What did you bring her here for?"
"She can't walk to the
poorhouse," said Joe; "somebody's arms must carry her, and mine are
strong enough for that task."
"Then why didn't you keep on?
Why did you stop here?" demanded the wife.
"Because I'm not apt to go on
fools' errands. The Guardians must first be seen, and a permit obtained."
There
was no gainsaying this.
"When will you see the
Guardians?" was asked, with irrepressible impatience.
"To-morrow."
"Why put it off till
to-morrow? Go at once for the permit, and get the whole thing off of your hands
to-night."
"Jane," said the
wheelwright, with an impressiveness of tone that greatly subdued his wife,
"I read in the Bible sometimes, and find much said about little children.
How the Savior rebuked the disciples who would not receive them; how he took
them up in his arms, and blessed them; and how he said that 'whosoever gave
them even a cup of cold water should not go unrewarded.' Now, it is a small
thing for us to keep this poor motherless little one for a single night; to be
kind to her for a single night; to make her life comfortable for a single
night."
The voice of the strong, rough man
shook, and he turned his head away, so that the moisture in his eyes might not
be seen. Mrs. Thompson did not answer, but a soft feeling crept into her heart.
"Look at her kindly, Jane;
speak to her kindly," said Joe. "Think of her dead mother, and the
loneliness, the pain, the sorrow that must be on all her coming life." The
softness of his heart gave unwonted eloquence to his lips.
Mrs. Thompson did not reply, but
presently turned towards the little chamber where her husband had deposited
Maggie; and, pushing open the door, went quietly in. Joe did not follow; he saw
that, her state had changed, and felt that it would be best to leave her alone
with the child. So he went to his shop, which stood near the house, and worked
until dusky evening released him from labor. A light shining through the little
chamber windows was the first object that attracted Joe's attention on turning
towards the house: it was a good omen. The path led him by this windows and,
when opposite, he could not help pausing to look in. It was now dark enough
outside to screen him from observation. Maggie lay, a little raised on the
pillow with the lamp shining full upon her face. Mrs. Thompson was sitting by
the bed, talking to the child; but her back was towards the window, so that her
countenance was not seen. From Maggie's face, therefore, Joe must read the
character of their intercourse. He saw that her eyes were
intently
fixed upon his wife; that now and then a few words came, as if in answers from
her lips; that her expression was sad and tender; but he saw nothing of
bitterness or pain. A deep-drawn breath was followed by one of relief, as a
weight lifted itself from his heart.
On entering, Joe did not go
immediately to the little chamber. His heavy tread about the kitchen brought
his wife somewhat hurriedly from the room where she had been with Maggie. Joe
thought it best not to refer to the child, nor to manifest any concern in
regard to her.
"How soon will supper be
ready?" he asked.
"Right soon," answered
Mrs. Thompson, beginning to bustle about. There was no asperity in her voice.
After washing from his hands and
face the dust and soil of work, Joe left the kitchen, and went to the little
bedroom. A pair of large bright eyes looked up at him from the snowy bed;
looked at him tenderly, gratefully, pleadingly. How his heart swelled in his
bosom! With what a quicker motion came the heart-beats! Joe sat down, and now,
for the first time, examining the thin frame carefully under the lamp light,
saw that it was an attractive face, and full of a childish sweetness which
suffering had not been able to obliterate.
"Your name is Maggie?" he
said, as he sat down and took her soft little hand in his.
"Yes, sir." Her voice
struck a chord that quivered in a low strain of music.
"Have you been sick
long?"
"Yes, sir." What a sweet
patience was in her tone!
"Has the doctor been to see
you?"
"He used to come."
"But not lately?"
"No, sir."
"Have you any pain?"
"Sometimes, but not now."
"When had you pain?"
"This morning my side ached,
and my back hurt when you carried me."
"It hurts you to be lifted or
moved about?"
"Yes, sir."
"Your side doesn't ache
now?"
"No, sir."
"Does it ache a great
deal?"
"Yes, sir; but it hasn't ached
any since I've been on this soft bed."
"The soft bed feels
good."
"O, yes, sir--so good!"
What a satisfaction, mingled with gratitude, was in her voice!
"Supper is ready," said
Mrs. Thompson, looking into the room a little while afterwards. Joe glanced
from his wife's face to that of Maggie; she understood him, and answered,--
"She can wait until we are
done; then I will bring her somethings to eat." There was an effort at
indifference on the part of Mrs. Thompson, but her husband had seen her through
the window, and understood that the coldness was assumed. Joe waited, after
sitting down to the table, for his wife to introduce the subject uppermost in
both of their thoughts; but she kept silent on that theme, for many minutes,
and he maintained a like reserve. At last she said, abruptly,--
"What are you going to do with
that child?"
"I thought you understood me
that she was to go to the poorhouse," replied Joe, as if surprised at her
question.
Mrs. Thompson looked rather
strangely at her husband for sonic moments, and then dropped her eyes. The
subject was not again referred to during the meal. At its close, Mrs. Thompson
toasted a slice of bread, and softened, it with milk and butter; adding to this
a cup of tea, she took them into Maggie, and held the small waiter, on which
she had placed them, while the hungry child ate with every sign of pleasure.
"Is it good?" asked Mrs.
Thompson, seeing with what a keen relish the food was taken.
The child paused with the cup in
her hand, and answered with a look of gratitude that awoke to new life old
human feelings which had been slumbering in her heart for half a score of
years.
"We'll keep her a day or two
longer; she is so weak and helpless," said Mrs. Joe Thompson, in answer to
her husband's remark, at breakfast-time on the next morning, that he must step
down and see the Guardians of the Poor about Maggie.
"She'll
be so much in your way," said Joe.
"I
sha'n't mind that for a day or two. Poor thing!"
Joe did not see the Guardians of
the Poor on that day, on the next, nor on the day following. In fact, he never
saw them at all on Maggie's account, for in less than a week Mrs. Joe Thompson
would as soon leave thought of taking up her own abode in the almshouse as
sending Maggie there.
What light and blessing did that
sick and helpless child bring to the home of Joe Thompson, the poor
wheelwright! It had been dark, and cold, and miserable there for a long time
just because his wife had nothing to love and care for out of herself, and so
became sore, irritable, ill-tempered, and self-afflicting in the desolation of
her woman's nature. Now the sweetness of that sick child, looking ever to her
in love, patience, and gratitude, was as honey to her soul, and she carried her
in her heart as well as in her arms, a precious burden. As for Joe Thompson,
there was not a man in all the neighborhood who drank daily of a more precious
wine of life than he. An angel had come into his house, disguised as a sick,
helpless, and miserable child, and filled all its dreary chambers with the
sunshine of love.
An Angel in Disguise
was featured as The Short Story of the Day
on Mon, May 04, 2015
American
Literature
