Chapter V: Dick's Punishment

ALL this time not a word had been said about his disobedience. When he cried, his mother stooped over the bed and kissed him. Presently she left the room to get some bandages, and as soon as he was alone his tears burst forth afresh.

"Oh how sorry I am I was so naughty!" he said to himself. "How good mother is. I do love her dearly. I'm glad I meant to tell her before I got hurt."

"Will you please shut the door, mother," he said still sobbing. "I want to tell you something."

She came and stood by his side, putting her hand on his damp forehead.

"I disobeyed you, mother," he began. "I went without my shoes. I didn't feel happy because I knew how wicked it was to do it when you'd forbidden me. Will you forgive me, mother?"

"Yes, my dear; with all my heart. But you know there is another whom you have offended; One whose commands you have promised to obey."

"I know it, mother. I thought of it in school; and I couldn't study, so I lost my place in my class. I thought of it, and prayed in my seat that God would forgive me, and help me to be good. It was then, before I was hurt, that I resolved to tell you. I hid my shoes under the front steps, and I meant to put them on again before you saw me, my stockings are in my pocket."

"I knew it all before you came home, my dear. A beggar came here and when he went away he carried off your new shoes; but I scarcely thought of that; so pained was I that my son should disobey me and displease Cod."

"Oh mother! Mother! I never will do so again. I mean I'll try not to. You knew best when you said it was dangerous to go barefoot. My foot does ache, mother. Do you think it will have to be cut?"

"I hope not."

The night following, neither Dick nor his mother slept one moment. As soon as it was light Mr. Stuart started off on horseback for the Doctor, who lived a mile away.

When the physician came, he loosened the bandage, and found the whole ball of the foot inflamed. He said there were small pieces of glass in it, and that getting them out would be a bad business.

"Dick is a brave boy," said his mother. "I'm sure he'll try to be quiet."

"If you will hold my hand, mother, I'll try not to move."

"You may scream as loud as you please," said the Doctor laughing, "if you'll keep your foot still."

But Dick did not even groan. He shut his teeth firmly together growing paler and paler every minute, until with a gasp, he lost his consciousness.

Mrs. Stuart felt his hand loosen its grasp on hers; and motioned her husband to run for the camphor bottle.

"Never mind," said the Doctor, "I've almost done. Let him be a minute. These little pieces must be got out or they'll make mischief."

Richard looked so much like death, that his mother could not let him be. She chafed his hands, and kissed his pale cheeks, murmuring words of love; while the faithful physician probed and pressed about the wound until he was quite sure he had removed all the glass.

Then he laid a towel under the foot to catch the blood when it began to flow, and threw a handful of water in the face of the fainting boy, which soon brought back the color to his cheeks.

"All right now, my brave fellow;" he said. "The glass is all out. Now, Mrs. Stuart, if you will give me four spoonsful of real cream, I'll make an ointment."

He poured some liquid from a bottle and gave the mixture a good stir, making a thick, nice salve. This he spread over the soft linen the mother had provided, and bound around the foot.

"You will have to give up farming for a week or two," said the Doctor laughing. "Perfect rest and daily applications of the ointment are all that will be necessary. Next time, Dick, I advise you to wear shoes."

It was a weary time for the poor fellow on many accounts. He worried secretly about the work and about his lessons. He sent to school every day by Eddy to find out who was at the head of the spelling and grammar classes; but he confessed to himself that his punishment was a just one.

After a long conversation with his mother on the subject, he covered his thee and thanked his kind Father in heaven for the chastisement which he could now see was sent in love to remind him of the truth of the words, "The way of transgressors is hard."

"You did just so, mother, when baby kept running to the stove, and you were afraid he would be burned up if he did not learn; so you let him burn his fingers a little mite. Oh, how he cried, and hid his face in your neck! But he knew he mustn't touch the stove again. Don't you remember how he would go toward it and then look at you and say so cunning, 'No! No! Berty burn!' And then he'd blow as you did on his poor fingers."

"Perhaps, mamma, God knew that if I went to school barefoot and came back without hurting me I should go on growing more and more disobedient, and so he let me hurt myself to save me a worse hurt as you did Berty."

"Yes, Dick, that is the right view to take of it. That is what St. Paul meant when he said: 'Now no chastening is for the present joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby.'"