Rescued
A little girl whose parents had died lived with her
grandmother and slept in an upstairs bedroom.
One night there was a fire in the house and the grandmother
perished while trying to rescue the child. The fire spread
quickly, and the first floor of the house was soon engulfed in
flames.
Neighbors called the fire department, then stood helplessly
by, unable to enter the house because flames blocked all the
entrances. The little girl appeared at an upstairs window, crying
for help, just as word spread among the crowd that firefighters
would be delayed a few minutes because they were all at another
fire.
Suddenly, a man appeared with a ladder, put it up against
the side of the house and disappeared inside. When he reappeared,
he had the little girl in his arms. He delivered the child to the
waiting arms below, then disappeared into the night.
An investigation revealed that the child had no living
relatives, and weeks later a meeting was held in the town hall to
determine who would take the child into their home and bring her
up.
A teacher said she would like to raise the child. She
pointed out that she could ensure her a good education. A farmer
offered her an upbringing on his farm. He pointed out that living
on a farm was healthy and satisfying. Others spoke, giving their
reasons why it was to the child's advantage to live with them.
Finally, the town's richest resident arose and said, "I can
give this child all the advantages that you have mentioned here,
plus money and everything that money can buy."
Throughout all this, the child remained silent, her eyes on
the floor.
"Does anyone else want to speak?" asked the meeting
chairman. A man came forward from the back of the hall. His gait
was slow and he seemed in pain. When he got to the front of the
room, he stood directly before the little girl and held out his
arms. The crowd gasped. His hands and arms were terribly scarred.
The child cried out, "This is the man who rescued me!" With
a leap she threw her arms around the man's neck, holding on for
dear life, just as she had that fateful night. She buried her
face on his shoulder and sobbed for a few moments. Then she
looked up and smiled at him.
"This meeting is adjourned," said the chairman.
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