< RM > story - Kindness

Kindness

One day, a poor boy who was selling
goods from door to door to pay his way
through school, found he had only one thin
dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he
would ask for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely
young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of
water. She thought he looked hungry and so
she brought him a large glass of milk. He
drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much
do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied.
"Mother has taught us never to accept pay
for a kindness." He said, "Then I thank you
from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that
house, he not only felt stronger physically,
but his faith in God and man was strength-
ened also. He had been ready to give up and
quit.

Years later, that young woman became
critically ill. The local doctors were baffled.
They finally sent her to the big city, where
they called in specialists to study her rare
disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the con-
sultation. When he heard the name of the
town she came from, he went down the hall
of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his
doctor's gown, he went in to see her. He rec-
ognized her at once. He went back to the
consultation room determined to do his best
to save her life. From that day, he gave spe-
cial attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested from the business office
to pass the final billing to him for approval.
He looked at it, then wrote something on the
edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She
feared to open it, for she was sure it would
take the rest of her life to pay for it all.
Finally she looked, and something caught her
attention on the side of the bill. She read
these words:

"PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF
MILK....
(Signed)
Dr. Howard Kelly."

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy
heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your
love is shed abroad through human hearts
and hands."