Part 4 (2/2)
”Then listen attentively without interrupting, Rue: Your mother and you and I went to Gallipoli; and my friend, Herr Wilner, who had been staying with us at a town called Tchardak, came along with us to attend the opening of the American school.
”And the night we arrived there was trouble. The Turkish people, urged on by some bad officials in the Sanjak, came with guns and swords and spears and set fire to the mission school.
”They did not offer to harm us. We had already collected our converts and our personal baggage. Our caravan was starting. The mob might not have done anything worse than burn the school if Herr Wilner had not lost his temper and threatened them with a dog whip. Then they killed him with stones, there in the walled yard.”
At this point in the tragedy, the eagerly awaited and ardently desired s.h.i.+vers pa.s.sed up and down the child's back.
”O--oh! Did they kill him _dead_?”
”Yes, dear.”
”Was he a martyr?”
”In a way he was a martyr to his duty, I suppose. At least I gather so from his diary and from what he once told me of his life.”
”And then what happened? Tell me, daddy.”
”A Greek steamer took us and our baggage to Trebizond.”
”And what then?”
”And then, a year later, the terrible ma.s.sacre at our Trebizond mission occurred----”
That was what the child was waiting for.
”I know!” she interrupted eagerly. ”The wicked Turks and the cruel Kurds did come galloping and shouting 'Allah!' And all the poor, converted people became martyrs. And G.o.d loves martyrs, doesn't He?”
”Yes, dear----”
”And then they did kill all the poor little Christian children!”
exclaimed the child excitedly. ”And they did cut you with swords and guns! And then the kind sailors with the American flag took you and mamma and me to a s.h.i.+p and saved us by the grace of our Lord Jesus!”
”Yes, dear----”
”Tell me!”
”That is all----”
”No; you walk on two crutches, and you cannot be a missionary any more because you are sick all the time! Tell me, daddy!”
”Yes. And that is all, Rue----”
”Oh, no! Please! Tell me!... And then, don't you remember how the brave British sailors and our brave American sailors pointed their cannon at the _I_-ronclads, and they said, 'Do not shoot or we shall shoot you to pieces.' And then the brave American sailors went on sh.o.r.e and brought back some poor little wounded converted children, and your baggage and the magic box of Herr Wilner!”
”Yes, dear. And now that is enough tonight----”
”Oh, daddy, you must first read in the di-a-ry which Herr Wilner made!”
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