The Right Knock Part 5

"Well, but that was long ago, and the promise was for the disciples, I suppose."

"No, it was for everybody; and do you know, Mrs. Hayden, I can hardly wait to learn this new method, I am so interested."

"How did you hear about it?"

"When I was down to Mapleton last summer I heard something about it through a friend of mine, who was cured of chronic congestive headaches, and now my cousin, Miss Greening, from Norfolk, has come on to spend the holidays with us, and strange to say, she has been cured of weak eyes--just came straight from Princeton where she was treated, and--and--well, the fact is, I want you to come over and see her and may be _you_ can be cured."

Mrs. Reade was quite frightened for having said so much, but was rea.s.sured by the growing interest in Mrs. Hayden's eyes.

"And you know these things to be true? Why, it _is_ wonderful. How is it done, by prayer?"

"Not exactly, but it is by some process of thinking. Oh, I can't begin to tell you, only that it is wonderful, and you must come over and talk with cousin Helen."

"I am afraid to trust myself out in this uncertain weather. Can't you both come and take tea with us to-morrow? I hope to be well enough then, and it would be a great pleasure, for if there is any truth in this, I want to know it. Do come."

This was a good deal for Mrs. Hayden to say, but she was very earnest when aroused to interest.

"Yes, we will," said Mrs. Reade, as she rose to go, looking straight into her friend's eyes with joyful earnestness, "and I am so glad. Good bye," and she retreated as unceremoniously as she had come, leaving Mrs.

Hayden to wonder why she should be so childishly pleased over that invitation. It never occurred to her that Mrs. Reade should be so glad to come merely to tell more about this new way of getting well.

Mrs. Reade was a young housekeeper, who, living just across the street, was in the habit of often running in to Mrs. Hayden with her little vexations, her triumphs of cookery, her questions of how to manage little May, or what to do in matters of household furnis.h.i.+ng. She was a very progressive little woman, and, perhaps owing to the influence of Mrs. Hayden, was ready at least to give everything a fair hearing. This new "craze," as some called it, had been presented to her in a way that compelled her attention and commanded her respect, and especially since her cousin's coming had she been intensely interested.

Particularly was she desirous of enlisting the attention of Mrs. Hayden, who not only needed the physical help to be obtained, but who would be an excellent advocate of the principles, providing she could endorse them, as Mrs. Reade was sure she would, if she could only be made to understand.

So it was with great antic.i.p.ated pleasure Mrs. Reade introduced her cousin to Mrs. Hayden as they went in the next day.

"Now, Cousin Helen, just tell Mrs. Hayden how you were cured. I am so anxious to set the ball rolling," said Mrs. Reade, with an arch look at Mrs. Hayden after they were comfortably settled for their talk.

"Yes, indeed," added Mrs. Hayden; "if you have half as wonderful a message as Mrs. Reade fondly imagines I shall be delighted to hear it, but I would first like to ask what was the trouble with your eyes, and something as to their condition when you first looked into this method of healing."

"I had been obliged to leave school because they were so weak. They were inflamed and bloodshot. I could not bear to go out in the wind, ride on the cars, or have any excitement whatever. The occulists said the trouble was caused by a physical defect that could not be remedied, so you may imagine my despair. Father and mother came home from a visit in Kansas, and while there they had heard of a lady in Princeton who was having remarkable success with mind-cure, as they called it. They coaxed me to go and try it. I had no faith, but to please them thought I would go. It could do no harm, they said. The journey, though only sixty miles from home, was very hard for me. When I arrived at Mrs. Harmon's it seemed as though I could hardly bear the pain caused by the journey.

"Mrs. Harmon allowed me to stay right at her home, and though only there a week, I was not only cured, but learned the principles and how to apply them. After the first treatment I felt so well and happy she told me I could use my eyes to read an hour or so. From the second treatment I could use them all I wished. It was perfectly wonderful. When I went home I was cured. That is now three weeks ago, and I have been using my eyes constantly, have taken several journeys on the cars, and gone out day and night."

Mrs. Hayden had listened with the greatest interest, her mind filled with varying thoughts. Sudden glimpses of wonderful might-be's, mingled with doubts and hopes, had chased each other in wild confusion through her bewildered brain.

"Tell me," she found breath at last to ask, "what is it, and how is it done, and can anybody do it?"

Miss Greening was delighted to find so willing an audience, for in spite of her remarkable cure, most of her family and friends ridiculed her new "cure all."

"Oh, I wish I could explain to you as Mrs. Harmon does. I am so very new in the thought, but I will do the best I can to give you some idea. The main thing in the beginning is to know that you know nothing," continued Miss Greening, with a smile. "The world believes in the character as it appears, to be the real character, that the person who suffers sickness, sorrow, disappointment, anger or pain is the real self. We have always taken the people of the world, as they appear, to be the children of G.o.d. This truth teaches that the real child of G.o.d is in His image and likeness and in Him lives, is moved and has His being. According to the laws of thought, the thought of one individual affects another, and on this principle the treatments are given, but it is the omnipresent life Principle that does the work.

"Oh, it is perfectly wonderful, and if you could see what I saw while I was with Mrs. Harmon, you would not doubt a moment. She was busy from morning till night with patients. Hardly had time to eat or sleep. It seemed like the times of the New Testament come back again. Mrs. Harmon cured a man of rheumatism, where the joints had been stiffened and contracted for years, in seven treatments. The first week the treatments did not seem to have any effect, but the second week he suddenly recovered the use of his arm and limbs, so that he could run and jump or do anything else that a healthy man can do.

"One young girl, who was suffering from lead poisoning so that she was given up by three or four prominent physicians, received nine treatments and, although not perfectly strong and robust, was able to walk several blocks and was so well that she did not need further treatment.

"Mrs. Harmon treated an old lady of seventy, so that she laid aside gla.s.ses and could see to sew on black cloth. A lady who had been an invalid for sixteen years was cured so that in a week she was able to ride a mile and a half to the lectures.

"All these things I saw with my own eyes, and if the evidence had not been enough in my own case, there were all these proofs. And the teaching! Oh, it is beautiful. If we could only live up to that the millenium would surely be here."

In her enthusiasm Miss Greening scarcely noticed the effect of her words, else she would have seen Mrs. Hayden's expressive eyes full of a yearning, silent and strong.

"Can it touch anyone's character or moral life?" she asked after a moment's pause.

"Yes, indeed; there is not one thing in life that is not amenable to its discipline. Mrs. Harmon says it is a great advantage in governing children, that every mother ought to know it, for the help in that direction, even if not for their health."

"What a wonderful thing it must be; and yet I always thought the days of miracles were past, if indeed they ever were," said Mrs. Hayden, thoughtfully.

"These are not miracles, as the ordinary understanding of that word would imply, but are done in accordance with Divine Law, the highest law,--not the setting aside of any law," interposed Mrs. Reade, who had been deeply interested in the conversation, but hitherto had been a silent listener.

"Oh, mamma, I wish supper was ready; I'm so hungry!" cried Fred, bursting into the room, followed by Jamie and Mabel.

"Mamma, can't we have some--" began Jamie, and then stopped, abashed at the size of the audience.

"No, dears; mamma don't want you to eat anything before supper. You know what Doctor Jackson said about the little stomachs that were overworked.

Now, run away and be good; when everything is ready mamma'll call you."

"But we want it _now_. Doctor Jackson don't know everything. It's only G.o.d that knows everything," said Fred, with unanswerable argument.

"Come away, Fred," whispered Mabel, giving him an impatient twitch.

"It's so, anyway; mamma told me about G.o.d just the other night."

"He knows I want some ginger 'naps," whimpered Jem.

"Never mind; run out, as mamma says," said Mrs. Hayden, resolutely, and the aggrieved trio reluctantly departed.

"It would be an immense help to me if I could learn to manage these three irrepressibles without getting tired all out," said Mrs. Hayden, with a little sigh.

"Wouldn't it be splendid? I think, Mrs. Hayden, you better let Cousin Helen treat you, and get you all cured, and then you can go somewhere and learn how, yourself," said Mrs. Reade, as she demurely wound up the ball.

Mrs. Hayden looked up with interested surprise. "Do you think anything could be done for _me_, Miss Greening?"

"A great many worse than you have been cured, why not you?"

"Well, I don't know; it seems so far away and so intangible some way."

"Now, Mrs. Hayden, try it. Let Cousin Helen treat you," interposed Mrs.

Reade.

"What must _I_ do, any mysterious unheard-of thing?" was the answer, with a look of evident amus.e.m.e.nt.

"Oh, no! Just sit quietly pa.s.sive, and be as hopeful as possible during the treatment. The only thing that might seem hard is to give up all medicine and material applications while you are under treatment."

"That will not be hard at all, for I have lost all faith in medicine anyway. When do you want to begin, Miss Greening?"

"Well, I am willing to try my best to help you, Mrs. Hayden, but you must understand, in the first place, that I take no credit to myself, for it is G.o.d's work. Then I have really not tried to heal any one; since it was so recently I was cured myself, there has been no opportunity, but as I said, I will do what I can."

Miss Greening spoke earnestly and reverently. It seemed rather new to her to be called upon to prove her principles, and yet she had such perfect faith in them, she never thought of wavering.