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Page 59
Suddenly Karin's little girl got up and toddled toward the
fireplace. The bright blaze had attracted the child, who, shrieking
with delight, was making for it as fast as her tiny feet could
carry her.
Karin called to her to come back, but the child paid no heed to
her; at that moment she was trying to clamber up into the
fireplace. After tumbling down a couple of times, she finally
managed to get upon the hearth, where the fire blazed.
"God help me! God help me!" cried Karin. Then she began to shout
for help, although she knew there was no one near.
The little girl bent laughingly over the fire. Suddenly a burning
ember rolled out and fell on her little yellow frock. Instantly
Karin sprang to her feet, rushed over to the fireplace, and
snatched the child in her arms. Not until she had brushed away all
the sparks from the child's dress, and had made sure that her baby
was unharmed, did she realize what had happened to herself. She was
actually on her feet; she had been walking again, and would always
be able to walk!
Karin experienced the greatest mental shake-up she had ever felt in
her life, and at the same time the greatest sense of happiness. She
had the feeling that she was under God's special care and
protection, and that God Himself had sent a holy man to her house
to strengthen her and to heal her.
***
That autumn Hellgum often stood on the little porch of Strong
Ingmar's cottage, looking out across the landscape. The country
round about was growing more beautiful every day: the ground was
now a golden brown, and all the leafy trees had turned either a
bright red or a bright yellow. Here and there loomed stretches of
woodland that shimmered in the breeze like a billowy sea of gold.
Against the shadowy background of the fir-clad hills could be seen
splashes of yellow; they were the leaf trees that had strayed in
among the pines and spruces and taken root there.
As an humble gray hut, when ablaze, gives out light and brilliancy,
thus did this humble Swedish landscape flame into a marvel of
splendour. Everything was so wondrously golden, exactly as one
might imagine that a landscape on the surface of the sun would
look.
Hellgum was thinking, as he viewed this scene, that a time was
coming when God would let the land reflect the brightness of His
Glory, and when the seeds of Truth which had been sawn during the
summer would yield golden harvests of righteousness.
Then, to and behold, one evening Tims Halvor came over to the croft
and invited Hellgum and his wife to come with him to the Ingmar
Farm!
On arriving they found everything in holiday order; around the
house all the old dry birch leaves had been cleared away; farm
implements and carts, which at other times were scattered about the
yard, had now been put out of sight.
"They must be having a number of visitors here," thought Anna Lisa.
Just then Halvor opened the front door, and they stepped inside.
The living-room was full of people who were seated upon benches all
along the walls, solemnly expectant. Hellgum noticed that they were
the leading people of the parish. The first persons he recognized
were Ljung Bj�rn Olofsson and his wife, Martha Ingmarsson; also
Bullet Gunner and his wife. Then he saw Krister Larsson and Israel
Tomasson with their wives, all of whom were members of the Ingmar
family. Presently he saw H�k Matts Ericsson and his son Gabriel,
the councillor's daughter Gunhild, and several persons besides.
Altogether there were about twenty people present.
When Hellgum and Anna Lisa had gone round and shaken hands with
every one, Tims Halvor said:
"We who are assembled here have been thinking over the things
Hellgum has said to us during the summer. Most of us belong to an
old family whose wish it has ever been to walk in the ways of God.
If Hellgum can help us do this, we are ready to follow him."
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