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 so 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 strong
also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Year’s 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 consultation. When he
heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.
Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed
in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.
He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save
her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.
After a long struggle, the battle
was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to
pass the final bill 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 began
to read the following words:
“Paid in full with one glass of
milk”