Where Two Ways Met by Grace Livingston Hill

Madison, you add those up, and I’d like to chip in and help with them. I want to see this man get well. Here’s a milk bill. Twenty dollars, and it’s dated two months ago! Is that why Nannie hasn’t been drinking milk anymore? Well, we’ll see about that. I want her to have plenty of milk, and you, too. The whole family needs milk. I’ll just take this bill along and settle it up and see that they send some milk over right away tonight. And you get the other bills together.”
    “There aren’t so many of them. Two groceries, and the shoe store; Johnny had to have his shoes fixed or he couldn’t go to school. A small bill at the hardware. The ax broke and we
had
to have another to cut down a tree for a fire. There’s a gas bill, too, and electric light, but they’ve been cut off for three weeks.”
    “There, now, don’t think anything more about it,” said Paige. “These don’t add up to so much. We’ll be able to get enough to cover these, so don’t worry. Now, let’s go over them again and see if we’ve missed anything.”
    Paige’s matter-of-fact tone seemed to give a new kind of strength to the discouraged man.
    “Now, are you sure there isn’t anything else?”
    “The bread man,” murmured the poor man.
    “Yes. But that’s not so much. I can get you money enough to cover all these, and a little more to keep you going until you get your job. It won’t pay to starve yourself or your family. It only makes more bills. So now, let’s get this thing straight. You are to eat some more soup and bread and coffee, and then you’re to go to sleep and put all your troubles out of your mind. That’s the first step to righting things. The doctor says your little girl is not going to die at present and will get well soon if you brace up and get well yourself. The doctor is getting a nurse tonight, too, so your wife can get some rest. And now I’ll go and see if there is anything else I can do. Where is that son of yours? It’s time he had something to eat, too.”
    So Paige went in search of the boy and to find out from June what plans she had.
    “I’m staying here till the nurse comes,” she said, “but I think you should go home and tell my folks what has happened. Dad will come after me. And tell him to bring some more coffee and a loaf of bread. Now please, go. I’ve taken enough of your time already, and I surely am obliged to you. I didn’t know I was getting you into such an extended performance, but it certainly has been wonderful to have you along. You’ve done wonders with that poor discouraged man. Now go, do. Your mother will be worried about you.”
    Paige looked at her amusedly.
    “So that’s the kind of softy you think I am, is it? Leave you here to face all this music and go home to save myself? Not on your life, I don’t do that. But I’ll tell you what I will do. I’ll go to the store and get some groceries. There’s a store over near our house that stays open late, and even if they’ve gone to bed, I know them well enough to wake them up. So you wait here till I come back. I won’t be long.” And with that, Paige vanished out into the darkness.

Chapter 5
    A ll the way back to the village, Paige had a vision in his mind of the lovely girl he had left behind him, serving the poor and forlorn, and doing it so fully and so joyously. She must be an extraordinary girl. A girl worth knowing and having for a friend. He was glad he had been called aside from his own pursuits to have this brief experience with her in rescue work.
    Knowing there was little time before the store closed, he hurried there first.
    The grocer was surprised to see him.
    “Why, Paige, your mother got her usual supply this morning,” he said. “Are you sure she wants more butter? And eggs? Or has she got unexpected company?”
    “No, Mr. Brand,” said Paige, “these are for some friends who couldn’t do their ordering today, and as I was coming this way, I offered to bring some things for them.