The Pastor's Son by William W. Walter
"What a beautiful Thanksgiving morning this is," said the Rev. James A. Williams to his son Walter, as he looked out of the dining-room window. "There isn't a cloud in the sky, and this soft, balmy breeze from the south makes one almost believe that it is a June morning instead of the 30th of November. I know there will be a large attendance at church this morning, which will please me very much, as I have prepared an excellent sermon, and feel certain that the congregation will enjoy it."
He glanced at his son as he finished speaking, and some of the joy and cheerfulness that had shown in his eyes faded away, for he saw no return of his joy and happiness on his child's face; all that was written there was sorrow, pain, and feebleness.
His son, who was nearly seventeen, had always been sickly and feeble since birth; the best physicians had been employed, change of climate had been tried, and everything else that promised relief, but of no avail. The best specialists had been consulted, but they gave little hope that hereditary consumption could be cured, for the minister's wife had been similarly afflicted for many years.
The Rev. Williams thought silently for a few moments, then tried to regain his cheerfulness by changing the subject to something that might interest his son; so he said, "Well, wife, I suppose that turkey Deacon Phillips gave us will be done to perfection by dinner time; I am beginning to feel hungry already, just from thinking of it and it is two hours to dinner time yet."
Lillian his wife, looked up from her work with a careworn expression on her face, and said, "Yes, it is a fine large turkey." His wife always looked worn-out and tired, for not being strong and still compelled to do all the housework, it fatigued her very much.
It had not always been this way, for the Rev. Williams was a man of ability, his congregation large, and his salary ample under ordinary circumstances, but the constant drain of physicians' bills, and the great expense of sending mother and son to a warm climate each fall, as the rigors of the northern winters were considered too hard for the two invalids to bear, had reduced them almost to poverty; consequently the expense of a maidservant had long since been dispensed with.
Rev. Williams now turned to go to his study, and as he was turning, said, "I know that I will do justice to that turkey, after delivering my long sermon, and I am very thankful to Deacon Phillips, and to God, for having given it to us."
There was silence for a few moments after the father left the room; then Mrs. Williams said: "Walter, dear, you had better get ready for church; I will soon have this turkey so I can leave it, then I will get ready and we will both go to church, there to give thanks to God."
Walter turned to his mother saying, "What have we to be thankful for, mother?"
His mother looked up, somewhat startled, and answered, "Why for everything that God gave us." "Everything, mother?" asked Walter.
"Yes dear, everything."
"Oh, mother, I don't see how I am going to do that, father told me that God gave me this sickness, and I don't see how I can feel thankful to Him for making me suffer."
The mother anxiously looked at her son, then said, "Remember Walter,
Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, also suffered."
"Yes, I know, but it was not God that made Him suffer, it was the
Pharisees; but father said it was God gave me this sickness and that
I must bear it with love and patience, which I have tried to do, but
I have never been able to understand why a good and loving God should
care to see me suffer."
"I am sure I cannot tell," said his mother, "but it must be for some good purpose; we will ask your father to explain some time. Now hurry and get ready."
A few minutes later they both walked to the church, which was only a short distance away, and entered its wide-open doors.
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"What do you want, Victoria?" Victoria walked closer to Vega, her eyes held hatred in them. "Look, let me warn you, don't even dare try to ruin my marriage, or else I will make your life a living hell!" "You knew he wasn't your mate, and you let him mark you, didn't you?" Vega asked with anger brewing inside her. Victoria lowered her gaze a little, which meant she actually knew. "So what if I know? I'm the one he marked, not you!" She yelled, showing Vega her marked neck. ****************************** What happens when your twin sister is accidentally marked by your one true mate? Victoria and Vega are twin sisters born to the Alpha of white snow pack. These sisters are so identical that it was very difficult to differentiate between them. Their Father Alpha Blake Gilbert sometimes found it hard to tell their differences too. Fortunately they had two distinct features that separated them: One is the fact that Victoria, who happens to be the eldest, was reckless and stubborn, while Vega was calm and quiet. But sadly, Vega was the one who always got punished for her sister's crime. Everyone in white snow pack thought Vega was the black sheep among the two. Vega suffered silently. Secondly, Victoria's wolf was brown while Vega's was white, but no one had seen Vega's wolf which was a rare kind of wolf. Alpha Reynold Flames of Blue Stone Pack happens to be the most famous and well-respected Alpha in the northern province of Westland. He is a Lycan, and he was very powerful. At the age of thirty, Reynold was still without a mate. When he visited white snow pack, his wolf sensed the presence of their mate. Excited as he was to find his mate, he was deceived into marking the wrong woman (Victoria) since she smelled just like his mate (Vega). What will happen to these three lives which have become entangled for life? Will there be a breakthrough for them or will things get even worse?
"Please don't do this. I beg of you." I mustered up the courage to speak these words. My voice is pleading, and my eyes are desperate to get to him. "I can't wait any longer. You don't know how bad I want you; even your tears turns me on." His face came closer to me. I could feel his warm breath on my face, and his words sent a chill down my spine. ☆☆☆ When a dangerous captor sets his sights on a young girl, he knows he needs to have her, even if it means taking her against her will.
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
Three years ago, the Moore family opposed Charles Moore's choice to marry his beloved woman and selected Scarlett Riley as his bride. Charles didn't love her. In fact, he hated her. Not long after they got married, Scarlett received an offer from her dream university and jumped on it. Three years later, Charles's beloved woman fell terribly ill. In order to fulfill her last wish, he called Scarlett back and presented her with a divorce agreement. Scarlett was deeply hurt by Charles's abrupt decision, but she chose to let him go and agreed to sign the divorce papers. However, Charles seemed to delay the process deliberately, leaving Scarlett confused and frustrated. Now, Scarlett was trapped between the consequences of Charles's indecision. Would she be able to break free from him? Would Charles eventually come to his senses and face his true feelings?
“Are you sure you want to deny me as your mate?” Because of the dread, I felt in Bradley’s voice, I could not respond appropriately. I could feel his hold on my shoulder harder, showing that he disagreed with my statement. “We shouldn’t be talking about this since we’re siblings,” I say, realizing that I cannot answer his question openly. “We’re not related at all!” Bradley corrected my statement and looked me in the eye as he caressed my chin. “What exactly are you doing? Even if we are not biologically related, we are still considered siblings because your father married my mother.” I averted my gaze to go away from his face, which was so close that I could almost smell the mouthwash he was using. “I disagree, as our little brother said earlier. We don’t share a last name because our parents want us to end up together.” Bradley’s lips were pursed in a wicked grin.