Emiline dreams of being a fair lady. She longs for drama, fashion, cities and fancy tea parties. But as a twelve-year-old, farm girl in the late 1800's, those things seem to be out of her reach. Meanwhile, a mystery begins to grow as she and her bes...
"Suit yourself," Miss Weed replied. "I'm going out for a while. You may join me if you'd like." The boy nodded, not really feeling welcome.
Soon she left and shut the door behind her, then, alone and feeling broken inside, Julian leaned his head on his desk and began to cry.
"Why did I do it?" he wondered sadly. "Why couldn't I have been good?" He could spend his whole life regretting what he had done, but that would never make the people like him better. He had made himself hated by everyone, and even though his parents loved him, it would be a long time before they trusted him or thought well of him again. He had disappointed them too many times to count in the past, but now he had done something that had shamed them.
The boy was sobbing so hard that he didn't hear the door open again. But, in a moment, someone's footsteps came near. With a start Julian straightened his posture and wiped his tears on his sleeve, but he couldn't bring himself to look at the person. His eyes were red from crying and he felt humiliated on top of being an outcast. As he wiped the last tears away from his eyes, he saw someone place two clusters of dark, purple grapes on his desk.
"Have you seen the grape vine at the back of the schoolhouse?" Peter asked, doing his best to sound cheerful. "There must be hundreds of grapes on it! The frost sweetened them up too. We'll have to pick 'em quick before the birds get 'em." Julian looked up at him questioningly. He couldn't understand why the boy was being kind to him. It didn't make sense. But there was no resentment in Peter's eyes, only a look of concern and a hint of nervousness. Julian looked away from those eyes with a stab of guilt as he remembered the mischief he had done to the boy.
"Aren't you...mad at me?" he asked after a pause. Peter shook his head.
"I told you I'd forgiven you," he explained. "When I ask Jesus to forgive me, the Bible says that he puts my sins out of his mind and doesn't remember them anymore. If I was still angry, I wouldn't be doing a very good job at forgiving you."
"If I ask, will God forgive me too?" Julian asked tearfully. Peter nodded his head.
"The Bible says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from sin. If you want to change, I know he'll help you. He helped me." Julian nodded his head with a touch of hope brightening his sad eyes.
From then on, Peter acted as if the past had been erased. He acted as if all of Julian's crimes had never existed. He told the boy about the hides he had been tanning and shared his harvest of grapes with him as if Julian had always been his friend.
From the outside, Peter couldn't tell if his kindness was doing much for the boy. But, inside, Julian could feel a sorrowful place in his heart begin to mend as he realized that Peter's forgiveness was real. It gave him just enough hope and courage to get through the rest of the day.
When school was finished, Julian struggled to pick up his books and slate. With only one hand to use, every task had become difficult. Then, he lagged behind the rest of the children. He wanted to make sure that he was alone as he waited for his father to come for him. For once, he was actually afraid of being bullied. He felt vulnerable and frightened. But he was also looking for the one person who he knew would come out of the building last.
Lingering on the porch outside, Julian stood in the shadows of the school, hoping to hide from the critical eyes of his classmates. At last, the frizzy red hair and the dusty bare feet of Dorothy hurried out of the doorway. The boy hesitated, fighting his pride and a feeling of awkwardness. At last, he walked after the girl, struggling to keep a grip on the armful of things he was holding.
"Dotty?" he began nervously. The girl turned around at the sound of his voice. For an instant, the color drained from her face. Then, a rosy glow replaced the whiteness, and a look of pity filled her eyes.
"Yes, Julian?" she asked.
"I...well..." the boy stuttered, feeling embarrassed. At last he gathered enough courage to speak. "I'm sorry I hurt you," he said. "I had a lot of time to think about it, and I'm sorry I've been so mean. Please don't hold it against me forever!" He glanced down at a little package that he had taken to school and tried to get it into his hand, but being clumsy, he lost his hold on everything and his books and parcel dropped to the ground. Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, Julian knelt down with a pitiable sigh. In an instant, Dotty was beside him.
"I'll get them Julian!" she exclaimed willingly. She gathered the books as fast as she could, dusting them off one by one. Then, with shining eyes that looked soft with mercy, she handed them back with a shy smile.
"I wouldn't hold anything against you," she said sweetly. Then with a blush, she added, "I just want you to be happy!"
"Why?" he asked, always stunned by her goodness.
"Because I care about you," she answered. "And because I know that Jesus loves you so much! If you'll give your heart to him, you'll be very happy."
Julian thought for a moment in silence. He was baffled by the goodness that she and Peter had shown him, but they had one thing in common; they always spoke about the Lord. He remembered Peter telling him that Jesus was his best friend. He was beginning to feel a strong desire to know this God who forgave and saved. A small seed of faith had been planted in his soul, and suffering had made his heart a place where that seed could grow.
At last, Julian grabbed the package that lay on the ground and offered it to Dorothy.
"My father made these for you," he said quietly. "I hope they fit."
Dorothy took the parcel with all kinds of emotions in her heart. She was surprised and almost excited, and yet, all of the cruel pranks Julian had played on her made her afraid to open the package. But, without much delay, she untied the string and pulled the paper away from a small box. As she lifted it's lid, her eyes sparkled with joy. Inside, two brand new shoes lay. They were beautiful shoes, perfect for walking, yet dainty and girlish. Her cheeks glowed rosily as she looked up at Julian.
"Thank you so much!" she cried happily. The boy only looked down at the ground, feeling more ashamed than joyful. It was all his fault that her old shoes had been ruined. He hadn't done the girl a favor, he had only righted a wrong. Dotty was overjoyed with the gift. She put the shoes on immediately and they fit her very well. By that time, Mr. Gray's buggy was driving up the road. Dorothy helped Julian tuck the books under his arm as he rose to his feet.
"I hope you get well soon," she said kindly. "And I hope you like your new home." Julian smiled the first happy smile she had seen on his face.
"Thank you," he said. "Good bye, Dorothy." With that, he hurried to the buggy that had halted a little ways away, and his father helped his son climb up into the seat beside him. As they drove away, Julian looked back at Dotty and watched her walking with a spring in her step. She skipped and ran with giggles of joy as she tried out her new shoes.
Finally, the boy sighed in relief. He was glad that he had made up with the girl. It made him feel like a piece of his broken heart was being healed slowly. Maybe if he gave his heart to Jesus, the rest of his troubles would go away. Maybe he could change and be happy.
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