Laura Healed.
"A Christian teacher, connected with a Southern Orphan Asylum, writes
_The Christian_, that often when the children were sick, and most of
them came to me more or less diseased, I cried to the Lord for help, and
He who 'bore our infirmities, and carried our sicknesses,' healed them.
Oh it is so good to trust in the Lord! How much better to rely on Him
'in whom we live, and move, and have our being,' than to put confidence
/>
in man, even in the most skillful physician. To confirm and strengthen
the faith of the doubting, I send you the following account of the
healing of one of our orphans.
"Laura was one of a large orphan family, living on Port Royal Island,
S.C. When her mother died, she went to live with a colored woman who
made her work very hard, 'tote' wood and water, hoe cotton and corn, do
all manner of drudgery, rise at daybreak, and live on scanty food. Laura
suffered from want, exposure and abuse. The freed-women of the
plantation looked with pity into her eyes, and desired her to run away.
But she replied, 'Aunt Dora will run after me, and when she done cotch
me, she'll stripe me well with the lash; she done tell so already.'
"One morning, however, when Laura went to the creek for crabs, a good
aunty followed her, and throwing a shawl over the poor child's rags,
said, 'Now, Laura, put foot for Beaufort fast as ever you can, and when
you get there, inquire where Mrs. Mather lives: go straight to her; she
has a good home for jes sich poor creeters as you be.' Laura obeyed,
hastened to Beaufort, seven miles distant, found my home, was made
welcome, and her miserable rags exchanged for good clean clothes. In the
morning, I said, 'Laura, did you sleep well last night?' She replied,
'O, missis, my heart too full of joy to sleep. Me lay awake all night,
thinking how happy me is in dis nice, clean bed, all to myself. Me never
sleep in a bed before, missis.'
"Laura, then about thirteen years old, came to me with a hard cough, and
pain in her side. I put on flannels, gave her a generous diet, and
hoped, that with rest and cheerful surroundings, she would soon rally as
other children had, who came to me in a similar broken-down condition.
Still the cough and pain continued. I dosed her with various
restoratives, such as flax-seed, and slippery elm, etc., but all were of
no avail. She steadily grew worse. Every week I could see she declined.
Her appetite failed; night sweats came on; and she was so weak that most
of the day she lay in bed. The children, all of whom loved Laura, she
was so patient and gentle, whispered one to another, 'Laura is gwine to
die; dere is def in her eye."
"One evening in mid-winter, the poor child's short breath, fluttering
pulse, and cold, clammy sweat alarmed me, and I felt sure that unless
the dear Lord interposed in her behalf, her time with us was very short.
I lingered by her bed till near midnight in prayer for her recovery. I
could not give her up. Again in my own room I poured out my soul in
prayer for the child, and then slept. About two o'clock, I suddenly
awoke, and heard what seemed a voice saying to me, '_Go to Laura; I can
heal her now; the conditions are right; you are both calm and
trustful_.'
"I arose quickly, hastened to her room and said to her, 'Laura, do you
want to get well?' 'O, yes, missis, me wants to get well.' 'Do you
believe Jesus can cure you?' She replied, 'I know he can if he will.'
'Well, Laura,' I said, 'Jesus has just waked me out of a sound sleep,
and told me to go and tell you that he _will cure you now_. Do you
believe he will, Laura?' 'Yes, missis, me _do believe_,' she replied
earnestly. She then repeated this prayer. 'O, Jesus, do please to make
me well; let me live a long time, and be a good and useful woman.'
"The burden had rolled off my heart; I returned to my room and slept
sweetly. In the morning, Tamar, Laura's attendant, met me at the door,
exclaiming joyfully, 'O, I'se so glad! Laura is a heap better, Missis.
She wake me up long time before day and begged me to get her something
to eat, she so hungry.'
"From that night Laura rapidly recovered. Her cough abated, her appetite
was restored, her night sweats ceased, and in less than a month she was
strong and well."