A Brother Like That
Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve
when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new
car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."
The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you
nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish
for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred
Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to
take a ride in my automobile?"
"Oh yes, I'd love that."
After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you
mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the
lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big
automobile. But Paul was wrong again.
"Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was
not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the
bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for
Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm gonna give you one just
like it... then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas
windows that I've been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older
brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he had said: "It is more
blessed to give..."
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