With One Glass of Milk 一杯牛奶的温暖
With One Glass of Milk 一杯牛奶的温暖
◎ Davis, Audrey W.
One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by selling goods door to door found that he only had one dime left. He was hungry so he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.
一天，一个可怜的小男孩儿为凑足学费正挨家挨户地推销商品。他发现身上只剩一角钱了。他很饿，所以他决定从下一家讨口饭吃。
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”
然而，当一位年轻貌美的女子打开门时，他却紧张得不知所措。他没有要吃的，只是乞求给他一口水喝。女子看到小男孩儿饥饿的样子，顿生怜悯之心，就倒了一大杯牛奶递给他。男孩慢慢地喝光了牛奶，问道：“我需要付您多少钱呢？”
“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but it also increased his faith in God and the human race. He was about to give up and quit before this point.
“你不必付钱给我，”女子答道，“妈妈教育我说，爱心善举，不求回报。”男孩说：“那么我就由衷地向您说声谢谢！”当霍华德·凯利离开这所房子时，他觉得浑身充满了力量，也对上帝和整个人类充满了信心。而原本，他正打算放弃。
Years later the young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where specialists can be called in to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly, now famous was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he rose and went down through the hospital hall into her room.
数年之后，那位女子得了重病，当地医生对此束手无策。最后，他们把她送到大城市去医治，由专家会诊，研究她这种罕见病症。著名的霍华德·凯利医生也参与了医疗方案的制定。当他得知这位病人来自那个城镇时，一个奇怪的念头在他的脑海中闪过，他马上起身，穿过医院的大厅直奔她的病房。
Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room and determined to do his best to save her life. From that day on, he gave special attention to her case.
身着白大褂的凯利医生走进了病房，一眼便认出了那个女子，她正是他的恩人。回到会诊室后，他下定决心一定要竭尽全力挽救她的生命。从那天起，他就特别关照她的病情。
After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it, because she was positive that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words...
经过长期艰苦的努力，手术终获成功。凯利医生要求把医药费结算单送到他那儿，他看了一下，便在上面签了字。当结算单送到女子的病房时，她甚至不敢打开来看，因为她知道这医药费一定极其昂贵，或许她要用整个余生来偿还。最后，她还是鼓足勇气打开了看，她注意到单子旁边的一行小字，不禁小声地念起来：
“Paid in full with a glass of milk.”
医药费缴足：一杯牛奶。
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly
霍华德·凯利医生（签名）
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she prayed silently: “Thank You, God. Your love has spread through human hearts and hands.”
喜悦的泪水溢出了她的眼眶，她默默地祈祷着：“感谢您，上帝！您的爱已经通过人类的心灵和双手传递开来。”
