occurred to her that that simple little prayer, sacred to white-robed
childhood lisping at motherly knees, was entirely unsuited to this
freckled witch of a girl who knew and cared nothing about God s love,
since she had never had it translated to her through the medium of
human love.
You re old enough to pray for yourself, Anne, she said finally. Just
thank God for your blessings and ask Him humbly for the things you
want.
Well, I ll do my best, promised Anne, burying her face in Marilla s
lap. Gracious heavenly Father--that s the way the ministers say it in
church, so I suppose it s all right in private prayer, isn t it? she
interjected, lifting her head for a moment. Gracious heavenly Father,
I thank Thee for the White Way of Delight and the Lake of Shining
Waters and Bonny and the Snow Queen. I m really extremely grateful for
them. And that s all the blessings I can think of just now to thank
Thee for. As for the things I want, they re so numerous that it would
take a great deal of time to name them all, so I will only mention the
two most important. Please let me stay at Green Gables; and please let
me be good-looking when I grow up. I remain,
Yours respectfully,
Anne Shirley.
There, did I do all right? she asked eagerly, getting up. I could
have made it much more flowery if I d had a little more time to think it
over.
Poor Marilla was only preserved from complete collapse by remembering
that it was not irreverence, but simply spiritual ignorance on the part
of Anne that was responsible for this extraordinary petition. She tucked
the child up in bed, mentally vowing that she should be taught a prayer
the very next day, and was leaving the room with the light when Anne
called her back.
I ve just thought of it now. I should have said Amen in place
of yours respectfully, shouldn t I?--the way the ministers do. I d
forgotten it, but I felt a prayer should be finished off in some way, so
I put in the other. Do you suppose it will make any difference?
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