"Your mother is sleeping sweetly in the long sleep that knows neither anger nor resentment; and so I was forced to think of a gentle-faced, little old mother whose heart is daily one long ache, whose eyes are dim with tears, and a proud, broken old man who spends his time trying to comfort her, when his life is as desolate as hers." "How do you know so wonderfully much about their aches and broken hearts ?" "Because I have seen their faces when they were happy, Ruth, and so I know what suffering would do to them.

There were pictures of them and letters in the bottom of that old trunk.

I searched it the other night and found them; and by what life has done to your mother and to you, I can judge what it is now bringing them.

Never can you be truly happy, Ruth, until you have forgiven them, and done what you can to comfort the remainder of their lives.

I did it because of the pain in the world, my girl." "What about my pain ?" "The only way on earth to cure it is through forgiveness.