金神父渡假歸來，有人告訴他神父的宿舍旁的美麗宅第 ，已經出售給一個非天主教的家庭。有一天下午，主任神父在花園中看書，他很高興地聽到一個小孩跟她的狗說話：

   「你是一隻很壞很壞的狗，羅富，因為你弄斷了我洋娃娃的手臂！」   

神父看了這幅景象笑了，欣賞這漂亮的小女孩和聖伯納狗所構成的美麗的圖畫。看見了神父的笑容，小女孩就走到籬笆邊，將洋娃娃由柵欄間遞過去說：

「先生，請幫忙把我的洋娃娃修好。」

神父取過弄壞的洋娃娃，看了看，覺得可以用橡皮管膏修好它，就說：

「我要將妳的洋娃娃帶回家一會兒。」

小女孩說：「我也該回去了。」女僕走來，神父問她：「有什麼不對勁嗎？」

她將那小女孩舉起，過了籬笆，觀望著神父正在忙修補那不幸的洋娃娃。

   「妳叫什麼名字？」神父問她。

「我乖乖的時候，就叫艾芙琳，但是當我調皮的時候，就叫艾芙。」

神父開懷大笑。

「你叫什麼名字？」小女孩問神父。

「我乖的時候，就叫我傑思神父，但是當我調皮的時候，人們就叫我金神父。」艾芙琳拍手叫好說：「我很高興，你竟然也是個調皮鬼。」

   第二天，神父在花園裡唸日課，聽到艾芙琳叫他：

    「傑思神父！」但是，他沒有理她，因為他想唸完他的聖詠。

    再一次，她叫神父的名字，還是得不到回應；於是，一聲尖銳刺耳的叫聲：「金神父！」

當然，這不能再拒絕了，金神父走近籬笆，艾芙琳雙手插腰，站在那兒。

「你很調皮，」她警告神父：「但是我有一個禮物送給你，因為你醫好了我的洋娃娃，我也喜歡你。」她送給他一朵美麗的玫瑰花蕾。

神父謝過了她，並告訴她，他要把玫瑰花蕾送給他最好的朋友。

「你最好的朋友住在那兒？」

「就在那邊。」神父指向教堂。

「帶我去看祂。」就在這個時候，艾芙琳的媽媽來了，走向神父：

「希望我的小女兒沒有打擾你。」

金神父很誠懇地回答：「我很愛小孩子們，在我周圍的小孩子們，我從來不感到厭煩。」只要神父願意，艾芙琳都可以到神父的住所。

   金神父將玫瑰花放在花瓶裡，把小女孩舉起，使她能靠近美麗的耶穌聖心態像。

「可憐的最好朋友！」艾芙琳喃喃私語：「傑思神父，怎麼不把耶穌的腳和手醫好，就像你醫好我的洋娃娃一樣？」

神父就告訴小女孩「可愛的耶穌聖心願意受苦，是因為人太壞。」

「我將每天一朵漂亮的玫瑰花給最好的朋友，使祂快樂。」艾芙琳遵守諾言，熱愛小孩子的耶穌聖心，因著小女孩天天的拜訪而感到安慰。

   一天早晨，艾芙琳沒有來，他的父親崔偉得先生拜訪金神父，帶來一束美麗的玫瑰花。

「艾芙琳生病了，但是她要我給你玫瑰花。神父，你有空時，請你來告訴她，我遵守了我的諾言。」

   金神父去看她的小朋友，發現她病得很嚴重。他要求她的父母答應他給小女孩付洗，他們同意了，領洗後，艾芙琳悄悄地說：

「傑思神父，告訴最好的朋友，我明天去看他。」

   第二天下午，當護士離開病房時，艾芙琳從床上爬下來，從桌上的瓶子裡抽出一朵白玫瑰花，偷偷地溜出病房，走到教堂。

金神父正在祭台前祈禱，他看見小女孩蹣跚地走進聖所的門，來到耶穌聖心像前，來不及抱她，她已昏倒，手上還拿著玫瑰花。

神父很小心，很溫柔地抱起他心愛的小女孩，但是她最要好、最愛她的朋友已經將她的靈魂安息在祂的聖心內。

在孤單寂寞的幾個月裡，崔偉德先生及夫人認識了耶穌聖心，從祂那兒得到慰藉，也把祂當做最好的朋友。

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14.The Girl Who Sent Roses to Jesus

     When Father Clark returned from his vacation, he was informed that the beautiful mansion next to the rectory had been sold and was now occupied by a non-Catholic family.

        One afternoon while the pastor was reading in the garden, he was amused to hear a child’s voice administering a lecture to her dog.   “You are a bad, bad dog, Rover, for you have broken my dollie’s arm!” The priest watched the scene and smiled at the pretty picture made by the beautiful child and the St. Bernard dog.   Seeing him smile, the little girl came to the fence and, thrusting the doll through the bars, she asked,  “Mister, please mend my doll?”  Father took the maimed doll and saw that he could remedy the misfortune with the aid of adhesive plaster.  “I shall have to take your dollie into the house for a little while,”  remarked the priest.  “I must go too,”  the child answered.   The maid was approaching and Father asked if there would be any objection.   She lifted her charge over the fence and soon Father Clark was busy with the afflicted doll, while her owner watched the proceedings.

        “What is your name?”  asked the priest.   “When I am good, I am Evelyn, but when I am naughty, I am called Eve.”  Father Clark laughed.  “What is your name?”  the little one asked.  “When I am good, I am named Father James but when I am naughty, people call me Father Jim.”  Evelyn clapped her hands and said,  “I am glad you are naughty, too.”

        The next day, while reading his Office in the garden, Father heard Evelyn call,  “Father James!”  but, as he wished to finish the psalm, he did not answer.   Again she repeated his name, still no reply.   Then at last a shrill little voice called,  “Father Jim!”  Surely this could not be resisted and Father Clark approached the fence where Evelyn stood with her hands behind her back.  “You were naughty.”  She admonished, “but I have a present for you because you cured my dollie and I like you, too.”  She handed him a beautiful red rosebud.   The priest thanked the child and told her that he would give it to his best Friend.   “Where does your best Friend live?”   “Over there,”  and the priest pointed to the church .  “Bring me to see Him?”  At this moment Evelyn’s mother came from the house and, approaching Father, remarked that she hoped that the child was not annoying him.   Father Clark heartily responded that he loved little children and never tired of having them around.   Permission  was given for Evelyn to come to the Rectory as often as Father wished.   So the child has the opportunity of paying her first visit to the church.

        Father Clark placed the rose in a vase and lifted the little one up so that she might come closer to the beautiful statue of the Sacred Heart.  “Poor best Friend!” murmured Evelyn.   “Father James, won’t you cure His hands and feet as you did my dollie’s?”   The priest told the child of the loving Heart that wished to suffer because people were bad.  “I shall bring best friend a nice rose every day to make Him happy.”   Evelyn kept her promise and the Heart that loves little children was comforted each day by a visit from the child.

        One morning Evelyn did not appear and her father, Mr. Trevett, called on Father Clark, bearing a beautiful bunch of roses.   “Evelyn is ill but she made me promise that I would bring you a rose, Father.   Will you please come when you are at leisure and assure her that I have kept my word?”

        Father Clark called to see his little friend and found her very ill.   He asked her parents to allow him to baptize the child and they readily agreed.   When he had finished, Evelyn whispered,  “Father James, tell best Friend I shall come tomorrow.”

        The next evening, when the nurse had left the room, Evelyn climbed from her bed and, taking a white rose from a vase on the table, stole out of the house to the church.   Father Clark was praying before the altar, when he saw the child totter through the sacristy door to the statue of the Sacred Heart.   Before the priest could reach her, she fell, still clinging to the flower.   Gently Father lifted the child he loved so dearly, but her best Friend, whose love was greater still, had taken her soul to rest within His divine Heart.

        During  the lonely months that followed, Mr. and Mrs. Trevett came to know the Heart of Jesus and to receive comfort from Him as their best Friend.