The Pilgrim Song by Gilbert Morris

look. She wiped the tears from her face, and the sadness that showed there was as deep as the joy she had shown when she had received her inspiration. She said in a small voice, “All right, Clint, I just thought . . .”
    Clint watched as she left and shook his head. “Poor kid,” he muttered, “it’s too much for her.” He grew angry that such things could happen. He had seen bad things happen to people before, but for Kat to be trapped in this mess was upsetting, and he wanted to strike out at something.
    ****
    “Come on in, Clint,” Lewis said. “We’ll eat up the food that’s left before we get thrown out.”
    Clint entered and saw that Hannah and Jenny had fixed soup and sandwiches. The table in the kitchen where the servants usually ate was set, and he took his seat. He bowed his head while Hannah asked the blessing, and they began to eat. He was aware that Joshua had been drinking, although that had become the norm. As they ate Hannah was trying to encourage them, saying how God would help them.
    Josh looked up, his handsome face in a sneer. “Don’t tell me about God!” he snapped.
    “The world’s not over, Josh,” Clint encouraged.
    “It is for us.”
    “Somebody took your toys away and now you’re mad,” Clint returned. “You’re gonna have to live like a man now, and you can’t take it. Is that it?”
    “Shut up, Clint!” Josh said bitterly.
    “Listen, I know you’ve never had to fight your way in life,but I have. I don’t claim to be a Christian myself, but Hannah’s right. God’s real.”
    “Will you help us, Clint?” Kat pleaded.
    Jenny passed a confused look to Kat. “Be still, Kat. How could he help us?”
    “He could take us to Georgia—to our new home.” Everyone stared at Kat, and she blurted out, “He could take us in his truck, couldn’t you, Clint?”
    Clint felt trapped. “Well, I’m not so sure—”
    “Could you really do that, Clint?” Hannah said with hope glimmering in her eyes. “We have such little money, barely enough for railroad fare. Could you really get us there in that truck?”
    “I just don’t know if the truck is all that reliable! I’ve never taken it farther than the other side of Central Park.”
    “Have you had any problems with it when you’ve taken it around the neighborhood?”
    “I guess not, but—”
    “Don’t even think about it!” Jenny fired. “It’s out of the question!”
    “Why?” Kat demanded. “We need to get there, and Clint can take us.”
    Joshua laughed roughly. “That’s all we need—to go like a bunch of hobos in a beat-up old truck.”
    “Be quiet, Joshua!” Lewis said, and he sat up straighter in his chair. His face was wan, the lines of strain obvious. He did not speak for a moment, but then he turned to Clint. “What do you think, Clint, would you be willing to give it a try?”
    Clint was shocked with the turn things had taken. He saw that Hannah and Lewis were deadly earnest about this, and of course, Kat was dying to make the trip. Jenny and Joshua were not so happy, but he was not concerned about them. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try. If the truck breaks down, I’ll just have to figure something out on the road.”
    Lewis turned to Hannah. “What do you think, Hannah?”
    “I think God may have brought Clint into this household for this very reason. This is the answer to our prayers.”
    “We couldn’t all fit into that truck, not with all of our things,” Jenny protested.
    “There’s an old trailer and hitch in the garage,” Clint said. “I could put them on the truck, and we could put all the gear you have into the trailer, and we could make beds in the truck to sleep on the way. Wouldn’t have to pay any lodging bills that way.”
    This idea intrigued Kat. “We could camp out on the way,” she said excitedly, “and cook outdoors. It would be fun!”
    “There wouldn’t be room for much,” Clint put in. “Just maybe a suitcase apiece.”
    “Why, I couldn’t get by