A Glass of Milk 一杯牛奶

张超

One day， a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by selling goods from door to door found that he only had one dime （角） left. He was hungry so he decided to beg for a meal at the next house.

一天，一个贫困的小男孩正在为攒足学费挨家挨户地卖东西，饥饿的他发现身上只剩下一枚一角的硬币了。于是他决定向下一户人家要口饭吃。

However， he lost his nerve （不知所措）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 .

然而，当一位可爱的女孩打开房门的时候，他却有几分不知所措了。他没有乞讨要饭，而只是乞求对方能给他一口水喝。女孩看出来他很饿，就给了他一大杯牛奶。

He drank it slowly， and then asked， “How much do I owe you？” “You dont 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.”

小男孩慢慢地喝完牛奶，问道：“我需要付给你多少钱？”她回答道：“你一分钱也不用付。我妈妈常常教导我，爱心不图回报。”小男孩说：“那么，我只有从内心深处感激你了！”

As Howard Kelly left that house he not only felt stronger physically， but also increased his faith in God and human race. He was about to give up and quit（停止；放弃） before this point.

当霍华德·凯利离开这户人家的时候，他不仅感到自己浑身是劲，而且对上帝和整个人类的信心也增强了。原本他打算放弃这一切的。

Years later the young woman became seriously ill. The local doctors were baffled （束手无策）. They finally sent her to a big city， where specialists could be called in to study her rare disease.

数年之后，那位年轻的女子患了重病，当地的医生对此束手无策。最后，他们只好把她送到大城市去就医，在那儿他们召集专家会诊治疗她这种疑难病症。

Dr. Howard Kelly， now famous， was called in for the consultation （会诊）. 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.

名医霍华德·凯利同时也被邀请来参加会诊。当他听到患者来自的那个城镇的名字时，一个奇怪的念头立即掠过他的脑海。于是他马上穿过医院的廊道径直奔向她的病房。

Dressed in his doctors gown （工作服） 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. After a long struggle， the battle was won.

身穿手术服的凯利医生一眼就认出了她。回到会诊室他作出决定，一定要竭尽全力治好她的病。自那天起，凯利医生就特别关注这个病例。经过紧张艰苦的努力，治疗终于成功了。

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval （核准）. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room.

凯利医生要求财务室把医药费通知单送到他那里去核准。他看了看，提笔在通知单的旁边写了几个字，然后医药费通知单便送到了她的病房里。

She was afraid to open it because she was sure that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked at it， and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words...

“Paid in full with a glass of milk.” （Signed） Dr . Howard Kelly

她不敢打开来看，因为她很清楚，治病的费用将会花费她整个余生来偿还。最终，她还是打开通知单看了看，通知单旁边的小字吸引了她的注意力，她读着这几个字： “医药费已以一杯牛奶全额支付。”

（签名）霍华德·凯利医生

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she prayed silently： “Thank you， God. Your love has spread through human hearts and hands.”

她高兴之至，喜悦的泪水溢出了她的眼帘，她快乐地祈祷着：“感谢你，上帝，你的爱已播撒到每一个人的心里和手中。”