英语专业晨读美文-人生篇 8 Price of a Miracle

[00:01.08]Price of a Miracle

[00:05.37]Tess was a precocious 1 eight-year-old girl

[00:09.86]when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother,

[00:13.48]Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick

[00:16.09]and they were completely out of money.

[00:18.74]They were moving to an apartment complex next month

[00:22.09]because Daddy didn't have the money

[00:24.64]for the doctor's bills and our house.

[00:26.77]Only a very costly 2 surgery could save him now

[00:30.28]and it was looking like there was no one to loan them the money.

[00:33.84]She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother

[00:36.61]with whispered desperation:

[00:38.15]“Only a miracle can save him now.”

[00:40.48]Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar

[00:44.24]from its hiding place in the closet.

[00:46.50]She poured all the change out on the floor

[00:49.57]and counted it carefully. Three times, even.

[00:52.20]The total had to be exactly perfect.

[00:54.89]No chance here for mistakes.

[00:57.14]Carefully placing the coins back in the jar

[01:00.31]and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door

[01:03.54]and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store

[01:06.78]with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

[01:10.25]She waited patiently for the pharmacist

[01:13.34]to give her some attention but he was too busy at this moment.

[01:16.84]Tess twisted her feet to make a noise. Nothing.

[01:20.39]She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound

[01:23.59]she could muster 3. No good.

[01:25.54]Finally she took a quarter from her jar

[01:28.18]and banged it on the glass counter.

[01:30.23]That did it! “And what do you want?”

[01:32.81]the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.

[01:35.80]“I'm talking to my brother from Chicago

[01:38.37] whom I haven't seen in ages.”

[01:40.50]he said without waiting for a reply to his question.

[01:44.02]“Well, I want to talk to you about my brother.”

[01:47.60] Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone.

[01:50.27]“He's really, really sick...and I want to buy a miracle.”

[01:54.00]“I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist.

[01:56.79]“His name is Andrew and he has something bad

[01:59.78]growing inside his head and my Daddy says

[02:02.47]only a miracle can save him now.

[02:04.56]So how much does a miracle cost?”

[02:07.03]“We don't sell miracles here, little girl.

[02:09.89]I'm sorry but I can't help you.” the pharmacist said,

[02:13.51] softening 4 a little.

[02:15.03]“Listen, I have the money to pay for it.

[02:17.38]If it isn't enough, I will get the rest.

[02:19.93] Just tell me how much it costs.”

[02:22.05]The pharmacist's brother was a well-dressed man.

[02:25.15]He stooped down and asked the little girl,

[02:27.79]“What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”

[02:30.40]“I don't know.” Tess replied with her eyes welling up.

[02:34.20]“I just know he's really sick

[02:36.56]and Mommy says he needs an operation.

[02:38.78]But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.”

[02:42.67]“How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago.

[02:46.15]“One dollar and eleven cents.”

[02:48.82]Tess answered barely audibly.

[02:50.70]“And it's all the money I have,

[02:53.05]but I can get some more if I need to.”

[02:55.05]“Well, what a coincidence.” smiled the man.

[02:58.27]“A dollar and eleven cents—

[03:00.49]the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. ”

[03:03.40]He took her money in one hand and with the other hand

[03:06.79] he grasped her mitten 5 and said:

[03:08.80]“Take me to where you live.

[03:10.59]I want to see your brother and meet your parents.

[03:13.90] Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”

[03:16.79]That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong,

[03:20.64]a surgeon, specializing in neurosurgery.

[03:24.19]The operation was completed without charge

[03:26.61]and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

[03:30.88]Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events

[03:34.56]that had led them to this place.

[03:36.32]“That surgery,” her Mom whispered,

[03:38.64]“was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?”Tess smiled.

[03:44.44]She knew exactly how much a miracle cost...

[03:46.75]one dollar and eleven cents...plus the faith of a little child.