A Dangerous Love Letter

From the series “Love letters written by…”

My dear, I have been thinking a great deal about you lately.

I can see the whole family sitting at breakfast.

You at one end of the table; the children at the other; your husband in his big chair at the head of the table; the dog lying at his feet; and the cat in its usual place, the center of the table. The kerosene lamp is burning low. And over it all is a great peace and contentment and order.

The children are growing fast. They are healthy. You are happy.

Your husband is a good man, and you are both devout Christians. You love the Word of God and live by it. You love the church and attend it faithfully.

The church is growing. The pastor is a godly man. It is a home of peace and love and joy.

And then I begin to think of the farm.

All the corn is in. The hay is stacked and ready for the last cutting. The orchard is loaded with fruit, and the cows are giving plenty of milk. Everything is as it should be.

And then I come down to the end of the road. There is a long hill. And at the top of the hill I can see the city. It is a great city. The sun is setting and the lights are coming out. There is music in the air.

There is a city full of sin.

And then I think how we used to be.

And now you have a quiet home. You are a happy wife, and a good mother. Your children are growing up well. You have only one desire in life, and that is to help your husband make a success of the farm, so that you will not be a burden to your children when you are old.

And then I think how I love you.

I want to come into that peaceful home and destroy it. I want to take you away from your husband and children. I want to tear down the orchard and let the cattle loose in the corn.