It was Saturday night, and the widow of the Pine Cottage sat by her blazing fagots, with her five tattered children at her side, endeavoring by listening to the artlessness of their prattle to dissipate the heavy gloom that pressed upon her mind. For a year, her own feeble hand had provided for her helpless family, for she had no supporter: she thought of no friend in all the wide, unfriendly world around.

But that mysterious Providence, the wisdom of whose ways is above human comprehension, had visited her with wasting sickness, and her little means had become exhausted. It was now, too, midwinter, and the snow lay heavy and deep through all the surrounding forests, while storms still seemed gathering in the heavens, and the driving wind roared amid the neighboring pines, and rocked her puny mansion.

The last herring smoked upon the coals before her; it was the only article of food she possessed, and no wonder her forlorn, desolate state brought up in her lone bosom all the anxieties of a mother when she looked upon her children: and no wonder, forlorn as she was, if she suffered the heart swellings of despair to rise, even though she knew that He, whose promise is to the widow and to the orphan, can not forget his word.

Providence had many years before taken from her her eldest son, who went from his forest home to try his fortune on the high seas, since which she had heard no tidings of him; and in her latter time had, by the hand of death, deprived her of the companion and staff of her earthly pilgrimage, in the person of her husband. Yet to this hour she had upborne; she had not only been able to provide for her little flock, but had never lost an opportunity of ministering to the wants of the miserable and destitute.

The indolent may well bear with poverty while the ability to gain sustenance remains. The individual who has but his own wants to supply may suffer with fortitude the winter of want; his affections are not wounded, his heart is not wrung. The most desolate in populous cities may hope, for charity has not quite closed her hand and heart, and shut her eyes on misery.

But the industrious mother of helpless and depending children, far from the reach of human charity, has none of these to console her. And such a one was the widow of the Pine Cottage; but as she bent over the fire, and took up the last scanty remnant of food to spread before her children, her spirits seemed to brighten up, as by some sudden and mysterious impulse, and Cowper's beautiful lines came uncalled across her mind:

"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense.

But trust him for his grace;

Behind a frowning Providence

He hides a smiling face."

The smoked herring was scarcely laid upon the table, when a gentle rap at the door, and the loud barking of a dog, attracted the attention of the family. The children flew to open it, and a weary traveler, in tattered garments and in apparently indifferent health; entered, and begged a lodging and a mouthful of food. Said he:"It is now twenty-four hour's since I tasted bread." The widow's heart bled anew, as under a fresh complication of distresses; for her sympathies lingered not around her fireside. She hesitated not even now; rest, and a share of all she had, she proffered to the stranger. "'We shall not be forsaken," said she, "or suffer deeper for an act of charity."

The traveler drew near the board, but when he saw the scanty fare, he raised his eyes toward heaven with astonishment: "And is this all your store?" said he; "and a share of this do you offer to one you know not? then never saw I charity before! But, madam," said he, continuing, "do you not wrong your children by giving a part of your last mouthful to a stranger?"

"Ah," said the poor widow—and the tear-drops gushed into her eyes as she said it—"I have a boy, a darling son, somewhere on the face of the wide world, unless Heaven has taken him away, and I only act toward you as I would that others should act toward him. God, who sent manna from heaven, can provide for us as he did for Israel; and how should I this night offend him, if my son should be a wanderer, destitute as you, and he should have provided for him a home, even poor as this, were I to turn you unrelieved away!"

The widow ended, and the stranger, springing from his seat, clasped her in his arms. "God indeed has provided your son a home, and has given him wealth to reward the goodness of his benefactress: my mother! oh, my mother!" It was her long lost son, returned to her bosom from the Indies. He had chosen that disguise that he might the more completely surprise his family; and never was surprise more perfect, or followed by a sweeter cup of joy.

星期六晚上，松樹堡的寡婦坐在火堆旁，五個衣衫襤褸的孩子圍在她的身邊，她想通過孩子們咿咿呀呀的說話聲來驅散心中的陰霾。這一年，她努力靠自己的雙手勉強支撐著無助的家庭，她沒有可依賴的人：在這個廣闊、冰冷的世界里，她沒有一個朋友。

但是神奇的上帝眷顧著她，上帝已經了解了她的疾病和困境。現在正值隆冬，皚皚白雪覆蓋了森林，寒風從樹林間呼嘯而過，輕搖著她的小屋。

她用眼前的煤炭熏烤著最后一條鯡魚，這是她僅有的一點食物，當她看著孩子們時，凄涼、無助的內心充滿了憂郁。盡管她知道上帝承諾過孤兒寡母，他也不會忘記自己的承諾，可絕望、無助還是從她的心底油然而生。

好幾年前，上帝將長子從她的身邊帶走了。他離開森林中的家，去海上尋找財富，可從那以后，他就杳無音信了；而之后不久，死亡之手又帶走了她的伴侶，她的福祉——她的丈夫。但直到這時她都沒有失去支柱，她不但供應孩子吃穿，還經常幫助那些需要幫助的人。

懶惰的人只要還有生存能力，他就能夠忍受貧窮。自私的人可能需要經受寒冬的考驗，他的感情不會受傷，內心也不會受到折磨。在繁華的城市中，最無助的人也應該抱有希望，因為仁愛在他們面前并沒有合上她施舍的雙手、關上她的善心，在苦難面前也沒有閉上雙眼。

然而這群無助孩子的勤勞母親卻遠離社會慈善機構，更不會有人去憐憫、安慰她，這就是松樹堡的寡婦。可當她彎腰取出火中那最后一點食物分給孩子們吃的時候，她的精神好像突然被一種神秘的東西鼓舞了，她也變得很愉快，腦海中突現考珀的優美詩句：

上帝不會通過脆弱的感覺判斷，

我們應該相信他的仁慈；

在緊鎖的眉頭后面，

藏著一張微笑的面孔。

她剛把鯡魚放在桌子上，門口就響起了輕輕的敲門聲，緊接著便傳來幾聲狗吠，家人的注意力都被吸引了過去。一個孩子立馬起身開了門，門口是一位衣著破破爛爛、疲憊不堪的流浪者，他看起來病怏怏的。他進來后，懇求這家人能收留他住一晚，并給他點吃的東西。他說：“我已經有24小時沒吃東西了。”寡婦為那個可憐的流浪者感到難過，她不僅僅關心自己家里的事，盡管現在很困難，她還是把盤子里僅有的食物分給那個陌生人吃。她說：“我們沒有因為善行被拋棄或受到更深重的苦難。”

當流浪者走近盤子，看到盤子中的一點點食物，他驚訝地看著上天，“這就是你們所有的食物？”他問道，“并且還把它分給一個不認識的人，我從來沒有見過這樣的善行，但是，女士，”他繼續說，“您把最后一口食物分給一個陌生人，這樣做是不是太委屈您的孩子了？”

“啊！”淚水順著這位可憐的寡婦的臉頰流下，她說：“我有一個兒子，我親愛的兒子，上帝如果沒有把他帶走，那么他肯定在世界的某個角落，如果我對你施以善行，那么別人也會像我對你一樣對待他。上帝從天上向人間灑下了甘露，他會像養育以色列人一樣供養我們的。如果今晚我的兒子像你一樣也是個流浪者，貧困潦倒，流浪街頭，上帝也會讓一個家庭收留他，即使那個家庭像我家一樣窮困。所以，我不能違背上帝的旨意，讓你轉身離開。”

寡婦話音剛落，流浪者就從凳子上站起來，他伸出雙手，緊緊地抱住了她：“上帝真的讓一個家庭收留了您的兒子，并且給了他財富，讓他去報答收留他的人家，媽媽，哦，我的媽媽。”原來這就是她失散多年的兒子，他從印度回到了母親的懷抱，他將自己偽裝起來，想給家人一個驚喜。的確，這是一個最完美、最甜蜜喜悅的驚喜。