One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school found he had only one dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve 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. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “My mother has taught me never to accept payment for a kindness.”

He said: “Then I can only repay you with the gratitude of my heart.”

As he left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was renewed. He had been ready to give up and quit, but the kindness of the girl gave him new hope.

Many years later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day forward he gave constant attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won and the young woman was restored to health.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. Trembling, she feared to open it for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it. Finally, she looked and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words…

“Paid in full with one glass of milk.”

—Fr. Hugh Duffy