The Flagstaff sun-democrat., 1897-02-04
DID WHAT SHE GOULD.
The Noble self-sacriice of . Ministers
 Daughter.

The Noble self-sacritice of Minister'a l Daughter.
 Some years ago clergyman moved
 from New England to the northern part
 of Iowa and settled upon farm. Many people said that he was foolish to do
 this; that he was throwing his life
 away. He left behind him a comfort-
 able home, pleasant associations, li-
 braries, schools and congenial neigh
 bors. Besides, he was old and begin
 hing to be feeble. But he felt that thero
 was awaiting him a broad field, un-
 plowed and ready for spiritual cultiya-
 ton.
 He had meant to go into this homo
 missionary work years before, but his
 wife had persuaded him to wait until
 their daughter had finished her educa- tion at an eastern college. Now the op-
 portunity had arrived, and with an
 eagerness like that of youth he left Q
 community that, as he expressed it,
 had been "for generations preached to death," in order to go to Q people beg. ging to be preached to life.
 There in the middle west the family built small cabin of three rooms and "lean-to" for the kitchen. No trees protected them from the burning sun in summer or the fierce hurricanes in winter. The country was new. There were no roads. Their nearest neighbor was six miles away across the prairie, and one Sunday the good man, after preaching to an audience of 12 per- sons several miles from his home, was lost in blizzard in endeavoring to re- turn to it. From the effects of this ex- posture he died and his wife soon fol- lowed him.
 The daughter, 20 years of age, was left alone. What was she to do? Should she pack up and return to the comfortable east, or stay and fight it out ill the pioneer west? She decided to stay and continue her fathers work.
 She went out upon the vastprairie to teach. Most of the settlers there were Norwegians, and in little two-r3omcd house, occupied by large family, she went to board so that she might learn the language. But the food was 50 poor that she became ill. Finally she secured the position of principal in a small, struggling college. Here her sur roundings were pleasant, but the trus. tees could not pay her salary, and after three years she went back to the prairie.
 This time she boarded with kind but ignorant Irish family. During the winter the mother died, leaving two little girls to care for a household of men. Here, the teacher found her mis- sion in life.
 She taught those girls how to work. She helped them to cook, to sew, to make their own clothes, tO make the home cheerful and sweet. She made herself an elder sister to the two. She shared their whole life. She mended with them, baked with them, made but ter with them, milked with them, and endured the hay-feld with them. Soon the two sisters became noted for their gentenCss, consideration and excel lent home qualities. Wherever they went they carried spirit of helpful. ness and an electric ray of cheerfulness.
 But the world never knew of the sacrifice of the minister's daughter, who spent some of the best years of her life in dreary hardship in order to make the lives of two other girls worth living. The story of this noble sacrifice game recently to the writer, from the west. What can be said of her who would have had the sweet, but chose the bitter for humanity's and for Christ's sake? There are many bright, educated eastern girls in the west, enduring pov. erty and hardship as soldiers of the Master, that they may do all they can for Him. Such unreserved giving up of self ought to shame us out of our easy, self-satisfied lives of nominal Christian service.-Youth's Companion.