Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-01-06
A WOMAN's GRATITUDE.

She Came to Regard the Gratuity as q
Right.
There is no telling where ingrati-
tude begins OF ends; there would be
fewer good deeds done if every one
had chart of the benefciaries'
hearts. Of course we are taught to
do good for the sake of good itself
and are well aware-those of us who
are not pagans-that the eternal re-
ward is to be conferred some time
upon those who yield unselfsh min
istrations to Gods poor. But our
very education from childhood in
dulges that instinct to be good be-
cause =. So that when we have
done what we consider tri6e more
than our duty, although when we
are hard pressed we admit to our
pastors and spiritual masters that
the needy are really our charges and
the main spiritual test of our chart
ty, we are never quite ready to ac-
cept the rebuff of thanklessness and
lngratitude that is usually the por-
ton of the welldoer. Perhaps there
is no fate sterner than that known
as the charitable man or woman
the being to whom absolute stran-
gers repair with their request for
advices, moneys, sustenance There
is no salary attached to this civil
martyr, but his time is employed
just as though there were, with 9TH
er unsatisfactory conditions attach
ed to the Office.
II the charitable man or woman
who has been so unfortunate as to
wear the reputation he or she has
earned declines to assist a polite
beggar, he may count upon vituper-
alton and an injured reputation
within the s'ennight; which points
moral to all benefactors, not to let
the right hand know, etc., and i'm
press upon your friends that you
are not SO good as you're painted.
No one will ever find you out from
any reports originated by the recip-
tents Of your good deeds.
This little preamble was inspired
by several stories that have come
to the writer direct from one of the
noblest women of Gods fashioning,
whose life is devoted to the pur-
suance of all good. For some months
she has been intermediary in little
matter of SIS which a worthy indi-
vidual instructed her to place each
month where it would do most good.
There had been for some time on her
hands woman with several chill
dren and a sick mother; SO she ap-
propriated the money to their use,
that amount paying their rent. AS
usual, last month, Miss s. mailed
the SIS to the woman, but to her sur
prise received a call a few days later
from this beneficiary, requesting
the usual stipend. Miss s. was
surprised, and told the woman that
as usual she had posted the amount.
Its very strange y replied the in
crate, because l should have re-
ceived It if you had mailed it. /
think you must be mistaken" Miss
s. assured her that she had done
SO. "Well, I've moved since last
month, but left word to have any
letters forwarded to me, and they
would certainly have done SO had
you sent me that money. I think
that person who gives you the mon
ey for me ought to know about it. 81
Miss S. almost choked with NOR
tification, but (foolishly enough)
gave her SIS bill, which she could
i'll afford, and told her she would
look into the other matter. The let
ter was found at the postofice and
delivered by the postman with an
explanation, whereupon the woman
called again upon her best friend.
1 am glad the money was traced, %
she said, because it raises all sus-
picion against yourself. AS to that
SIS bill OF yours, needed something,
so had it broken, but here is what
is left. The astonished Miss S.
saw the woman deposit the change
on the table and walk out.-New
Orleans Times-Democrat