Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-01-24
BORN TO SERVE
By Charles n. Sheldon,
Author of GIN HIS STEPS "JoHN KINGS
QUESTION CLASS,'' edward
BLAKE, - Etc.
CHAPTER II.-CoNrINUED.
(Copyright, 100, by Charles n. sheldon-)

CHAPTER ll.-CONTINUED.
Eyes, you see how it is. If L should
be willing to stay with you, / might
stay till I was an old, broken-down
woman, always washing dirty dishes,
always messing in a kitchen, always
Being looked down upon as an infe
rior, always being only part of the
machine, my personality ignored and
9ny development dwarfed, never receiv-
3ng any more wages than when be-
gan, or, at most, only a little more,
always in a dependent, servile posi-
fion. Once hired girl, always one
so long as you choose to have me and
4 consented to stay. Is that a cheer
full prospect for a girl to consider as
final?"
Mrs. Ward did not answer. Barbara
had spoken out all that the four weeks
had been piling up in her mind. Once
spoken, it relieved her; but she was
-froubled over the thought that, even
ST all she said were exactly true, there
was still somewhere in the economic
world factor of service she had not
fully nor fairly measured. She could
not escape the self-accusation: "But
ministry is still ministry. If this fam
fly really needs such work as I have
been doing to help it work out it's des-
tiny in the world, why is not my service
for it as truly divine as if ministered
in other ways that the world so often
thinks are more noble?"
Mrs. Ward still sa with folded hands
and strange look, and Barbara turned
from her and began rolling out small
piece of pie crust for Carl. When she
had finished it and had put it in plat
%o, ch tur trxx o,.6
the stove, she was amazed to see Mrs.
Ward standing in front of her. She
had risen suddenly and had come over
near Barbara.
what you have said is too true-a
great deal of it, most of it; and yet,
Barbara, if you only knew how much 1
heed just such help as yours in my
home you would not leave me. Isn't
there some way we can work it out
together? I have not been to you what
.one woman ought to be to another. 1
. !have been nervous and faultfinding
oand-and-you have not said anything
about that, know but, if you will
stay, Barbara, we will try to study the
1,hing out better-we will help one an
other. That is not exactly what
mean, but we will understand each 9TH
er better after this talk, and perhaps
~ve can he more just, and study how
so better matters"
Barbara stood during this uneXpect-
ed appeal trembling with a conflicting
set of emotions In the midst of it all
she could feel return of something
Of the old feeling of heroism in service
shat had prompted her to answer the
advertisement in the first place, and
afer pulses leaped up again at the
thought OF help from this woman to
solve the servant question and work
Nth her toward a common end. What
could she do alone? Only four weeks
OF trial, and she had despaired of serv-
Zee. Already in the swift reaction from
her despair Mrs. Wards words pro-
duced great revulsion in her feelings.
Surely all things were possible if both
the womaneo f the house and the serv-
ant studied the question together.
And her grievances! They were there
still and still real. But they were not
without compensation if what Mrs.
Ward said was going to mean new
start all around.
Still, as she faced Mrs. Ward with a
troubled heart, she. hesitated, going
over again the trials of the four weeks.
fine hot, insufficient little room, the
long and irregular hours, the Separa-
ton from people, even from the very
people in the house where she was
serving; the. daily drudgery, the hope
teesness of any future-it all came up
again to dash an enthusiasm that had
apparently been killed out of her at
the first attempt to turn practical
zhings into heroic things. And let us
say for Barbara what was a very true
part of her true self; she had so great
a horror of doing anything from i'm
pulse alone that part of her hesita-
zion now arose not from her doubts
concerning Mrs. Wards sincerity, but
from her own fear of changing her
snird, of seeming to act from pity for
Mrs. Ward rather than from genuine
conviction that she had not been heroic
enough to test her service long enough
10 prove something besides few griev-
ances. She was smitten even while
Mrs. Ward was speaking, to think thar
she had not endured all the hardships
of service to the limit of service.
~Of course, don't know how we are
going to arrange all the. things thai
are wrong. but have gone over all tn.
grouad you have emphasized this
morring more times than perhaps j o.