The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-12
SHE HAS SUNSHINE
Crippled Anna Mcmillan Grateful
for Even the Small Favors of
Providence.
Her Husband, Aged 80 Years, Il
Struggling Heroically to Sup
port Them.

In a bare little room at the rear of
the third floor of 424 Nicollet avenue,
live Duncan and Anna Mcmillan, life
partners in sorrow, sickness and an
uphill struggle with misfortune.
The husband is 80 years old, and
earns what money he may by saving
wood, beating carpets and doing the
odd jobs he is able to pick up; the
wife will be 70 years old Christmas
night, has been an invalid for nine
teen years. She has not left her room,
except when carried, for the three
years the couple has lived in Mime
apolis. They do not complain and
they have not sought charity.
The discovery Of their poor home
and their unenviable condition was
made accidentally by Journal man
who detected the Rev. William Will
kinson in the act of crossing the ave-
nue. from Yerxa's grocery store, with
an armful of wood, and who learned
the reverend gentleman's mission by
following him.
A knock on the door ELECTED the re-
Spouse: Come in by yourself, for
there is no one to let you in,'' and the
opening of the door discovered a
small, unearpeted room, furnished
with bed, stove, washstand and
small table on which stood a lamp
and a few dishes and bits of glass
ware.
Seated in a rocking-chair which
faced the one window, was little, old
woman, in white cap, red shawl and
generally most humble APPAREL, who
said: Whoever you may be, sit down,
SIR and who, upon being gently
pressed for information of herself
said IN rambling fashion:
1T is twenty-one years since came
from the west of Ireland to this coun-
try to pick up the gold on the streets
and sorry a day it was for me that
didn't stay with my own people.
anything but sickness and misfortune
For nineteen years I lived in SUI
perior a1.S the doctors took every
thing I had away from me. They
didn't leave so much as this thimble, y
and she returned to the patching of a
rent in the knee of her husband
| trousers.
And then they sent us out to Port
land. For four days and four nights
we had nothing to eat and nothing tC
drink. We had just our tickets and
move. We couldn't stay out there be.
cause was sicker there than I had
been in Superior, and so we came
| here.
For three years I have never lef
this room, except when there was
| some show down on the street anC
my husband would take me down an6
| bring me backe In the morning hi
carries me from my bed to this .chail
and here I sit until he comes back
Only sometimes I have fainting spell!
and he finds me here on the floor.
my husband can not earn much
and his knee hurts him coming up the
stairs, but we can not starve and WE
will not ask for help from these char
ity people. We would starve befor,
we did that. Some Christian peopl
leone to see us, but not many.
q six, children had by my first hus
band, butt have seen none of the fou
boys for ten years and do not know
where they are. One daughter is il
Superior, where she has just gon
thru with the fifth operation and ism
expected to live.
| II do not complain. We are in thu
hands Of the good God and for VIVA
he gives us we should be thankful
| When you say: Tt is too bad,' say
I have the sunshine" and she locke,
/ out of the window onto tumble O
gravel-covered roofs and a confusion
Of telegraph wires.
'We are not in this world long,,
she said. MAY the blessing Of Co
go with you and keep you from you
enemies in soul and body. Amen"