The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-01-07
HELPED THE HOSPITAL
Waterloo Girl Gave Her All, and
10, it Was Blessed.

oped in Waterloo in connection with
the new hospital now being erected
in this city. Unable to give any
money. Maud Ballou, a very poor girl
living with her adopted father, Will
liam Bailou, at 1919 Franklin street,
sold her only playthingS and asset. a
pretty black chicken, which she had
raised since tiny chick, that she
might give her mite to the hospital
association to aid in the building of
the structure.
Maud Ballou was a waif that was
adopted when little child by VIII
liam Ballou of this city. Her father
by adoption has not Jared well in his
fight for this worlds goods and has
all he can do to support himself by
hard labor and to care for his little
family. Maud is now 10 years old
and is a bright little girl who is dear
ly loved by her foster parents.
On November 2 the little girl, who
is now in the fifth grade in the public
schools, read in Waterloo paper the
story OF the new hospital to be erect
ed in this city by the Presbyterian
Hospital association. The article
which she read appealed to all to
give toward the hospital. 1t told OF
the good that such am institution
would do for suffering humanity and
the appeal reached the heart of the
little girl. She looked about to see
what it would be possible for her to
give toward the good ause. She
found nothing. Nothing but her pet
hen. -
Little Maud thought and thought
over the idea. She might give her
pet hen to the hospital. But wasn't
that too great sacrifice? The pref
ty glossy black pet hen had been her
only plaything, her only playmate for
year. She had taken an egg to a.
friend in Cedar Falls year ago in
the spring. The egg had at her re-
quest been placed under a setting
hen and when the dear little thing
was but day old little Maud went to
Cedar Falls to see it. She went often
a friend to take her there, and when
the pretty Black Leghorn was large
enough to be taken from its mother
she brought it to her home in Water
loo. She had loved it, played with it
and petted it as her only child pet.
She had fed it, groomed it and
watched it grow from a tiny chick to-
a pretty black hen. She had trained
it so that the hen follA%kd her wher-
ever she went about = p. 1t
was her all. RA
But little Maud studied brayed
over whether to part with 1t or not
and finally she decided decided to
part with the hen, her op1y pet, that
she might secure her mite to help In
the good work to be done by a hos
pital. She had made her decision
and announced it to her mother. Mrs.
Ballou tried to dissuade her from her
purpose, but to no avail, and though
it wrenched her little heart she pick
ed up her hen and took it to a meat
market where she sold it for the tiny
sum of Csc. With the money she had
secured she went to one of the work
ers for the hospital association many
blocks from her home and gave her
story and her money. The lady to
whom she gave the money at once
telephoned to the meat market and
the hen was not killed and sold. W.
w. Whitnack, a prominent Odd Eel
low and a lumber merchant. of the
city, had also heard of the story and
had been to the market and pur-
chased the hen. He then went to the
little grl who had gone to her little
home with sorrow in her heart min
gled with the joy of knowing that
she had done all possible to aid in a
good cause, and again bought the hen
from her, paying the little lady 50
for It,
Mr.. Whitnack took the hen to his
Office up town and placed it on sale.
He told his friends the story of the
little girl and her sacrifice. A plan
was adopted that the hen might be
sold again and again, the last person
purchasing it holding title until the
hen was again sold. This has been
kept up for month and each day
the bright little girl goes to the lum-
Der Office to feed her hen which is on
display in the window.
And thus the sacrifice of the lit.
tie girl in selling her only pet-her
only playmate that she might help
others, has raised fund that now
comes near the 5000 mark and is still
selling at 25, so, as cents each time
Photos of the girl and her pet hen
have also been taken, copyrighted and
are selling rapidly at the price of %
cents, which is also given to the lit
tie girls fund for the hospital.
The new hospital, which is now
well under the course Of construction
will cost about $150,000. 1t will be
under the charge Of the Presbyterian
synod of this part of Iowa. Much
good will be done by the hospital
The Maud Ballou fund will 60 to the
| charity ward and the little girl thai
On hroyaIxr evoxya 4l,. ov,14y thfx,sv rhoi