Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1904-12-10
THE TREAT OF TREATING.
Reason of the Seeming FolIies of tn,
WretchedIy Poor.

Wretchedly Poor.
A charity worker, new to her task,
was recently holding forth In tones OF
despair edged with evaporation upon
the follies of the very poor In expendl-
ture.
Sometimes it's money-like the
birthday party for the twins that used
up half the sum | collected for Mrs.
Mooney to carry her through the win
ter; and sometimes it's labor--hke
that poor little weak-chested seam
stress. Mrs, Fresneau. sitting up two
whole nights to work on the dress her
Marie graduated from the grammar
school in; but the foolishncss Of it is
enough to drive body wild, And they
can't seem to see how crazy il il.
Sometimes they half apologize If they
see you disapprove, and sometimes
! they stiffen up and get vexed MS II
! YOU were impertinent to criticise BUT
either way they're not really sorry,
and you know they'd do it again. It's
| beyond my comprehension how grown
people can be so childishly uncalculat-
! ing"
rs itY' said an older woman Its
trying, | know, and often there seems
no excuse, but | think | understand.
| think you would have understood,
| too, if you'd been at the Rest Home
with us last week, when Mrs. EurSa
was there. You know her, poor thing!
"A hard working chorewoman with n
large family, sent down for a bit of
vacation after six weeks in hosp tail
with bad ankle, TO brace her UP Il
bit before Soing back to the everlast-
ing drudgery of her life. Well, there
was trouble from the first, and what
do you suppose it was? She wouldn't
rest and she would freeze the ice
cream for a household of fifteen peo-
pie.
"One day | found her rocking chair
empty on the piazza and heard the
freezer going, and | started in pursuit.
l found her with all the children OF
the place round her in n ring. fairlS
| wriggling with anticipation, while sh,
laughed and ground wlncing and
changing position every other minute
to ease the ankle that was still too
weak to stand on comfortably. She
looked guilty; and when l asked II she
had broken the ice herself she pro-
tested that 1T bruk that aisy n baby
cud ha' bruk it wild rattle
81 pointed to the heavy ice-pick and
old croquet mallet she had been using,
CHI hnnI tolIinU hnr with
mock severity, Back you go to your
rocking-chair Mrs. b., this instant
minutep
"'Ah, no, ma am, that don't, she
answered, laughing, too, but keeping
= her hold on the crank. Here's the
: childher waiting for the scrapings
whin the dasher comes out, don't you
see, and it's me that promised TO see
there was fair sharing and no fight
ing. You'd niver have me break me
worrud to thin, the darlints, now
would you, ma'am2 All, sure, the
rocking-chair's treat for me bones,
it's thrue, and looking off yon piazzy
over thin miles of green country Is
a treat to me eyes, but tbs the treat
Of treating the childher that's good
for me heart
There are many like her. They
spend their money, they spend their
strength, and they often spend both
unwisely; but, after all, it is because
generosity and hospitality are necessi-
ties of their hearts, as fuel and food
and clothes are of their bodies. TO
poor people of that kind word of dis
suasion from a warm-hearted friend
may often be of the greatest service.
but never the cold warning cr CHI
cism Of a wouldbe helper, however
sensible and practical, who cannot
herself understand 1.-THE treat of treat
ing. youths Companion,