Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-12-23
|@rUbHesenfs
|5AG'$onHsc iMe nc e
.Wb8yVsAE.F KBER1

- MT. GTuDDleSOn cOulu see Jne
Salvation Army girl who stood across
the street, holding up papier mache
turkey. She was not, unfortunately,
the most beautiful creature he had
ever beheld. She was just a plain
young woman whose appearance was
not improved by the uniform she wore
Mr.. Grubbleson's gaze fell upon her
every time he swung around in his big
easy chair. Not that he looked for her,
but there seemed to be some peculiar
power at work which placed her di-
rectly in his line of vision a hundred
times a day.
There she stood, with the snowfiakes
whirling around her. She was on duty
when he reached his office in the morn
ing and she was there still when he
went away in the evening. Mr.. Grub
bleson developed a curiosity concern
ing the amount of her collections. He
wondered how many people stopped in
the course of day to drop a nickel or
a dime or a quarter into the make-be-
lieve turkey which she held up for
the purpose of reminding people that
the poor would have appetites on
Christmas. Frequently he would for
get his work and sit counting the peo-
pie who stopped to contribute, wonder
ing as he saw them drop their money
into the turkey how much they gave
One day it occurred to him that he
had never done anything for those who
were less fortunate than he. He sat
up straight in his chair and wondered
If the Lord might not have given him
greater prosperity than he enjoyed if
he had been properly charitable He
was what most people would regard as
a rich man, but he was not as wealthy
by any means as he wished to be- AS
he sat there in his luxurious office. gaz-
ing across at the brave little soldier
with her turkey. he said to himself:
When | go out to lunch to-day I'll
slip a fivedOllar bill into that turkey.
No one shall know how much I give.
but five dollars will make many a poor
person happy on Christmas, and though
they will never guess that l am their
benefactOr, the Lord will see."
When he put on his overcoat at noon.
he took a crisp bill from his wallet and
carefully doubled it up. Suddenly.
however, his conscience began to whis-
per to him.
John Grubbleson," it said, "you are
trying to deceive yourself You are
not thinking only of the good you may
do for the poor. You are thinking of
the big deal you have on. You hope
that by being charitable now the Lord
will see fit to let this matter in which
you are so deeply interested go
through and bring you the profits you
are so anxious for. You are merely
trying to bride God"
He put the money back into his
pocket.
at won't do" he thought. "Im
guilty. There's no use trying to hide
the fact from myself. I'll wait till
after this deal has gone through.
Then I will be able to contribute with
out selfish desire to have the Lord
give me profits in return"
So he passed the Salvation girl on
the corner without helping to fill her
turkey. But day after day as he looked
across the street he saw her there, and
day after day he said to himself that
he would do something splendid for
the poor as soon as his deal was out
of the way. 80 that he might contribute
with clear conscience.
At last he received the word for
which he had been so anxiously wait
ing. His venture had proved a success,
and he was richer by many thousands
of dollars than he had been before
He whirled around in his big easy
chair to look at the little woman across
the street. Fine flakes of snow were
being flung around her by the angry
wind, and he noticed that she had her
shoulders drawn up, as If to ward off
the cold blasts There was the yellow
turkey, too but few people stopped to
give for the poor.
Mr.. Grubbleson remembered a new
ten-dollar bill that he had in one of his
pockets, and he began feeling for it.
When he had found it he doubled it up
carefully and then turned once more
to his desk. At noon he put on his
overcoat and went to the window 70
see if the Salvation Army girl were
still at her post Yes, there she was,
with the snow whirling about her and
the people hurrying past, apparently
oblivious of her existence. He took
out the bill that he had so carefully
folded and looked at it. Suddenly his
conscience began to whisper to him
again.
John Grubbleson," it said. "are you
giving this money because of your love
and your sympathy for your fellow
man, or is it merely a trife that you
are offering in return for the success
of your selfish scheming7 You are
still trying to deceive yourself. You
think God let your deal go through be-
cause you had promised to give in case
of your success. II the Lord has seen
At to let you succeed He has surely not
done so merely for the money you
think of giving now"
Mr.. Grubbleson slipped the bill back
so+o bis ponlrat and Whan he raturn ai