Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-12-09

X ROM his desk in the big, light
corner rsen on the second floor
- Mr. Grubbleson could see the
Salvation Army girl, who stood across
The street, holding up Dapier mache
turkey. She was not, unfortunately.
The most beautiful creature he had
ovsr beheld. She was just a plaiA
young woman, whose appearance was
not improved by the uniform she wore.
14r. Grubbleson's gaze fell upon her
overy 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 d.
fecuy in his line of vision a hundrea
times day.
There she stood, with the snowtlakes
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 curiosity concern
Ing the amount of her collections. He
wondered how many people stopped in
the course of day to drop nickel or
4 dime or quarter into the ma!1e-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
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 I go out to lunch to-day I'll
slip f1ve-dollar bill into that turkey.
No one shall know how much I give,
but five dollars will make many poor
person happy on Christmas, and though
they will never guess that I am their
benefactor, the Lord will see."
When he put on his overcoat at noon,
he took 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 bribe Cod"
He put the money back into his
! pocket
1T won't d." he thought. "Tm
! guilty. There's no use trying to hide
the fact from myself. I'll wait till
after this deal has gone through.
! Then l will be able to contribute with
out a 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, so 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 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 he1
shoulders drawn up. as if to ward of
the cold blasts. There was the yellow
turkey, too, but few people stopped tc
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 ur
carefully and then turned once NOR;
to his desk. At noon he put on hi:
overcoat and went to the window tt
see if the Salvation Army girl were
still at her post. Yes, there she was
with the snow whirling about her ant
the people hurrying past, apparent.
oblivious of her existence He tool
out the bill that he had so CAREFUL,
folded and looked at it. Suddenly hi!
conscience began to whisper to hin
again.
John Grubbleson," it said, "are 70,
giving this money because of your low,
and your sympathy for your fellow
man, or is it merely trifle that yo,
are offering in return for the success
of your selfish scheming' You ar
still trying to deceive yourself. 70,
think God let your deal go through be
cause you had promised to give in cas-
of your success. If the Lord has see1
fit to let you succeed He has surely no
done so merely for the money vo,