The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1907-08-16
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S 49,
Blessed by compari.on.

| NO one VINO had the SllghteSt knoWi-
edge of the facts could imagine that
Sallie Royce had an easy time of II.
The eldest of three sisters left alone
In the world, she had problems Of mo-
ment to solve. She made not infre-
quent visits to the parsonage, and told
her perplexlties out of full and some
times sorrowful heart. One day,
when extra burdens weighed upon her,
she came with tale of woe.
''Trust God and don't worry" was
all the minister could say. "You are
doing your best. Have faith and be
patient"
The advice seemed trite, and easier
to give than to take.
But while she was there Miss Poxon
entered. Now, those who do not know
Miss Poxon ought to know what man
ner of woman she Is She scrubs floors,
and teaches Sunday school classes, and
scolds recreant husbands, and per-
forms other useful services in connec-
ton with settlement of the Young
Women's Christian Association. She
Is a character the like of which one
might go far to meet "What is 1t to-
day?" asked the minister.
"I want you to- buy four tickets to
the concert, and let me give them to
the Mavowskis; poor things, they want
to go and can't, and the profits are for
the playground and I'm going to ask
Mrs. Packard to buy four more for an
other family; and l need some matted
milk for Mrs. Petruski; they've just
got their twelfth baby, and the last one
not fourteen months old, and her hus-
band sitting round the house and do
ing nothing, and the children all puny
till they get old enough to go to work
and get enough to eat
81 should like to see the whipping
post established; l should faint IL
had to do the whipping, but l believe
could salt them little; and old Mrs.
Wiggin-you remember old Mrs. Wig
gin that you sent the cloak to? Well,
she's little Mary's mother, you know,
that sings; and she's down with some
thing the matter with her thigh; 1t
was muscle gave way, but l guess
it's some cancerous trouble.
"She sewB the collars on vests, and
gets three cents apiece, and when she
got that hurt she got round on cane
as long as she could, and now her
wrists given out the same way; and
when you come in Sunday afternoon to
preach at the mission do you suppose
you can come over and pray for her?
"And there's the Hofers, you know.
There's a man that's good for some
thing, but he got hurt, and now jim
mics had to stop school and 60 to
work, and"
There are no periods in Miss Poxon's
conversations; she goes on until some
thing happens. But Sallie could hear
no more.
"I'm just ashamed of myself" she.
cried. "And to think l came here to
tell my troublesw
as your rent paid" asked Miss
Poxon, and without waiting for an an
swer, followed the question By string
Of others. "Do all your folks keep So
ber? Have you got good shoes? Well,
then, my dear, you don't know what
trouble is! And sometimes l get so
tired; had to scrub floor this morn
Ing, and take three children to the
Home for the Friendless, and man
scowled when the baby cried, and |
Just told him they were not my chill
iren, and where l was taking them,
and I'd paid my fare and those chill
dren were going to ride, and If he
didn't like it be could take another
car; and do get pretty tired, but it's
lots of fun to be helping somebody
and dear, If you've got good shoes, and
the rent is paid, and your folks are
kind, and you can say your prayers at
night and go to sleep, don't ever think
you have any trouble, for you haven't"
youths Companion.