The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-12-30
SATURDAYS HEROINES.

In "a far eastern city a prominent
banker ends the drudgery of life by
committing suicide. His luxurious
ing, and the fair daughter who only
three weeks ago made her debut in
New York society is back to the old
homestead receiving the sympathy of
hundreds of callers. The press RACES
over the great self-sacrifce in denying
the gay whirl of New York society and
returning to the bedside of her dying
father. Truly, it is sad, for we all eX-
pected so much of Helen Kent, and it
seems almost impossible to imagine her
gay laughter hushed. 1t is almost in
credible to believe that instead of CO.
quettish flirting she is now weeping
great tears of anguish, shame and re-
morse
But it is the way of the world, and
with its wickeiness we must peaceful
ly abide In Helen's case. as in hun
dreds which happened heretofore, she,
poor girl, bears the blunt of her
fathers cowardly deed, and even the
poor struggling. washerwomar. whose
scant savings were sQuandered that
Helen might receive proper training
for the position in life for which she is
so perfectly fitted, is left alone to
mourn her loss. She did her duty in
sacrificing her all that the daughter of
J. ]. Kent might founder about in the
brilliant pool of luxury
From the wrecked home of the
.Masherwoman our thoughts wander to
the bedside of a poor dying woman in
the big Brooklyn hospital where yes
terday afternoon lay Mrs. Phyllis Frisco
dying of starvation. The woman died
last night. yet she died happy knowing
that her children for whom she had
sacrificed everything, even the last
scrap of food, had at last found friends.
The fitte ones are happy again for they
now have plenty of toys and food, and
as the tired mother realized that their
sufferings We're over. her heart was
stiled and her noble sacrifice was COM
plete.
The woman's pride prevented her
from asking aid. sa she saved what bits
of food she could obtain for her little
oIes, while she gradually grew weaker
from the lack of food. The last bits of
crust went for. the chiidren's Christ
mas dinner ami then in the morning
the neighbors heard the crying of the
little ones in the unfurnished room
IL. which the mother and children lived.
self denial. holy sacrifice ard like the
washerwoTnan she suffered uncom-
plainingly that others might like
And yet there is still another name
to be recorded on Saturdays list of no.
bic heroines who unflinchingly faced
death as duty. Her name is Mrs
Minnie Meyers, matron of the Wash
ington Children's Home at Mortimer
Station. The institution was totally
destroyed by fire during the early
morning hours: two little children
being buried in the flames. The fol-
lowing story of Mrs Meyers brave
deed which resulted i'm the rescue of al
but two of the children is taken from
the Seattle Times of Saturday ever.-
ing's issue:
Glad only in her night dress and
without 80 much as slippers on. Mrs.
Meyers fought bravely through the
flames. hurried the children from their
beds in the dormitories. marched them
down stairs and went back for more.
Then she found that the little ones,
frightened by the flames that had al
ready started IN the first floor, had
rushed up the stairs again. Time and
again she half carried and half
dragged the children down the stairs.
When all the little ones except those
babies who had persisted in their cribs
had been gotten out, Mrs. Meyers
found that her escape by the stairway