Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1912-12-13
ITO The LEAST"
SHALL BE GIVEN
1v ADA WtLkERSON.

Penrose had been saving up to BUY
new altar cloth for the church.
Joshua was Mary AIMS husband,
and he had been dead ten years. In
life Joshua had been great trial to
his Wife He was carpenter, and
good carpenter, when they were mar
ried He had built their little home
himself, and presented 1t to Mary Ann
on her wedding day.
That's how | come to still own it,
she said the day she told me about the
altar cloth.
Josh would a. sold 1t long ago II 1t
hadn't been all mine. He hit me once,
when he was in liquor. cause l
wouldn't sign 1t over to him so he
could sell it. But l wouldn't. I was
always firm in that, no matter how
much Josh wanted money for pain
killer.
"The place where he busted his
shoulder once when he fell off scat
fold always hurt In damp weather, an
Josh lust naturally took to drinkin' to
ease the pain. It's blessin' the Lord
never sent us any children. He would
Il
drink. But when he was himself he
always said he wouldn't ever take my
home away from me.
Goodness knows I had a hard
enough time to save money for the
taxes. used to hide 1t in the old
brass teapot l kept way back In the
corner of the cupboard. an he never
oh Of n
"But since he's been dead / miss
him. Poor old Josh! He was a good
husband, an ! always wanted to give
somethiin to the church as a memo
rial. l thought about one Of them
fancy winders. but they cost too much.
so I settled on an altar cloth, white
satin, all worked in gold. like the old
one, only lots nicer, with more gold
and some pieces Of glass that look
like jewels.
II saw one once, when I was visitin'
in the city, an l have my mind set
on one like 1t.
1T would just do me good to set in
Grace Chapel every Sunday an see
one of them handsome white and gold
cloths hangin' over the pulpit.
Il had oNey fer 1t all saved up
hundred and fifty dollars-in the
teapot. Teapots Is safer than banks.
An was a-goin' to go to the city to
git the new fiXin's, when along come
that poor, forlorn woman, Mrs.
Quick, sellin' buttons and thread, lace,
darnin' cotton and needles she had in
a basket She told me she had tramp
ed all the way from the city. Her
husband was killed workin on the
railroad, and she was tryin' to git
money to buy her baby some clothes.
Poor soul! She was staggerin'
sick when she come to my door. I
Just had to take her in-she was a
nice, clean little woman too-an' 80
white an miserable lookin'
"Of course, had to git the doctor:
her-she hadn't had nourishin' food
or the right kind of livin' for so long.
Her strength was all gone.
"Both of us did everything we could,
and Miss Artman come over to help.
but 1t wasn't any use. Doctor said
the baby had taken all his mothers
vitelity-an' you ought to see what a
husky little fellow he Is. He's asleep
now, but when he wakes up I'll let
you hold him a while. He's just as
pretty and bright!
His mother give him to me before
she passed away, an said she wanted
him named for his father-David-so
have named him David Joshua
Quick
for medicine for the mother and
clothes for little David-and the fu-
neral but Josh, he'll understand that
my memorial to him will be the up
bringin' Of the livin' child. stead OF
the altar cloth.
Last Sunday I went to church ear
ly, before anybody else was there
and I told the Lord how had to use
the money I saved to decorate his
house. And It seemed as I knelt there
and looked at that old cloth a-hangin'
over the pulpit that the gold looked
brighter and better than 1t had fer
q long time, and 1t seemed when
had finished tellin' my story to the
Lord, 1t seemed / could hear whis-
per through the silence. like the
trees outside the window were
a-whisperin together. and 1t seemed
like It said: Inaamuch as thou hast
done 1t unto one Of the least OF these
my children, thou hast done 1t unto
me-
80, guess tho Lord understands,
too"