Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-08-13
A HaVowed Sacrifice
From the Yeomen Shield.

From the Yeomen Shield.
We V somewhere read or heard a
simple story that reveals a bit of the
real life ever going on around US I'M
noticed. A minister in a certain small
town received from the ZONE mission
board of his church a letter asking for
q special offering for a needy field.
Perhaps - was an effort to take not
only the gospel. but bread and clothes
and good cheer, to the neglected, ex-
call appealed to the preacher, n he
delivered a strong sermon, calling the
attention of his people to the great
need. But somehow the sermon did not
seem to inspire the congregation or
open the pocket Of the brethren. The
banker down there on the left looked
~listless and yawned. The merchant
about his restless boy, who sat be-
side him. The travelling man kept
looking at his watch.
Meanwhile something unseen by hui
man eye was going on back in the last
row of seats. Back there, sitting alone
was a little girl, a cripple, whose par-
ents We're very poor. She was COM
PEELED to use clutches, and her life
seemed lark and hopeless. She had
listened to the sermon and her heart
had been strangely warmed by the
preachers story of the distress and
need of children who were suffering.
Oh! this poor, crippled child knew bet
ter thar the banker or the merchant
how children suffer. She heard the
story of little mes whose lives We're
even harder than her own She heard
the cry of the children, and she
thought. How 1 wish l could give
something-but l haven't anything to
give, not even a penny And a small,
soft voice within seemed to say. there
are your crutehes." She gasped as
though it took away her breath, and
said to herself, my clutches! l
couldn't give my clutches. I cannot
walk without them. They are my life.
And that small, still voice seemed to
reply. Yet you could-you could for
the sake of those little children who
are suffering. and whose lot is SO
much worse than yours" And the lit
tie woman had her tremendous fight
all unseen and unknown to others-and
by and by the victory came. And
there am a beautiful light in her
fearful eyes, and a smile on her lips
as she waited for the plate to reach
her pew.
The man with the plate came down
the aisle. 1t seemed hardly worth
while to pass it into the last pew,
where the little girl sat alone, but the
look In her eyes and a motion OF her
head. brought the plate in front OF her.
With childish simplicity sne liiteo HeA
crutches and put them on the collection
plate. The man caught the spirit OF
the great thing she had done, steadied
her strange gift on the plate, walked
slowly up the aisle to the pulpit,
faced the congregation IN held the
plat up to view. All eyes We're dimmed.
Everybody knew they were little
Maggie's crutches. The banker drew
his check book and reached for his
pencil. The merchant stopped the mar
returning up his aisle. The travelling
man found a SIS bill he evidently mad
forgotten. The with the crutches
was called back and somebody paid
him s25 for them and sent them back
to Maggie. When the offering was
counted up 1t contained several nun
bred dollars. And the little girl.
crippled in body, but with a buoyant
heart, hobbled out Of church, the hap
piest creature in the world.
It was a splendid example OF sac