American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-08-27
SEVEN SACKS or WHEAT.

Ruth vent out and by her devotion
40 Naomi won the love OF Boaz.
Ny cleaner plucked the heads OF
wheat In an Idaho neld without
thought Of the appreciation Of men
without hope OF material reward.
without desire 70 win the applause or
attention Of the world.
Love for Naomi caused Ruth 10 toll
fn the haryests OF Bethlehem.
Love for country. for righteousness,
Cor llberty-for all that these mean
sent my cleaner out into the fields OF
Idaho.
A. the story VA told to me l pass It
on q you
she - old-eighty- lone years old
she liyes with her sou on an irrigated
Idaho farm out IN the snake river
basin
When the war came she was eager
20 help
Eighty-o q years old n eager TO
help
She knew the price OF war. Fifty
year, had not hiotted out the memory
Of che toll ear must always take.
Father. brother. husband she had Civ
en- that this nation. under God. might
have a new birth and be preserved. Ia
truth. a nation o. freemon.
Eyes dim. hands trembling. hair
while az the driven snow. body ato0p
ed and worn by the long. long years
yet heart and soul aname with pas
nionaio love for America. for humanity
-ahe wanted 10 help.
She could knit Patiently. hour by
hour she wov tho grey yarn into
warm garments Tor our lads. our lads,
over there.
Every Red Cross appeal found her
mnn ona 20 help
Eishty-one years old and anxious
a. help
Then came the call for War saw
tnEn stamps
"son. she said. Il don't feel like
We are doing all We ought tot takes
a terrible lot OF help from the people
for the government 20 carry on a war.
remember Ia the sixties how scarce
money and food we're. how We drank
acorn coffee. never had any bread but
corn bread. sweetened our yituals
with molasscs. how sometimes we gave
~ our only pig or killed "a last
chicken 70 feed the soldiers-when
father and your Uncle John we're Kill
bed but that's past and gone. IT'S
now we've got 20 help-I-l-
Wish I had ONE money.
WHY. Mothcr-your're helping.
look an an the sweaters you've made
and IL YOU want money YOU know
m give it TO you How much do you
eanif
'So-no-l don't want your money
mat would be you helping. not me
You spend d for stamps for you
Tor your part want some money
I've earned. money I've saved myself.
80 % enl be my help not somebody
elsoa"
Eighty zone years old and eager, anx-
i0us. 10 earn money that she might
heip her government
Then. one night. the ditch broke as
ditches sometimes do whore men ir-
rigatt The water poured out aud
flooded a neld Of wheat. Il was
heavy. ripe. ready 10 cut Where the
vater washed through il the grain
fell and lodged
II aas a tangled mass. ruined No
binder. no machine. could harvest it.
Work presses Labor was unob-
aainable The son had no time TO
gather the grain by hand III Is a
shame Tor IL 10 waste. he said. hut Il
cant be helped-Id be glad TO give IL
Co anyone Who could save it,
one morning a fcw weeks later he
nas going TO town.
will you have a load, the mother
asked
~Not much DO you al 10 go with
me. mother
"No. but Ia like to send my wheat
Your wheat"
She pol him out TO the %woodshed-
There Il is-soven sacks-you said
you'd give Il to anyone who would
save il and / wanted to earn some
money so bad"
Eighty-one years old and she had
gone out and plucked. one by one, the
ripened heads, patiently gathered
them into her apron and carried them
10 the woOdshed; as the cleaners in
the days Of Ruth threshed out their
grain so had she with sticks failed II
out or shattered il by rubbing the
heads betwee her withered hands and
saved the precious grain, then win
moved out the chaff with the singing
winds of summer.
Get the picture
Age-old. old. age-gleaning in th'
Felds of Idaho-toiling under the no
sun. gathering grain by grain thu