Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1920-12-11
A GIRL wao HAS MADE GOOD.

A traveller coming into Pringle, ;. D.,
On the Burlington Route and seeing a
beautiful young lady come dashing out
Of the depot with message for the con
iuctor and also "a handful Of bills would
be apt to ask "who is that?" and would
probably receive the reply from one OF
the trainmen or some one who was ac-
quainted with the situation "Why that's
Margaret, and thereby is the story of
one Of Custer counties brave girls whose
daily life is an inspiration to all who
know her spirit About year ago
when William Hollenbeck, the station
agent at PriBgle was suddenly stricken
with appendicitis and taken to the hos
pital, where within 4S hours he had
slipped beyond the border line in death,
he left behind a family as broken heart
ed and as stricken as can be imagined
for the iollenbeck home was a home of
devotion to each other, and there was
left also a vacancy in the depot which
meant much to the little family left be-
hind Probably no one in the commun-
ity much less the stricken home had any
plan to suggest that included those most
interested but under the circumstances
when the father was taken to the hos
pital Margaret did the most natural
thing u the world for daughter to do,
having been helper in the office she
simply planned to carry on until the
fathers return. But instead the news
came that father would never sit at the
keys again and again Margaret did the
most natural thing, simply took care Of
the office till some one could be sent to
deed several realizing that Pringle was
a desirable position made application
for the office, but it was not till time
had wrought a softening Of the grief Of
the daughter that she listened to sug-
gestion, "Why not substitute for Daddy"
and she applied, and Immediately she
found the other applications Withdrawn
and she became the agent Smiling and
brave through the days when a thous-
and memories were pain to her she
has become efficient and deservedly
popular with the officials, trainmen and
the patrons. She las made good in the
hard task that fell 70 her lot.
II any comment is made in ber pres
enCe she smiles and says Its nothing,
any one could do the same" yet all know
that all would not Margaret would be
the last in the world to say it much less
acknowledge it but she is deserving of
the praise that comes to all those who in
times Of great stress, without awaiting
the plaudits of the world nor looking for
praise OF blame, meet trying situation
and laying aside their own feelings meet
duty bravely aud with a courage that is
as beautiful as it is rare.
Margaret Is not an operator but she
takes messages and phones them to
Deadwood and receives them by the
same route. She Is Oh the Job and Is
making good. She is Daddy 3" substl
tute in every sense of the word. All
honor to the brave little girl who while
vet in her "teens" keeps the HON fires
burning and is an inspiration TO all who
see her AS she goes on with the task
which has been laid on her with such a
cheerful mein that 1t is as though she
mad chosen it for her very own. Some
folks would call her heroine but she
would never stand for that and when
she reads this little tribute she will
probably blush and say "Pshaw, that's
absurd. Any body could do as well or
better than | have done" But we who
know are inspired and helped as we see
the little substitute Making good.