White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-12-13
CHAPTER Iv-continued

CHAPTER IV-Continued
-
"And everybody who buys one. will
sell four more"
sand 1t all started from one. One.
single, solitary, little one"
The girls talked on and on. But
Ginger drew herself away from them.
sat enwrapped In mpenetrable thought
She remembered the old chain lei
ters They had come with some fire.
quency few years ago, prayers for
almost everything, for the sick, for
foreign missions. for prohibition. for
fundamentalism, for the second COM
ing of the Lord for the release OF
anarchistic prisoners condemned to
death
"And everybody sends it on to so
many more, and every one of them
sends It to so many more, and they
send it"
Ginger got up suddenly and went
out OF the room. She walked dizzily.
She went upstairs, gor the short lad
der from the linen closet, and bal.
anced II against the wall under the
trapdoor. She noticed that her hands
trembled. But she climbed carefully
the ladder was Old-pushed up the
trapdoor, and pulled herself through
the opening. From force of habit, for
she was not then thinking OF trap
doors, she locked 1t behin6 her. and
made her way carefully over the
beams to her sanctuary under the
dOrmer window. There she sat down
heavily, to think She thought, and
thought, and thought. until her bright
eyes were so wide. so bright, so blue.
that OF sudden they seemed to hurt
her, and she shut them hard. Her two
small hands were grirped so tightly.
with fingers inierlaceh so closely. that
suddenly she knew they were thrOb
bling with pain. half paralyZed. so that
she had to work them apart. slowly.
finger at a time. But she did not
stop thinking.
"Chain letter-On and 0n-all over
the world-thOusnnds and thousands
and nobody dares to stop because no
body would dare to break the chain
for the blind--a nome for the blind
on and on and on"
SUDDENLY Ginger burst into low
nervous Laughter, and laughed and
cried and twisted her little hands. and
rocked hack and forth on the stool
In an ecstasy.
"Oh, oh. how heavenly, how perfect.
~ heavenly never could have
thought OF such brilliant thing. on.
as father says, see the hand OF the
Lord in this"
She pulled the stool to the low table
which she used as Il desk. and seated
! herself with professional briskness
Indicative Of the oneness OF purpose
which prompted her Selecting three
| pencils from large lumher In the
drawer. sic sharpened them briskly
| Then she drew her pad of paper
toward her. and op.ned It.
Then she studied intently. chewing
her pencil. She wrote nasty line.
and quickly scratched II out Again
she wrote, again she frOwningly dis.
carded 1t. Several times she re-
peated this painful process. hui al
last, as SO often happens. persistent
| effort brought inspiration. and she
wrote fiuently. without pause for
thought
"Our parsonage home for the blind
| is sadly In need of funds TO carry ON
its noble work VIII you not con.
tribute Ten Gents to this very worth,
cause? And complete the chain OF
good vibrations by sending copies OF
this letter 10 three Of your friends In
whom you have c0ntidpncei In this
way. this valuable institution will en-
/ large Its circle of friends and viii M
enabled to continue It's care of the I'm
fortunate and needy blind.
1--WE depend oU you
| 40 not break the chain.
"E. TOlliver. treasurer.
"Red Thrush. Iowa"
| Ginger was greatly pleased with the
| formal tone of this letter. She knew
very we'll THAT II she received such an
appeal. she would contribute gludly-
II she had the money She read II
over and over. adding a word omit
ting a word. substituting word, until
the final version seemed impossible OF
improvement
The question to whom the letter
should he sent was subjected to deer
Thought. Indeed, II was more thnn
thought. so deep II was Men, she
knew. were more susceptible than
women to personal alT,eni--particu
larly when the personal appeals came
from not unatfracfive girls But WON.
en- were more snperst''ioiis and would
he more reluctant 10 nring upon them
selves the implied curse tint would
result from u breaking OF the chain
Women. then.