The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1944-01-27
.MERES TO-DAY
CHAPTER v
By JOSEPHINE LAWRENCE

II Was Odran WHO overheard
King Waters as she waited in the
cash grocery late one afternoon.
1t was funny, King was saying to
group of sympathetic neighbor-
hood women, how sentimental q
man could be. Sometimes he was
half ashamed of his soft heart,
but sometimes he was rather glad
that he wasn't as cold as stone.
''Now you take the papers re-
GENTLY He patted the evening
paper rolled in his pocket. 81
can't pick up a paper these days
that I don't see the name of some
town that I remembered as a lad
in olive drab. Lord, Lord, the
things we saw and the things we
did,"
Sarah selected her loaf OF
bread from the rack, saw no inn
mediate chance of having it wrap
ped and turned her attention to
King, who was now relating that
the American doughboys were
the most generous in the world.
mo one will ever know the
number of French orphans our
outfit adopted. We just made our
selves responsible for every
youngster as soon as we moved
into a town. Those kids, plenty
of them, didn't know white bread
and chocolate bars had been in
vented. I tell you, I'll never for
get the look in their eyes as they
held out their hands to us. There
is something about a child in dis
tress that breaks you all up. I
always used to go to pieces"
The women murmured, but Sa-
rah detoured around a crate Of
pineapples and spoke with firm
ness. Good afternoon, Mr.. Wa
tiers. You're just the person I
want to see. Mr.. and Mrs. Pep
percorn are in great need of a
little assistance - they're trying
to rehabilitate destitute family.
Father, mother and six children,
living under piles of scrap in a
junk yard Briefly Sarah out
lined what had been accomplish
ed for the Beimers to date. A bit
of cash would help incalculably,
she said, "Just imagine an en-
tire family almost naked and on
the verge of starving. I don't be-
lieve you saw anything much
worse than that in France"
cts entirely different here"
King Waters looked unhappy.
''No one starves in this country.
We have established agencies to
handle every emergency"
Red Tape operated against the
Beimers, Sarah countered.
ooh, we'll, they can't expect to
have their case attended to by
pushing a button. It's taken time
for them to reach their present
level, naturally it will take lit
tie time to lift them up" He
made it a practice not to contrib
ute on impulse, Waters stated,
edging toward the counter and
trying to attract the busy clerks
eye. ''It discourages the trained
welfare workers who have made
a study of assistance and who
can be trusted to take hold in a
practical manner"
Sarah gripped her bread grim
ly. 'That's what you think"
Even the Government, Waters
reminded her, discouraged indi-
vidual and indiscriminate gifts.
1.-THE only charitable deductions
they allow you on your income
tax returns are for contributions
to organized charities"
It did not improve Sarah's
temper to be overtaken on her
way home by Toni Fits who was
not one, so she said, to discuss
her neighbors. ''But I can't help
thinking that it's a little funny
that Mrs. Thane has been sewing
every night this week for those
proteges of the Peppercorns. Yet
she told me point-blank that she
couldn't give even one night a
week to war relief, because she
must spend her evenings at home
with her husband. do like peo-
pie to be consistent. trust I
am"
Mrs. Thames husband had
worked with her, Sarah declared,
resisting the temptation to brand
ish her loaf of bread. Besides
you may be interested to know
that Mrs. Beimer is an English
woman. She has two brothers
with the British Army. I've
been wondering whether any of
the societies you work with
would do anything for her"
Everyone was swamped, had
been asked to give to so many
ca,1Ses - Toni mlIrmured. ''sI