The coastland times., 1954-02-26
MISSIONARY IN
PERSON VISITS
CATFISH CORNER
Women's Club Delighted With
Miss PhenaIia Fifer Form
erIy of Ursa Minor
By Miss Pinkie Perry
(From the Belhaven Pilot

Lammermoor Lee OF High
Bush brought the lady over to
Catfish Corner last week.
She said her name was Miss
Phenalia Fifer, recently a mis-
sionary and just returned from
Ursa Minor, that mystic, cryptic
country of eastern darkness To-
Gated between Barbara and Ere
thezon.
Or so she told the women of
the Catfish Corner Woman's Club
when she spoke before them that
afternoon. 1t wasn't the regular
meeting day of the club but when
Mrs. Corridor Carter heard the
celebrated lady was in. town, she
bestirred herself to work up a
special meeting of the club and
phenagled it into being held at
the Carter home.
The meeting, is was announced
was to be in honor of the famous
missionary from Ursa Minor.
Just about everybody came to
the meeting. Everyone had to be
introduced, everyone wanted to
meet the lady, and all tried to
talk at one time.
The STANCE lady had been in
vited to make talk, and she did.
She told a wonderful story of the
difficulties of introducing the
Christian religion to the be-
nighted people of Ursa Minor.
81 am making an extended
tour" she said, ito raise funds to
carry on the good work. After
four years conducting my mis-
sion among these friendly but
ignorant people, funds were ex-
hausted. These people care for
nothing but food, and fine skins
for clothes. They are trusting and
generous. There are many val
liable gems to be found in the
earth of this country, and be-
cause they appreciated my eff
forts, they brought me nearly
bushel of precious stones.
They attach no value to the
stones, yet during the four years
l spent with them, their simple
gratitude touched my heart.
When the mission funds were ex-
hausted 1 took passage home to
wage campaingn for more
money to carry on the work"
Tell us, tell US" the women
cried.
when I got to America, the Gus
toms seized my trunk of pre-
cious stones, and would not re-
lease them unless I pay $400 in
duty. The stones are uncut and l
had hoped to sell them and take
the money back to Ursa Minor.
Miss Fifer reached into her
handbag and brought out num-
Der of dingy objects which COW
cred the palm of her hand.
"You see I have rubies and
diamonds and emeralds. These
are some of the stones" she said.
They are bigger than the dia-
monds you usually see. Mostly
they are two to three carats,
worth thousands of dollars each" :"
why didn't you take them to
a jeweler?" asked Mrs. Klaxon
KING, the real estate mans wife.
"Oh! I didn't know who to
trust, and I thought I would wait
until I found some good honest
people. So l have sold magazines,
and perfume in order to live,
hoping l could raise the $400, but
it has cost so much to live, and
business has been poor, and I
have become so desperate that /
think I'd give half the jewels to
anyone who would let me have
$400 to get them from the Gus
TOMS"
It was then that several mem
J bers of the club noted the wink
that Mrs. Klaxon King gave Mrs.
Corridor Carter, and both re-
paired to the adjoining room.
Let us raise the money" said
Mrs. King. "We can't lose. We
ought to be able to make a lot
; of money on this deal"
'Pd say yes" replied Mrs. Car
ter, ''but I'm afraid we'd get in
bad with the club members; don't
you think we'd better let them
: in on this"
Mrs. King objected for awhile,
, but her better judgment yielded
to Mrs. Carter's arguments, and
she returned to the club.
"Ooh Ladies'" she purred,
chow can we let this dear Chris
tian girl suffer when we can help
, her? Let us raise this money, and
we will use our share of the
stones to carry on the Lords
work here in Catfish Corner"
Of course Mrs. King made a
, mental reservation that few of
the stones be used to adorn the
. leading ladies of Catfish Corner.
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