Show faithful servant by maud mccurdy welch IMES WERE HARD in the little TIMES town of centerville Cent erville and sam meadows the towns only on y druggist was finding it hard to meet his bills the shoe factory was minute shut down one 3 fiction of the lumber mills had moved away and the other one was running half time sam was a widower and lived economically in two rooms in the back of his store hed cut down on a few other things but things kept getting worse bill bowen one of sams good friends came in one day to talk the situation over the trouble with you he told sam is that youre not businesslike business like how can you expect to run a business successfully it if you dont collect when people are sick they have to have medicine whether they can pay tor for it or not sam said reasonably son ably but sam you cant carry the whole town on your shoulders it if you go on extending credit probably lind find yourself in a bad spot bill went to the door turned back with a word of warning better think it over sam sam sighed lie he looked up at the small neon sign sie over the entrance doors ot of which hed always been so proud meadows drug store twenty five fie years of service bill bowen was right after all a druggist has to take a stand somewhere he has to protect himself sams next customer was mary alary neely a tired looking little woman sam knew what she wanted a prescription refilled re filled for her brothers neuritis its botheris bo therin him awful today she said marys husband had had a good job in the shoe factory but it had been some time since hed had a steady job but sam had made up his mind he drew a painful breath mary you already owe me thirty five dollars it if you could pay tor for this prescription maybe but sams voice trailed off unhappily marys eyes was dazed with surprise 1 I any money but ith h tanh at 7 rrt r rt you you wont let me have the medicine sam walked to the back of the store unable to answer then suddenly he whirled around mary was gone he hurried after her aill ILL WAS wrong A man h had ad to B u have faith A man has to accept hla his responsibilities the health of the people in this town had been entrusted to shim him he tail fall them whether they could pay or er not sam overtook mary and said come back ill till fill the prescription ill also put up some vitamin B tor for your brother youre a good man sam mary said tearfully after that when people needed credit they got it sam was as usual on call day or night bill bowen came to see him again this time sam told him that a druggists drug responsibilities to his customers was as great as that of a doctor to his patients bill tried to argue with him but sam shook his head bead with a smile bill went out and almost collided with tom shaver the young cashier the trouble with you bin bill told old sam Is that youre not businesslike business like how can you expect to run a business successfully it if you dont collect in the bank sam was tilling filling a prescription tor for a shabby young man in overalls he charged it and as the youn man started to leave sam gave him a doll for his little girl then sam said well tom on your mind tom shaver grinned grimed just J u s t wanted you to know the old towns waking up shoe factory opens next week a furniture factory coming in and the mills going to run full time therell be jobs tor for everybody and the people wont forget you sam tom went to the door stopped under the neon sign 1 I think im going to change that to read twenty five years of raith faith ful service sam smiled at him he was re mem bering a favorite bible text for we walk by faith not by sight light |