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Show Q Faithful l" Servant I By Maud McCurdy Welch TIMES WERE HARD in the little town of Centerville and Sam Meadows, the town's only druggist was finding it hard to meet his bills. The shoe I I factory was -Minilte shut down, one B. .. of the lumber Fiction miUs 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. He'd cut down on a few other things, but things kept getting worse. Bill Bowen, one of Sam's good friends, came in one day to talk the situation over. "The trouble with you," he told Sam, "is that you're not business-like. How can you expect ex-pect to run a business successfully if you don't collect?" "When people are sick, they have to have medicine whether they can pay for it or not," Sam said reasonably. rea-sonably. "But, Sam, you can't carry the whole town on your shoulders. If you go on extending credit, you'll probably 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. He looked up at the small neon sign over the entrance doors of which he'd always al-ways been so proud. "Meadows Drug Store Twenty-five years of service." Bill Bowen was right. After all a druggist has to take a stand somewhere. some-where. He has to protect himself. Sam's next customer was Mary Neely, a tired looking little woman. Sam knew what she wanted, a prescription pre-scription re-filled for her brother's neuritis. "It's botherin' him awful today," she said. Mary's husband had had a good job in the shoe factory, but it had ' been some time since he'd had a steady job. But Sam had made up his mind. He drew a painful breath. "Mary, you already owe me thirty-five dol- ( lars. If you could pay for this prescription pre-scription maybe . . ." but Sam's ! voice trailed off unhappily. 1 Mary's eyes was dazed with surprise. sur-prise. "I haven't any money, but . . ." she broke off. "You mean you .. . . you won't let me have the medicine?" Sam walked to the back of the store, unable to answer. Then sud- 1 denly he whirled around. Mary was gone. He hurried after her. BILL WAS wrong. A man had to , have faith. A man has to accept ac-cept his responsibilities. The health of the people in this town had been 1 entrusted to' him. He couldn't fail them, whether they could pay or not. Sam overtook Mary and said, "Come back. I'll fill the prescription. prescrip-tion. I'll also put up some Vitamin B for your brother." "You're 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 druggist's responsibilities to his customers was as great as that of a doctor to his patients. pa-tients. Bill tried to argue with him, but Sam shook his head with a smile. Bill went out and almost collideo with Tom Shaver, tie young cashier jy "The trouble with you," Bill told Sam, "is that you're not business-like. How can you expect ex-pect to run a business successfully success-fully if you don't collect?" in the bank. Sam was filling a prescription pre-scription for a shabby young man in overalls. He charged it and as the youn man started to leave, Sam ave him a doll for his little girl. Then Sam said, ' Well, Tom, that's on your mind?" Tom Shaver griniied. "Just vvanted you to know the old town's making up. Shoe factory opens next A'eek, a furniture factory coming in and the mill's going to run full ime. There'll be jobs for every "ody and the people won't forgel ;ou, Sam." Tom went to the door topped under the neon sign. "1 bink I'm gning to chai.ge that tc ead, "Twenty-five years of Faith ul service." Sam smiled at him. He was re membering a favorite Bible text: "For we walk by faith, not by sight." |