Frances Mariah Stillman Russell Neff

[continued…]   First of all in her dreams she heard these words over and over, “Sophronia Watkins, you’re a thief, Sophronia, you stole someone else’s property,” Then she said an accusing finger pointed at her and there was Mrs. Neff looking all over her house for her beautiful breast pin and crying because she couldn’t find it. The cries grew until Sophronia suddenly awakened. She looked at the shiny pin under her pillow but somehow it no longer looked enchanting and wonderful. There was no more sleep for the child that night. She kept worrying about her sinful actions and trying to work out a scheme to get it back unnoticed to its owner. Finally she thought of a plan, if she could only slip the pin into the house the next time they went to the mill no one wouldeven know she had it. Sophronia thought Saturday would never come. Every day seemed to be at least a month long and every time she looked at thestolen pin her cheeks burned with shame and her sin assumed greater proportions. She said her prayer at night her closing words were always, “and please, dear God, forgive me for stealing Mrs, Neff’s beautiful pin but please don’t let mother find it out before I get it back.” Saturday morning came at last and no one had mentioned anything about the stolen pin.

Sophronia was the first one up and had her chores done in record time for she frantically thought that nothing must stop her from going to the mill. At last their journey did begin but the miles to the mill no longer seemed like six but sixty six. The sunshine that usually seemed so fresh and invigorating now was hot and uncomfortable, the wagon had never seemed so bumpy and hard, and Sophronia didn’t see any of her friends as they called to her. At last the long ride was ended and they were at the mill. Somehow Great Grandmother’s knees held her up long enough to climb from the wagon and she made her way into the miller’s home. As Mrs. Neff cheerfully greeted her, Sophronia breathed a sigh of relief “Maybe she hasn’t discovered the pin gone yet, now if I can only get it back.” For awhile she thought the opportunity would never come, but at last the little girl was left alone for a minute. She slipped quietly into the parlor and dropped the pin back in the very spot where she had found it. Then she ran from the house as quickly as she could. That Saturday she went about her chores with a gay and relieved manner, little realizing that later the treasure with which she had tortured her soul for so long was “a big safety pin.”

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