The Secret Stocking

Ellen White opened the cupboard and felt for the stocking that was hanging behind the door. Finding the opening, she carefully dropped the few coins she held in her hand. The coins clinked as they dropped inside.

Ellen White smiled as she saw the growing bulge in the stocking. For months now, she had been doing what she could to save a little here and save a little there. It wasn’t easy finding a few coins to set aside every week. They needed to buy food and clothing and other things around the house, but Ellen White spent wisely, doing her best to cover their expenses with the small amount of money she had. She believed that she should be careful of the time and material that had been given to her, and she tried not to waste anything that could be used or reused.

One day, Ellen White noticed that the rugs around the house were looking shabby and needed to be replaced. Where could she get more? Then she remembered the old worn clothes she had set aside. That was it. She could make rag carpets out of those worn clothes—and that’s what she did. That week, she dropped a few more coins into the stocking. Her secret fund continued to grow.

One day her husband, James White, came home looking terribly worried. He had been working at the printing press, and they didn’t have enough money to pay for the paper they needed in order to print the next issue of the Review. “What can we do?” he asked his wife. “Where can we find $64?”

James White watched in surprise as Ellen White opened the cupboard and retrieved her secret stocking. Coins tumbled out as she carefully emptied the contents onto the table. They eagerly counted the money. Would there be enough? To their delight, they discovered there was, and James White was able to go and pay for the paper.

Ellen White hung the now empty stocking back in the cupboard. She was glad she had done what she could. And now, she would keep saving for another day.