The Long, Long Trial records the girlhood experiences of Olivia and proves that poverty need be no hindrance to happiness or to progress. Olivia hilariously sorts her way through a box of clothing from the Ladies Aid Society, jostles her sisters for a place before the cracked mirror, and scrubs floors to stay in school, always keeping her vision “beyond the pail” (the scrub pail, of course).Willing to work at anything, even furniture making in an academy shop, she stands stoutly by her determination to get an education. Colporteuring, school teaching, and nursing follow; then later marriage and the mission field.A lighthearted story sure to amuse and inspire, The Long, Long Trial shares how God can bless determination and hard work with a life of true meaning and joy.