Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-02-07
Gales and Sketehes.
LIFTING UP.
BY HARRIET Z. LUNT.

phrase, "a word in season." it was of
some startling, warning sentence, which
should strike her dumb with sorrow and
shame; some awful rebuke, that should
rouse her, and frighten her out of all this
weakness and misery at once.
For truly it was poor, miserable life
that she was living now; and the way out
of it did not appear. Ten years before,
man and woman had stood up, and prom
ised fidelity and honor toward each other,
with as high hopes as any two people,
with the world all before them, and their
home to make in it, could have. Five
years of honest, hearty effort, home Just
beginning to be theirs, four days of i'll
ness,-and a widow, with a mortgaged
house and three babies, was left.
At first grief for her loss, remorse for
the light appreciation of what had been
hers, the desire to do for his children what
he had meant, sustained her; and she
worked hard and necessarily. First in a
factory, where she had been weaver be-
fore her marriage. The trouble was about
leaving her children. She let her house,
all but three rooms ; got girl to come in
through the day, but it did not answer.
cellar stairs; and the baby got sick. AZ
aged woman, who was out of work, and
had no permanent home, and who agreed
to stay through the winter, on condition
that she could take in sewing and knitting
when she could get them to do. So here
the case stood; Susan had sixty dollars
rent for her house; twenty-five dollars
she had to pay for interest; twelve more
Tor insurance and taxes; leaving twenty
three dollars for repairs ON the house,
which were sure to come, and for clothing
for herself and children. She earned five
dollars, sometimes, when the work went
well, six dollars a week; that went for
food and fuel. Five people were to be
warmed and fed.
| Mrs. Marshall, the old lady, soon came
| to love the little fatherless things, aud took
good care of them She made the most
OF their mothers little means; cooked
comfortable meals, kept the house tidy,
taught Annie her letters; Susan washed
and ironed evenings, and felt as though
Paradise--all that could be in this world
without Henry-was regained; and dared
not think of what would be in the spring.
So winter passed they had known the
real comfort of home. Spring came,
Mrs. Marshall was called to a good place,
and the reign of disorder began again.
! Very young girls were the only house.
keepers that Susan could afford; each
made fresh havoc; and each change was
equal to removal There is a saying that
three removals are equal to one fire.
Poor Susan; her crockery was broken;
they had barely dishes enough to put on
the table, odd things at that. The chill
dren's clothes were scorched; spoons were
thrown out in the dish-water; knives and
forks had their handles taken off by hot
water; towels disappeared, and left no
trace. Susan had not been an economist
or a good manager, she felt that; but she
had that interest which ones own property
inspires, and had never thrown her things
away.
The last attempt at a housekeeper was
a foolish girl, who was said to be teach
able and good-tempered. Alas for the
teachableness. only while you stood over
her, to point out the very place and work,
could she do anything. And very soon
the whole matter eliminated by her letting
the baby fall out of high chair.
II must give my notice, and take in
sewing said Susan which she did. She
sewed for sale shops, and tor such persons
in the mill as she knew, who could afford
to put out work. For month or so all
went well she had little money left of
her wages, and some months rent she did
not owe. After that the pull began. BY
working all day, and some hours into the
night, she could earn three dollars week,
and get through with her housework. But
it is hard to support four people on three
dollars it was, should say, for this was
before the war Then there were weeks
when she had Improbable work, or when
there was work only part of the time; so
that she only earned two dollars, perhaps
only one dollar and half. She then took
extra work when she could get it, and sat
far into the night to get it done. It was
new, and, for her, harder than mill-work,
this sitting hour after hour, with cramped
limbs, strained eyes, and weary fingers.
Soon there We're little debts that she
couldn't meet she grew discouraged, be-
came irritable, the children's noise crazed
her; she gave them a push, sometimes,
in her hurry and anxiety to finish her
task.
About the middle of the following win
ter her tenants moved, and the house lay
empty. She spent much time in showing
the rooms, and in talking to applicants !;
but as time passed, and nobody was suit
ed, Susan's heart sank. One Saturday
night, at the end of a most unfortunate
week, her grocer pressed her for the pay
ment of his bill, and almost refused TO
trust her for more goods. 1t was the first
time in her life that such thing had hap
pened to her, and she was ready to sink
under the umiliation-though thankful
that one drop of bitterness was spared
the middle-a ged clerk, who usually waited
on her, was not by; she could not have
borne that Yet when, an hour later, a
large package was brought to her door by
the pleasant-faced boy of the establish
ment, and she was asked humbly to accept
it, Susan did not send it back, as she had
done things from the same quarter before.
The children's necessities, her own jaded,
discouraged state, prepared her, when
this hour of temptation came, to yield.
What was the use of pride while her
children wanted bread; when soon the
house that their father worked so hard for,
would refuse them sheiterp And could
she ever earn enough TO pay rent, and
feed and clothe them all? So before sum-
mer she was married to Mr.. Powers, the
middle-aged clerk at Mr.. Ransom's; and
i+l, nII fhipu nf tho ~