Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-02-10
From Old and New for February
Lifting Up.
BY HARRIET f. LUNT.

If Susan Powers had any idea abou
| the phrase, ga word in season." it was O.
some startling, warning sentence, which
should strike her dumb with shame; some
awful rebuke, that should rouse her, anG
| brighten her out of all this weakness anG
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, 6
man and woman had stood up, and pro
missed 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 honsst, hearty effort, home
just beginning to be theirs, four days Of
illness,-and widow, with a mortgaged
house and three babies, was left.
At first grief for her loss, remorse fol
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 O factory, where she had been a weaver
before her marriage. The trouble was
about leaving her children. She let her
house, all but three rooms; got a girl to
come in through the day, but it did not
answer. Annie was burned; Harry fell
down the cellar stairs; and the baby got
sick. After several trials Susan found a
middle-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 for 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 we'll, 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, and
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 sSusan 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 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
q.
they had barely dishes enough to put on
the table, odd things at that. The
children's clothes were scorched; spoons
were thrown out i'll 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 housekeeper was
foolish girl who was said to be teacha-
BILE and good tempered. Alas for the
teachableness only while You stood over
her, to point out the very place and work,
could she do nything. And very soon
the whole matter eliminated by her let
ting the baby fall out of high chair.
81 must give my notice, and take in
sewing" said Susan; which she did. She
sewed for sale shops, and for 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 a
week, and get through with her house
work. But it is hard to support four peo-
pie on three dollars; it was, shoald 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 a
half. She then took extra work when
she could get it, and sat far into the night
to get it done. 1t was new, and, for her,
harder than mill-work, this sitting hour
after hour with cramped limbs, strained
eyes, and weary fingers. Soon there were
little debts that she conldn't meet she
grew discouraged, became irritable, the
children's noise crazed her; she gave them
push, sometimes, in her hurry and
anxiety to finish her task.
About the middle of the following
winter her tenants moved, and the house
lay empty. She spent much time in
showing the rooms, and in talking to ap-
plicants; but as time passed, and nobody
was suited, Susan's heart sank One Satur-
day night, at the end of most unfortu-
nate week, her grocer pressed her for the
payment of his bill, and almost refused
to trust her for more goods. 1t was the
first time in her life that such thing
had happened to her, and she was ready
to sink under the miliation-though
thankful that one drop of bitterness was
spared-the middle-aged clerk who usual
ly waited on her, was not by; she could
not have borne that Yet when, an hour
later, large package was brought to her
door by the pleasant-faced boy of the es-
Enlistment, 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 childrens neceasi-
ties, her own jaded, discouraged state,
prepared her, when this hour of tempta-
ton 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
shelter And could she ever earn enough
to pay rent, and feed and clothe them all
IL IL =