Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1871-03-22
MARY'S RAG CARPET.
BY CAROLINE MAYNARD.

| NOW, SamlweI, SAID WIDOW cram
i guess you nights we'll be helpin' Ma
ry tie them rags together for the carpet
as to be settn' raound the house idlin
way your time all the evenin'.'
1t might have seemed to an unpreju
diced observer, that as the young man
bad already done good days work, be
bad right TO rest in the evening.
But not so thought Widow Cram,
who never felt she had done her whole
duty until she had got the last particle OF
work out of each human being within
her reach that it was in her power to ex
tract.
Sam Haywood was Widow Grams
hired man; good looking young fell
low of tw enty one, with soft dark eyes
and beautiful set of teeth. Nothing
else very remarkable about his appear
ance except peculiar pleasant smile
which lighted up bis face occasionally
not often, poor fellow, for what had he to
smile ats
Some men would have given the widow
piece of their mind on this occasion,
and animated to her, very plainly, that
their DAYS work was over. Possibly
Sam himself might have done SO under
other circumstances; but in truth the
youth desired nothing better than to be
set at work by the side of Mary Crosby
for whom he had long had secret ad
miration. A very secret one it was, for
he would no more have dared to pro.
fess il openly than he would have walked
up to the widow aud asked her TO doub g
his wages. And any one who has ever
seen her knows what an amount of cour
age that would require.
Mrs Grams only sister had died ten
years before, leaving an orphan daughter
Ia her care. The little maid brought no
dowry with her but pretty face, good
health, and gay. light-hearted DISPOSE
ton. So her aunt bad 10 be ut much
expense for her, MS she took care TO lei
her know from time IL time-not remem
heIing to mention in this connection the
fact that, in the course of very few
years, the young girl had begun to pay
abundantly. by her services, for the very
modes, maintenance her aunt saw fiji to
bestow on her. But as Mary grew old
er she found this out for herself; and
one day, when the widow was referring
as she often did, to the money she had
spent on her, her niece startled her by
saying: :.
: / dom: want TO be an expense to you
any longer, Aunt Hetty. Mrs. Arnold
says she'll give me three dollars a week,
snd my board and lodging besides. if I'll
come and work with her girls at tailor
ing. and perhaps I'd better GO
After this. Mary heard no more about
the cost of keeping her. She was a girl
of spirit, and Aunt Hetty knew very well
that il would not need much provocation
to drive her out of the house; so she
held her peace, for in her niece she would
have lost valuable assistant at dairy
work, and must have supplied her place
with far more expensive help.
There was danger, however, from an
other source. Mary had not reached the
age of eighteen without having the dis
covery made by divers young men of
the village that she was uncommony
well endowed both with good look ana
cleyerness, and that, rs far as appearance
went, she would make an excellent wife
1t was also surmised, though on no shad
ow Of authority that her aunt would leave
her all she hsd at her death, for who else
81 -,
had quarreled with her only daughter
| and only child, who had married contra
ry 10 her wishes, and whose name Mary
bad never heard her mention in all the
long years she had lived with her.
Somebody must have tue snug little
farm. and why not Mary Crosby?
The widow felt that her hold on her
niece was slight, though Mary never had
showed any preference for one Of he'
beaux over another; but in the ordinary
course of human affairs, some one would
| pick her off sooner or later, and hel
aunt's appreciation of this fact was shown
in a respect such as she paid to no other
mortal.
On this particular evening, when Aun
Hetty had got out her bag of carpet.
rags and emptied it on the kitchen table
and had seen Sam ard Mary fairly a
work, each armed with a pair of stou
shears, she put on Der sun bonnet ant
went off to gossip with nelghbor. l
was not very often she did this; Mar,
could have borne it with resignation if j
had happened more frequently, and lef
her free to read surreptitious novel o
Airt with one of Der admirers; but
When the old lady did 60 ou:, she gener
ally wanted company, and il was on