Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-03-30
WIDOW HAWKINS TRIAL.
From the Providence (R. ~ Press.

The old Hawkins estate was about
as bare, rocky and unpromising farm
as you could find in all New England.
A western man wouldn't have taken a
single chance there against starvation,
and vet the Hawkinses had held it for
many generations. There was tradi
ton that "the old man of all had been
put on that place and compelled to
earn living Whatever may have
been the truth of that, it was certain
his descendants had always shown
great attachment to the old homestead,
and would answer auy disparaging re-
marks concerning the land by quoting
"Granther Hawkins who used to SAY,
There's master lot of rock, which
gives the farm dreadful uneven look;
but there's spots where the site is as
good as can be found IN this ere sec
ton
The present owner and occupants
were the Widow Hawkins and her two
sons, Ephralm, a man of nearly forty
years, and Solomon, who was "iust
turned twenty" And these two
woman's trials.
Not that they were bad, or even i'll
disposed, but simply "t,yingn
The husband and father had died
when Solomon was babe in arms, and
1.-the boys had been brought up with
out any head, - as the widow expressed
it,
Ephraim inherited the family name
and most of the honors which had fallen
SUCCESSFULLY to their share - such as
being Selectman and member of
the "School Committee But his
father, grandfather and great grand
father had been Deacons, and as yet he
had not been "chosen," although sew
eral vacancies had occurred since his
years and experience had rendered him
eligible to that office.
1t was great trial to the widow, for,
with a mothers partially, she deemed
it fitting that the fathers mantle should
fall upon the son, who was in every
way worthy to follow in the footsteps
of his sire. And another thing "tried -
the widow Ephraim had never shown
any matrimonial inclination, although
his duty had been faithfully lmd before
HIM " line upon line, precept upon pre-
cept, but with strange perversity COM
mon to human nature, (and | should
like to add, for the sake of truth, that
il reaches its highest development in
the masculine persuasion he seemed
deaf to her fond entreaties and blind to
his own interests
Wise and deep were the arguments
used by the widow, but Ephraim would
cody put ON his hat and make his exit
in the middle of her longest sentence.
Many and curious We're the traps which
she set for her son, but he never for
moment became entangled in any of
them.
Did she invite some of the farmers
daughters - to pass the afternoon and
stay to tea, Ephriam was sure to be
absent at supper time and Solomon
would have the girls TO entertain and
"see home And solomon, instead
of blaming his brother and sympathiz-
ing with the poor womanin "her trials
seemed to consider it good fun, and
would persist in rehearsing what the
girls said about Ephriam's running
away from them. And many evenings
when he should have been at home
with his books, or in meeting with his
mother, he would be idling his time
away in some farmers kitchen, in dan
gerouS proximity to rosy cheeks and
flashing eyes, or away on the ice where
some pretty girl would cling closely to
him, knowing intmtively that the more
helpless and dependent she seemed the
greater would be the care and attention
given her.
No wonder Mrs. Hawkins used to
sigh and say, If Ephraim ever does
get wife ard solomon don't get more'n
one. ] shall be thankful.
she had borne with commendable
spirit and silence the remarks which
were made in her hearing, but there is
q limit to human patience, and it is