Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-06-10
the head of the little one. He could only
speak in a faint whisper.
"'Is it grip he said.
n'It,s a GIRL. papa,'

and then he gathered all the little strength
he bad left. and murmurcd iaintly:
Take care of her Margery.'
$50 YOU see the child was solemn he
quest TO me. in manner My father
never spoke again, and in few minutes
he was dead. And he was tbs only
friend ever had"
Margery paused a moment. We coOld
see in the dim light that she wiped tear
from her still beautiful eyes. with their
long black lashes. Then she went Oh :
From that day gaYS my life up TO
Lily. That's my story, long or short. |
was wrong. No one ought Ia give his
/ lifetime or even the best years oi il up
to another. God never meant Is You
may make a slave OF yourself to some
body, aud the more you slave the more
YOU may slave. and by and by you will be
looked upon as slave. You may give
Yourself up soul aud body to work lur
another all your lie long just ouI uf purS
! love. What ,hen2 Be sure you'll yet ne
thanks for it, and your owner'll not think
( II bit more of YOU for it, That's one oi
/ The queer things I've observed in this
world being but u solitary woman with
n crooked back, aud having no company
/ but my own thoughts Tor fifteen lears
Women are more apt 10 .ins inl" this
slayi.h existencs than man. I've seen
wnmad fairly crawl on her hands aud
knees tn please "a man, work her lil" out
/ inch nv inch iur him. without L Thought
or care Tor heisell. What did her hu-
band do? He mostly lcll his vile n home
/ IN tho kitchen, and went oil To play
I gallant To some other woman who wasn't
worth his wiles lille finger nail, Ia As
( hard Tor the poor vile, but ii wac good
enough Tor her Make slave ul t"ut.
sell aud you'Ii be treated as slave.
Though I've noticed that where 4 n,au,
" ic drudge> hcr lie out tor him n uu'.,1
happens in turn that his second wiic gels
her foot upon his neck in the sa'ar Nay
lis a relribution of Providence on him
Jus, So, gave my life up to L'N. l
don't complain of it, or regret IL. mind
YOU; yet is but sorry comfort to rvmo,n-
her il nav. Washed and dressed .s,hy
Lily, and slept Sith her and fed her, anl
took care OF her night and day She
wouii CRY II mother touN her away from
me. Not that mother cared. Mother
never cared tor anything much, but her
sell she had been the beauty al 4. large
family. Tho beauty ol tie lamry Is
nearly always disagrecablc. Mother
was a spoill, selfish beauty when father
married hcr. She stayed spoiIt and sell
fish as long AS she lived. though she
wasn't Il beauty any longer. am sure
she held u grudgs against the memory oI
my i.ther for dying and leaving her poor.
She Led 10 say she wondered what ever
made her such an idiot rs to marry
iather dare say many another woman
wonders the same thing about her huS.
band. after awhile.
Mother had grudge at me because |
was like poor iathcr, think. She said
had no spirit OF lilO in me, just like my
father. Lily was beautiful. like mother.
MAS the drudge, like father. We be-
cane too poor to keep a servant. after a
while. aud was maid Of all work
never cared for schooling much. | was
.lupid poke. like father, mother said,
SO worked about the house, and took
care Of Lily. We kept lodger OF two
| in the house. and so managed 10 live.
/ Lily VAS beautiful rs child angel (;
| though she wasn't much like an angel, ~
be sure But the child was spoilt from
the Leginning. Her eyes were As blue as
the spring violets. and people told her SO
from the Time she was two years old,
Her hair was like brown autumn Leaf
showered over with gold dust and people
told her that, too She was wliIlul
lilllo thing from The first, and always
took her own head. She ruled mother
with rod OF iron, and they both together
ruled me.
"Whcn Was fifteen years old, that
happened to me which-which made Wa
what you SECS. I-,'c used 10 look bright
to me before that used TO sit at night
and look out in the darkness and dream
of home aud happincss which might
one day be mine. Why not? Every
girl dreams so. My idea of happiness is
lust home, Even rs sal looking out
i'm the darkness, then II dreaming girl OF
fifteen. even so l lit here now alone by
nv window at night. and dream that The
good have missed ON earth, will he
made up To mo in heaven. | believe
that Tor all the poJr people in the world,
and God bless us ali Ali, well! The
home and happiness were never TO be.
Ny life has beeu nearly all darkness and
gloomy weather. But once | heard a
man say that above the clouds the sun is
ALWAYS shining. remember that And
am sure that must be how it is. When
we pierce the clouds it will be all bright:
ness and loy.
III can hardly tell you the next.
don't know very well myself, only know
that my mother always blamed me Tor IT.
and said it was all my stupidity. Lily
was headstroug child, as said;
roaring little vixen when her temper
was un. Ii she was crossed in anything,