Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-03-28
JACK PLAYNE,s s.O.aY.

JACR PLANES SAU.AF.
This story is not about myself at
all, though it is written as if it was
going to be. am man that knows
the boy the story is about. l am
only Jack Blayne. He is very diff
ferent sort of fellow from me.
His mother was the widder Hen
niHgs. His father had been dead
six or seven years, when the history
begins. They came to Greenbush
for good many summers before he
died, and after that the widder made
up her mind to stay there. You see,
Hennings didn't leave much-just a
couple of thousand on a life insur
ance, and the co tage and acre in
Greenbush. Ali the rest was used
up in settling the estate.
But you'd never guess, not from
her talk, that she didn't own a pri-
vate bank. She'd talk about the
convenience of fixed income; zone
could calculate so exactly how far it
would go and never be disappointed
And she would groan over the in
come tax, when, poor thing, it never
came nigh her.
You see, she came of an excellent
family. In early times, one of her
ancestors was Governor, and a great
uncle had been a senator, before it
was Glow" to be Senator. That is,
she used to say so. l don't know
about it. I've always had to work
hard and live plain, and there was
always the taxes, hot and heavy,
whatever else happened, and "sena-
tors" always looked high enough for
me. And in most of the families of
her connection the boys went to col
Iege and the girls to boarding-school
and spoke French and played the
piano. Not that l have heard of
there being much money in the fam
lily, but they paid their way. and
studied hard, and got to be lawyers,
or doctors, or preachers. Never
none of 'em down right worked with
his hands for a living.
One reason the widder stuck to
Greenbush was the school. The
teacher was excellent, and as it cost
nothing, nothing could be better for
her son, Horatio-''Rash" for short
until, as she'd say, he's ready to pre-
pare for college. Seems to me as if
/ could see her now. The same black
satin dress, winter and summer. In
winter, threadbare, black cloak;
in summer, a net shawl, darned in
some places, very nicely, and black
mits, and the same black satin bon
net, made over and over once year,
through it all. She had some lace
she could put on when she went out
to tea at the doctors or the 'squires,
and a set of Jet and gold ornaments
which were very old-to fasten
the lace, and swing in her ears. And
II ne widder Hennings was splendid
wo man! tall, straight as an Indian,
and mead set well back on her shoul-
ders, Pve often watched her go up
the bro 'ad aisle, and thought I'd like
to have / ested her with plumb line,
she was 81. straight. But Eliza says
I am forey er carrying the shop with
me. Tken she'd wonderful high,
hooked nose, and eye brows that
arched o yer her black eyes like the
front doc of the old mansion house,
and hardly a gray hair in her head.
Must hav e been an awful cross Tor
such a fine looking woman TO give
up dress, an d all the pomps anu van
tiles of this world, to live in such a
plain way in Greenbush.
Dear heartl she never kept no
help, only once a fortnight Betsy
Doolittle did out the heaviest of her
washing. The lit tie things, such as
handkerchiefs and collars, she did
herself, and called it her ''fne wash"
1t looked like doll baby's washing
day.
The cottage itself sEas cheaply
built, plain finished afair, with com
mon wood work, burt j often found
time to do little jobs for her in slack
times; aud what with the garden
and the interest on the life Insurance,
and the water-color, and the wax
flower lessons she gave to the
'squire's wife and the doctors daugh-
ters abe pot along.
She often made presents of EN-
broiderv To brides and babies, and
presents were made to her. Once
she cot a b arrel of potatoes, once a
barrel of win ter apples, and often a
bushel of pears, or something like
that. On the whole, she got along.
If anybody can he in while she was
making her croc betting, or her tat
ting, or her embro. idery-not an inch
of which she ever used at home
she would talk of h ow much more
ladylike it was to ha we nice under
clothing and plain dr., asses, than out
side show and rags. Eiza used to
say that the things on her clothes
line were mended till th ey were real
curiosities. However, tht ~ were bet
ter than debts, and didn't Hs91gle her
steps like mortgages, for the place
was clear and her own. FOf my
part, l never could see tn e seHSe OF
such common sort of a Persep as
Queen Victoria living in sL 'Sih style'
and such natural born qneen as
widder Hennings working 70 'hsre'
and fariHg SO plain.
But ~ Tor Rash Not / Pt NAAs
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