Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-01-13
STARVED 70 DEATH /!
BY ROSELLA RICE.

BY ROSELLA RICE.
She was the wife of farmer in easy
circumstances She was poor, and
thin. and sallow: he was strong, and his
constitution was of iron. His views
were right on every subject; if any one
differed from him he wondered at the
blindness. When his wife said:
<.There is nothing [ can eat this morn
ing and sat with tears in her eyes
and poured out her tea into the saucer,
and then waited awhile and poured it
back into the cup, and called this eat
ang, he ate slice after slice Of the FAT,
fried salt pork, and peeled and ate of
the boiled potatoes with relish, say
ing: Il would want nothing better
than this-nobody could wish for a bet
ter breakfast She smiled and winked
faster TO break the tears that were gath
ering. ee.a
This life lasted for years, The TO-
bust farmer ate of his salt pork, and
boiled potatoes, and beans, and pork
gravy, and with his abundant outdoor
exercise his health was excellent: His
little wife grew thinner and thinner ::
children came to her, and she nursed
them, and her life grew weaker and
smaller, for she had no vitality to spare
to them. ss--
She was starving to death. All
through the long summers, day after
day, the same strong food scarcely va
ried at all, was hers to eat or to let
alone-to turn from in disgust-while
her husband ate it with relish, and
laughed, and called her whimsical. )"
Fat pork, potatoes, fried mush, molas-
ses, boiled beans, eggs fried in grease
everything that nature loathes III the
summer time, was placed before the ex-
acting husband three times day the
whole year around.
When the poor, feeble, nursing moth
er sat at the table, disguised with the
food before her, sickened with the
smell. he called it g first rate and ate
enough for both.
Friends rallied the little woman OIL
her emaciated appearance, and playfrlly
pinched the blue, bony arms, and laugh
Ugly slid their plump hands down over
her jutting shoulder-blades. Her smile
was always the same, placid, and pitt
ful, and patient. There was but little
sustenance for herself and baby in the
cup of tea and the bit of fine -four bread
and butter that she ate, when she ateat
all.
IT she said: 81 wish we had some
good beef or mutton, the broad shout
dered farme r-husband laughed and
thought he had said witty thing when
he replied: g Nothing to kill nothing
I e.. Ill,
kill one of the horses p
His fine sheep grazed upon the green
hillsides, his sIee calves ran in the
meadow and orchard, and his shiny
cattle browsed in the shady woods, and
came down the path to the brook to
drink its cool waters.
Nothing to kill ! and the little wife,
the mother of the puny children, starv-
ing to death for the lack of food that
contained nutriment for her was ted lit
tie body, nutriment to repair the lax
muscles, the soft, fabby flesh, and the
thin, watery blood.
Starving to death-g1vlng OF her own
impoverished life to her children, when
the food she pinned for lay in sight of
her door every day.
The end drew nigh. The summers
heat was intolerable. She could keep
step no longer to the urgent demand of
what she deemed duty. She sought the
coolest corner of the old house, and
smiled and lay down and folded her
hands and the sweet Angel OF Peace
made its abiding place within that low,
quiet, darkened room. Thrice a day
her cup of tea and bit of bread were
carried to her.
Starving to death-but SO gradually
that it was not hard or painful. Thrice
In the quietudo of that little haven of
rest she essayed to fashion ali infants
tiny white slip, but she soon wearied,
and the needle lay In her attenuated
fingers for many minutes before the
work was resumed-at last the needle
lay still with the stitches on tat
hast
Her smile was seraphic when she
looked down upon the new life claimant
that Law beside her. Shadows, both of
chem The mothers weight would not
exceed seventy pounds, and the babe,
the tiny, beautiful white checked baby,
weighed only two pounds and half.
Both little lives faded away gradually,
and they were laid III one coffin, 1t
was a sad sight. Friends mourned the
going out of the light and called
It dispensation of Providence, and the
preacher cornforted the bereft husband
and spoke divine words of coincidence
tOrthe children. &A
All. me If the letter of the law had
cen fulfilled the Coroner would have
ED an inquest over the emaciated
:. dies of the defrauded mother and
D e.. Sac