The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-06-30
"BE JUST AND FEAR NOT!
RICHMOND,
alone to her lonesome old house, from
which [ had taken all the sunlight

which 1 had taken all the sunlight
and Joy.
Il felt pretty mean, [ tell you, but
not half as mean as ] did a few years
afterward, when [ had to go to her
for shelter for us all. I'll tell you
how it was. Things went on swim
mingly with me for about two years
and half; then everything took a
turn, and all went wrong. l took a
job of building a grist mill Tor John
Terry. He was reported to be worth
million or SO; and [ took the job,
and found everything. To do it, l
had to call in all my outstanding
debts, and get credit besides. just
before the mill was done old. Terry
failed up and couldn't take the mill;
so undertook to run it myself, but L
ran behind every day till the mill
burned upset on fire by a miller L
had discharged for taking double
toll. .--ss-=sszz--z-
We'll, there 1 was-heels over
head in debt; and 1 mortgaged my
house and lot to Squire Hogarth to
pay my wOrkmen. Next, l fell off a
barn and splintered my leg into forty
pieces. The doctor wanted to take it
off, of course, but Mother Coolidge
declared she had seen q worse fracture
heal, and make a good deal better leg
than none, and that she believed that
this one would heal too; and it should
not be amputated. She was right, too.
God bless her II can never pay her
for what she did for me. She staid
right by me night and day, and when
the old money-lender foreclosed the
mortgage, she took us all home-Ma-
ria and [, and the two children. l
laid on my back for more than year,
and she went out to work by the day
to support my family. She went up
to the American House and did the
cooking, and, with what she earned
and what they gave her, she managed
to feed and clothe US all.
'iBut it was mighty tight squeak,
I tell you; and if the railroad hadn't
come just then, [ don't know but we
would have all gone to the poorhouse.
But it did como just ia the nick OF
time, and the company bought four
teen acres of mothers land to put
machine shops on, and they paid her
three thousand dollars in cash for it,
and she gave Maria ono half of it, and
Maria gave it to meas all wives
most foolishly do, give every dollar
they have to their husbands; and l
got we'll mighty quick, when | saw a
chance for myself. and went to work,
and things have gone all straight
since.
When we came from mothers to
this house, we tried our level best to
have her come with US, but she said,
No, I'm too old and cranky, and /
like my own way too we'll to live any
where but in my own house, and be-
sides, I'm going to send for my sister
Hannah and her crippled girl to come
and keep me company. Mother,
come! do come l begged; you make
me feel meaner than ever thought l
should feel. by refusing No, no,
John! l shall stay here, just to make
you all place to come to on Christ
mas and Thanksgiving, and to give the
children the pleasure of coming to
grandma's 8 every day. But she add
ed, there's one thing you can do for
me, seeing you feelso badly; you may
repair this old house for me, and
build on an addition Tor Aunt Han
nah and Sophia. Agreed said |.
and l did it, aud prettier cottage is
not to be seen than is hers, and there
is nothing that the children and Maria
enjoy SO well as to go to grandma's
every Sunday to supper, and to have
me drive over aud take them all out
to ride. Aud it is about time for me
'Now you have heard my story, and
you know why it makes me wrathy to
read these frequent coarse and ill
natured filings, such as that diabolical
one [ read to YOU. For my part, /
have had abundant reason to be
thankful that was possessed OF such
a treasure. and [ will never, without
a protest, hear or read Jest at the
expense of man s wife's mother!''
So saying, Mr.. Luther handed me
his paper, and started off at pretty
brisk gait, considering that his left
leg had been once condemned by a
council of learned doctors and was
only saved through the kindly inter-
vention of the muched-traduced
mother-in- law. m