The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-08-24
GFandmOther'S ReminiS-
cenceS.

"A decided success, except the pota
toes" was Anna HOlwOrthy's verdict
in regard 10 her centennial dinner
as she and John, and Grandmother
Tyrrell sat and slipped the iee-cream
which made IFS crOWning glory,
"You need not try and look as If you
did not mind, john" she added, try
ing to frOwn sternly at her husband
Of week. "You know that those
potatoes were all Jumps, and the egg
on the top wouldn't brown, do whal
would"
"Pm satisfied" said John, cheeriIy.
'Its grsndma's duty TO say some
thing unkind. She promised TO love,
honor, and be a mOther-in-laW to me,
and America expects every woman to
do her duty in this centen-"
t'NOw, John demonstrated Anna,
while Grandmother Tyrrell smiled
plscidly and said /: "I never object to
potatoes, however badly cooked,
John, for never can see one without
thinking Of the days when 1 used to
cry because there was nothing to eat
but potatoes and milk, and my sister
Mary cried because there wasn't
enough of that"
"Was that during the war ?" asked
John.
-''NOt exactly. You forget that 1
shall not be q centenarian, as you call
1t, for five years, Why, mother used
to tell me, though, that our hard
times were nothing to those that she
saw an the war. While your grand
father Tyrrell was away she took care
of us little ones almost without any
help. His pay was but scsnty, at
best; and after the Continental money
DEPRECATED it would not have been
worth sending home, even had he not
needed every cent Of it to keep him
alive. Mother spun, ana wove, and
seWed-nOt only for herself, but for
her neighbOrs and titled our little
garden-pateh with her own hands
and eut hay for the eEe COW that was
our mainstay and support ; and put
on a brave face when father was
home on leave, and said that she was
doing very well. But she broke
down at last, and when he was dis
charged and came back to Berwick
she had been obliged to sell our little
house, and we were all huddIed to-
gether in what Anna would call hut
a little square On6-roomed place,
with door and two windows and a
chimney, Just like these shoe-shOps
that you'll see down in Essex county.
1t was not much OF q welcome for a
return patriot, was it ? 1t seemed to
discourage father and my sister
Mary has often told me how he turn
ed white and sat down and grOaned
aloud when be first looked around the
poor room. was only two years old
then, and do not remember much of
that; but I never shall forget the day,
three years after, when he died. He
never was we'll after he came home.
An old wound opened again and
again, and kept him weak and fin
ally he overwOrked himself in the
bayfield, one summer day, and the end
came.
"He lay on the high bed that moth
er had pulled out in the middle of the
room to give him air, and one by one
she lifted up Us children to hear his
last words. They were not very
grand or impressive-We were only
common people but they were kind
and true and loving, and although the
oldest of us five was but twelve years
old we all felt the force Of what he
said and wept. Then he bade my
mother goodbye. They were still
young (he was but .thirty-three and
she not yet thirty, andit was hard to
psrt but she was very firm and
quiet. The women Of our family take
their troubles silently, John, remem-
Der. Don't think that Anna does not
care about q grievance because she
doesn't make an outery about it Ny
mother stood with one hand in my
fathers and famed him with the
other steadily, as clOck-work
and he gaZed at her as If he would
take her face into heaven with him.
You'll have q hard time, think he
said, moving restlessly about ibut
God will watch over Won. and he
rr-uSuIugUUI, VIII never see the SOL
diers' families suffer. He's thought
ful and kind, he, Washington And
then his mind wandered, and no died
at last with his beloved Generals
name on his lips"
"Did yeu ever see Washington ?"
asked John, after little pause.
"If 1 only might have w said
grandmother, wistfully. "If / only
could remember that his hand ever
rested on my head, If 1 had ever
heard him speak one word But my
ewes never saw his face. Ny mother
told me that he was very grand and
stately; but my father always seemed
to think most of his bravery in battle
and his tenderness to his men,"
"Did your mother ever get a PEN
sion ?" was Johns next question:
uDear me, no. Strange how you
D -, lozE IL
ask that. She tried, and Parsons
Greenough wrote letter for her, but
nothing ever came Of it, and after she
died my brother James lawyer took
It up and tried for twenty years, and
finally, in 1856, we got $50, and the
five OF Cs and the lawyer shared it be-
tween us. AS we had paid him fees
before and made many Journeys back
and fourth to sign papers, we decided
that it cost us about seventy-five dol
lars apiece to get the twenty-five dol
lars"
''TeII John about the times that
came next" said Anna, after the lit
tIa marty were next established for
the evening in the parlor-Grand-
mamma very erect aud stately, with
her high chair and fOOtstOol (; John
very comfortable in his camp-ehair
in the bsy-windOw, and Anna nest
ling by his side on an ottoman
"DO," said john" l know heaps
about the times that tried mems souls
IL haven't read anything else for
months but don't know much oil
the times that tried their bodies"
81 should have to give you the
story OF twenty years Of hard work, to