The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-01-11
acknowledgement
HER OWN STORY.
ont Of Thy Own Mouth Do l
condemn Thee.r-Luke 1922.

.out Of Thy own Mouth Do i
condemn Thee.r-Luke l9'22.
II. AIbro In the Rural New Yorker.
"There's no tellin' what he would a
lone, He might a killed himself and he
hight not,n said the widow Barker, as
Ne bent over Mrs. Martins bright kitch-
a hearth to knock the ashes from her
bld clay pipe. "The neighbOrs thought
L acted 80 just to scare me. But tell
lou, Miss Martin, when folks happen to
blink that they might end their troubles
" maxim way with 'emselVes, Old Nick
las got u hold on 'em, and he keeps a
buIIin''em along until by and by he has
,yerything his own way. l wouldn't live
through another such time for what the
Ihole place is worth. Why, 1 Just lived
fear and tremblin' all winter long, and
b.lore spring came I made up my mind
IN get away FROM there. oh, the way
.bey treated mel | tell you, anybody
Eboll use a mother the way | wa used
!" and abe gave her old head a myster.
.ons shake that sent the gray hair, which
kas cropped of straight across the neck,
bri.tling out worse than ever. She put
h her mouth the stem OF the empty pipe,
,ttonr with the concentrated odor Of
many pounds OF tobacco, and took two or
.lrve long pullS, each one ending only
Ehen the thin, dark cheeks drew together
Ind Caressed each other.
"Why did your son act so strangely
nueried Mrs. Martin, as she stood by the
lfoning.table, putting the finishing touch
to a snowy table-cloth.
"'Cause he couldn't get all the properly
;nto his own hands. He wanted should
ara over my thirds 10 him and give him
In the personal properly, and then l
hight a. whislled for a Twin, or gone TO
.he 200 house, for all O. what he'd u
eared. But William wasn't so much to
blame, after all. It was more his wiie's
%oins. She kept a pettin' him up all O.
.he time. She was a high.strung piece,
part Scotch and part Yankee. Her folks
lied when she was small, and she come
hp sort O. by luck and chance. Mag l
lsed to tell her, you never was anybody
Ind you never will be anybody Then
Eouidn't her Scotch temper ty like sparks
irom a burnin' chimney in a high wind !
"No there'd never been a word said
about the properly II Bill hadn't q gone
Ind got married. He'd a. worked the
place Just us he'd done all along since the
BID man died, and l could a lived with
him in peace. But as soon as he brought
hIs Highland %lassie,' as he used to call
Der, there, then, hurrah boysl there
sa'n'tno rest till he'd got a deed O. the
band. The girls signed of for two hun.
Bred dollars apiece, 10 be paid when Bub
Zones OF age. Then he will have an
equal share with the rest, which won't be
In three years from next January. In
Consideration for signin' away my thirds,
/ stayed there, / was TO receive 4 small
,um O. money each year, enough TO keep
be in clothes and tobacco. II | went
,omewhere else, l was to be paid more,
In quarterly payments. l had him pref
" we'll bound, though he couldn't see II.
ID would A. been better for them itthey'd
used me we'll and let me stayed. But
ID use a mother the way 1 was used,p-
Ind she completed the sentence with a
MAKE Of the head that was suggestive oil
hany irightful scenes. "Well, l never
kani to see another such q time. Why,
|shey liked to starved us to death. That
ade Of Williams would cook up a lot Of
Fictuals and carry 'em over to the neigh.
bOrs to keep 'em out o my way. ! want
|bgoiA to help about the cookin', nor do
snything else as long as they was bound
% support me; would you, Miss Martin
d told 'em they wouldn't catch me a pay
b for my support and dom enough be-
,ides to pay my way.
"Bat / saw the time when ] was glad
b get up and see what the yictuals was
lhade Of. One night, alter Mag and Bill
had been over 10 her uncle's all day, they
brOugh home a small pan Of sassagc meat.
Nag was as good n pie TO me. She went
ind cut of some Of the sausage and cook:
d me a real nice supper. ! wondered
hat made her do II, but i made up my
hind that her uncle had been talkin' 10
Der for usin' me 30. hadn't had any.
bling good in such a long time, it seemed
as though ] couldn't eat enough. l sal
bp about a half an hour after I'd eaten
By supper; but | hadn't been 10 bed but u
ew minutes before I began to feel sick.
kept u CROWN worse, and l never in
by life was 80 sick as | was all that night.
fes, ma'am, ] am sure Of 1t She had
but pilen in my vituals. Alter that, l
lone all | possibly could, and used to eat
pnly enough to keep soul and body to-
sether.
a tell You, Miss Martin, I've seen bet
|er times since | come out here TO live
nth my daughter. I've had plenty 70
b, and | amt afraid Of bein' pizened
Ether Yes, l made n good swap, II
hiartha's man does sometimes get pretty
FrangleSome, / gave him II peace o. my
bind this morin,' Miss Martin. Don't
lou believe he went and paid Bob stihon
twenty dollars for his old cutter that amt
Forth tenl Dick suE you ought TO
b complained OF. You look 10 the in
lerests Of other folks before you do 70
your family SUE !, Nov Dick, il you'll
listen to me- SUI l u can give you good
Advice.' Hesaid he guessed he knew hii
eWn business. Yes suz j, you dc
know your own business, and you tend e
your business too suE l. your bust,
hessi' is to look 10 everybody's else''
interest and lei your family suffer,
luE l."
The old woman paused to take breath
and Mrs. Martin once more led her baci
10 the subject on which she started, b!
ibe question:
"8hy did your son attempt to Kill
himself'
"why, after he'd got a deed o the land
lhen he wasn't satisfied. He wanted on,
pf the COWS. Week in and week out b,
fas continually teaSin' me to give hin
pld White Face. One night, Mag. wa
pyer 10 her u%ncle's; Bub had gone TO bed
Ind Bill aud me set out by the FIRE alone
Bill had acted kind o d%nmpish.like a
.he evenin'. He set bent over with BIZ
IAce in his hands and his elbows restir
10 his knees. knew what he was think
a about, and expected every minute b
you'd commence, The clock had strucI
and ! was Wonderin' how much louge
be was goin' to set there, when, all q
nee, he Strengthened himself up, and be
an about thecow.