Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-02-06
PHEBE.

foOTUdfy.
.. PHEBE.
Her story, rs Told by One Of Her NeIgh-
bOrs.
Laws! that's Phebe Carl! Hain't you
never seed herP I've knowed Phebe
sence she was little thing no bigger'n
n Mis- Bes's baby. She used to think she
had a hard time. poor girl! Well, it
wdS kind o. discouragin'. Old man
Carl he had big family, and Mis-
Carl she never had no health, and
Phebe bein' the only girl, the heft o. the
work fell onto her. I've seed that there
child, when she wasn't more'n ten year
& old, putin out as big days washin'
as many o growed woman could do
Mis- Carl had the cancer, and she made
a.terrible sight o. washin', so she did
Then there was six hulkin' fellows, and
menfolks' washin' amt no light Job,
now kin tell ye! Of course they wore
calico shirts and overhalls, but they
were careless boys, all exceptin' Jake.
Now, Jake, he was the proudest feller,
an he must have his starched white
shirt fer Sunday and his linen coats in
summer, fixed up to kill Hit didn't
do him no good fer to fix up so fine, so
it didn't. He married the wuthlessest
girl OF any of the boys, and they didn't
none of 'em git much fer to brag on.
Well, Phebe, she done fer all of 'em,
and they lived in the shacklin'est cabin
down on that cross road, t'other side
of the ole sawmill. The roof hit was
arays leakin' and spilin' the beds,
and Phebe she'd have to move her
mother round from one corner to the
other TO keep her in the dry, and them
big boys loafin' round up at the store
with their hands in their pockets.
Sometimes ethey'd git days work to
do, chopin or haulin', but giner'ly
they didn't do much but lay themselves
out to sun-and spit. Every one o.
them boys an the ole man chawed; and
they didn't have no manners where
they spit, and Phebe never could keep
her floor nor her quilts clean. I've
seed that girl put out o washin' o.
quilts 'twould reach from here to the
mill. She was awful industrious, and
always patchin' quilts, so she was.
She made one SNOWFALL and one settin'
sun as pretty as any quilts l ever laid
my eyes on; then she had two log
cabins-one wooden and one cotton
and nine patches-LawsI there was
no end to the quilts that girl didn't
make! But they never done her no
good. She never got none of them, fer,
when Mis- Carl died, the ole man he
married ag'in and jes' kept everything.
He married the triflin'e est ole thing in
the country that nobody didn't think
was scarcely decent; and fust thing she
does is to up and order Phebe out of
the house. And Phebe she went, and
said she wouldn't go back there no
more; and nobody didn't blame her.
Two of the boys got married before
their mother died; and the rest of 'em
they jes' hung round like they always
done.
But Phebe, there wasn't no hang
round in her. Jake told her she might
come and make her home at his house,
and she did, and, laws! if they didn't
work her! Jake's woman she never
Lifted her finger if she could help it;
and it was Phebe this and Phebe that,
year in and year out. The girl never
went nowheres, and she had less clothes
than anybody ever seed! Jake he new
er got her nothin' to wear, except a
linen suit onc't that he bought at the
store and brought home, and everybody
thought he was goin' to make her q
present of it. But, 10 and behold vel
when she left, he ups and makes her
pay fer it! I'd a-told him: "Mister,
I've done your work fer nothin', and
you hain't furnished me nothin' but
vittles, and now if you don't pay the
store-keeper f6P this, he kin sue you fer
1t" But she paid fer it, and didn't
say nothin' to nobody, out o. the five
dollars Abe give her after she worked
fer him five or six months.
You see Abe's woman was one o. the
hed-fast kind, like the fust ole Mis-
Carl. She was reel pleasant woman
when she wasn't ailin' but I've knowed
her to lay with the bone-airysip'lis a
year and half without never gittin' up
out o. her bed.
They couldn't git no help, and Abe
he couldn't paid fer it eff they had a
got iL-workin' by days works, and not
always hayin' job; and they had three
children, so they had, and as SASSY
brats as ever went unwhipped. Abe's
wife couldn't do nothin' with them:
and there was the family TO do fer, and
nobody to do the work.
So Abe he ups and goes fer Phebe
when his woman gifts so bad she can't
help herself no more. And nothin'l
do but Phebe must come to his house.
de made such pitiful mouth that
Phebe, poor thing, she couldn't saw no.
And that made Jake and his woman
mad, now l tell ye! They'd been 40
used to have Phebe TO their beck an,
call, that it sot hard for anybody else to
git the use Of her. Jake he did behave
scand' lous, so he did! He cussed and
ripped around at her, and tole her she
needn't look TO him fer home no
more, She might go to the porehouse
fer all o. him.
Fore Phebe, she felt mighty bad, but
she tole him she guessed She wouldn't
never go onto charity, fer she'd always
been able to work. And his wife
wouldn't say goodbye TO her, and he
cussed and swore till she was out of
sight She didn't have no pleasure at
, Abe's house, now | tell vel 1never see
slch sassy brats as them was, and all of
,em onto Phebe from mornin' to night.
IL nigh about tuck the life out o. her.
But she tuck care o. Abe's woman and
done sight o. work. and things went
ON Ter about six months; and then the
pore girl was clean out o. everything 10
wear. She war jes' as nigh naked fer
all kinds o. clothes as you ever see.
Phebe was awful keerful of her things
or shed never made her mothers old
thlpgs last her SO long. But old Mis-
Carl didn't hev but a few calico things
herself. There was that girl nigh
twenty-five years ole, and she'd never
had all-wool or alpacky dress In her
life. She never had nothin' better TO