Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-10-27
HANNAH GNELDT'S DOORSTEP,

hlIChCh uool dClooo tuc Wllliy LtluS
and ice-glazed streamlet which lay be-
tween her home and the little village
Of Greenlock, with its one tapering
spire and slOping roofs and white walls,
bare now Of the summer verdure. She
had done her household work, polished
every article capable of polish, and
nDaped and sanded all the rest. At
the last she had swept clean her door
stone, and now felt free to do what she
choose, to rest or gossip OF sit down to
needle-work-a thing impossible to her
while a spot beneath her roof was out
of order. Just now she felt neither
like gossiping nor sewing; her heart
was very full, and she found it neces-
sary to stand still and think awhile
Only that she was not used to it, she
would have cried, she was so very sad
1t seemed to her that the happiest peo-
pie were those who lay in their green
graves in the church-yard, with crossed
hands upon their bosoms, and feel qui-
ct from all earthly going to and fro for
evermore.
Not that Hannah Gneldt was tired
in body or weary with the toll of house.
hold duty; for she was strong of
frame, and her health was perfect, as
her hands were willing. 1t was on
her humble heart the burden lay, her
spirit that was worn with earthly
travail.
"TWenty-three years to-day I've been
his wife" she muttered, "and I've loved
him well, and worked hard and faith.
full to keep things decent, and it's come
tOthi' at last. Things had been bet.
ter says he, "if he'd married Miss
l.ester!"
Yes, that was what farmer Gneldt,
harrassed by toll and debt, had said
that very morning; and it seemed to
Hannah like the confession of long
repentance forced from her husbands
lips at last.
"POor man! | wish | could help
him." she sighed, leaning on her broom
beside the door. 81 doubt he's right
ABOUT MISS Lester.
, With that her eyes fell and rested
by chance on the doorstep.
81 can mend that, anyhow" she said
land l have time, for work is done"
So she hung the broom up and peep
ed into her oven and set the kettle on
and then, hooded and shawled, crOsset
the field to where the farm Joined thai
of Simeon Gray.
On one spot were men at work ant
stones lying about.
Hannah Gneldt nodded TO the ole
farmer and he came to meet her.
81 want stone," she said. "May
have one?"
al wish you'd take 'em all, said til,
farmer; "lot of rubbish. You Sc,
I'm clearing away what they call tn,
old graveyard at last. Wife talks t
me o sacrilege and disturbin' bones
Bless you, there amt been none fo
years and years; and these hard time
a man can't let land go to waste.
tell wife she don't know nOthin' abOu
it, What do you want to DO? Have
bit around the well?"
mo, l want a step" said Hannah
That great white one is Just th
thing" And she pointed to slal
lard by
"Ike shall bring it over tonight,
said the farmer.
NO." said Hannah, can roll
along"
And her arms, strong as most men,
went TO work at once, and the slab wa
q, rolled and pushed and lifted on its way
1t was toll for a laborer, but it di
Hannah good. She tugged ava,
pushing and lifting, and adding W.
mans ingenuity to mans strength, S
that at last it was at her own doc
There she let it rest and dug the oil
stone out, and afterward brought WI
ter to wash the slab with white as I'll
driven snow, for the most part, wit
some little yellow weather stains abor
the edge, and on one side the black il
scription-a name, eulogy, and date
Hannah stared with the curiosity
one who cannot read.
81 wish could tell what that was
she said. Some ones age and nam
All! there were sore hearts when tn;
was new. l hope when l die Olive
will have written over me that | WI
good wife. I've tried to be. Iougl
to know that big letter-wait a bit /;
believe it's T."
Then she turned the inscriptiC
downward and washed the other siC
clear and white and fitted it int
place.
She received little credit for h
work. Oliver only muttered:
"You needn't have published ii
fact. l couldn't afford porch to IL
place" And no one noticed the st,
afterward save Hannah when 81
scrubbed it.
Matters were very bad at the Gneld
Oliver brooded over the fire in speec
less sorrow, and grew grayer and bal
er with each passing day. Hanni
kept ruiz off little by making a hon
Of the poor house and a feast of Il
humble fare by her housewives ski
She might have been cheerful but
the memory of that lucklcss speech.
Working in her garden one da
when the first spring grass was gro
ing green, Hannah heard footsteps, al
lifting her head saw two gentlem
beside her, and arose precipitate
with womanly anxiety about
ankles, not strictly covered, perha]
by her cOtton' gown. The nearest &C
tleman, an elderly man, with brigl
dark eyes, addressed her.
"Mrs. Gneldt, l presume"
"Yes, sir"
She asked him to walk in and he 1
so, the other following. In the lit
parlor they sat down.
"You are Mrs. Hannah Gneldt, c
3 yer Gneldts wife?'
Y "Yes, sir, it is about about,
cuse me, you look like a lawyer, ant
fear it is more trouble for Oliver"