Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1883-01-20
PORK AND POTATOES.
"Pork and potatoesl
Pork and potatoes!"

"Pork and potatoes!
Pork and potatoesr'
There was little of rhyme or reasol
in the monotonous reiteration of thes
homely words, yet they had the design
ed effect, for in the course of time th,
wide-eyed baby in the woman's lal
began to nod drowsy approval, anc
at last fell into an uneasy slumber.
Carefully the singer placed it in it.
little cradle and turned to her neglected
work. There was enough to do in al
conscience. So much she hardly knew
where to begin.
While she hesitated her thoughts
wandered away from the untidy
kitchen with its yesterdays litter al
uncleaned, it's drifting rolls of lint
its sink piled high with unwashed
dishes, and for the moment she was nc
longer paid, hollow-eyed, unkempt
drudge, but young and pretty, sweet
and fresh as women are who put on
wedding finery and wait with happy
longing for the new life, full of blessed
mystery.
-Four years ago." she thought, Il
was the happiest woman in the world;
now / am the most miserable. Four
years ago | kept a happy birthday in
my heart and home; now
She gave sharp, hard laugh and
turned TO her work.
Four years ago she and John had
been two smart and happy young peo-
pie who thought nothing on earth
could make them so devoutly thankful
as to belong wholly and entirely to each
other. Their marriage had been to
them the best possible celebration for
the pretty young brides birthday.
They had begun life in little hired
house, with little stock of worldly
goods and great and wonderful for
tune in store which they had made up
their minds to possess through industry,
economy and mutual endeavors.
How was it, Annie asked herself
over and over again, that in only four
years they had come to this? She re-
membered as she washed and secured
among the pots and pans, how the
girls in the shop where she used to
work had envied her. Envied her for
her handsome husband for her smart
new dress ; and had all of them hoped
for as good luck themselves.
Now, Miriam rode in her own car
riage and filled it royalty with her silks
and laces. She had married an old man,
surely enough to be sure, but what of
that? To-day she would sit at the
table loaded with silver, and groaning
under its weight of costly dainties.
There was Alice, fair and frail.
Annie thought, with little thrill of
virtuous pride, that she never spoke to
Alice; yet at her table to-day there
would be music and laughter, rare
fruits and flowers and costly wines.
Though better woman Stunned her, yet
was she clothed in purple and fine
linen and Jared sumptously every day.
There was Kate Brown, and Avis,
her sister, elderly girls, and plain, but
their birthdays were always to them
high holiday.
She began to sing again, and the
sweetness of her voice was all lost in
the bitterness that rang through the
same old words
Pork and potatoes
Pork and potatoes !"
1t was all they had in the house to
eat, and it was their birthday, their
wedding anniversary.
The door opened, and John came in;
not the fine, spruce young man who
smiled on her so proudly four years
ago, but slouching man in dirty over
alls with shahhiness written all over