The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-06-10
JENNIE WARNER.

SoCAAAAS' oAO " a. JuSG WIFI OuV 1Au
dropped down, when she could not 20
any farther. She was never very
strong; her strength needed boarding.
They called it decline, and so it was.
Nature declined longer to support the
powers of body which exacted so
much from her. She was married
fourteen years ago. George Lester
was a wiry, brisk, stirring, young man,
who liked to see things trimmed nice
about his farm, and Jennie was just
as particular about everything as he
was; SO when they two joined hands
and took charges of the old Lester
place, you may depend things went on
swimmingly.
George was of an inventive turn of
mind. and devised and completed sew
eral very useful articles to help in the
performance of farm work, and his
machines and gardening tools are al
ways the best and in perfect
order. No matter what thing costs,
if he cannot make it, he goes and buys
it. "A man is a fool,'' he says, Ito
get along with poor working implc-
ments." and he is correct enough there
but he might as we'll add ''or a wo-
man either.'
went to see Jennie one day though
we'd never been very intimately ac-
quainted. She had been married three
known the girl if l had met her any
where else. She was pale and thin
ami looked as old as 1 do to-day,
though 1 am twice the age she was
then.
Well, I'm woman, but I've been a
farmer wife long enough to be good
judge of farming tools, and of VIII at be-
longs to good farming and the like, and
what saw convinced me that George
Lester was what everybody said he was
an unusually thrifty farmer, and he
did not work very hard either. His
horses and beautiful machinery did
most of his work for him, while he
oversaw the hired man and kept the
machinery in good working order. He
Saw ME around wherever l wanted to
90 very willingly, seeming proud of his
place and of the manner in which it
was kept. Well, so much for his part
of the establishment. Idon't need any
showing around to see enough as to
satisfy me as to her part of it. Every
thing was painfully neat, but there was
not washing machine, sewing ma
chine, or any other kind of machine III
the house. l asked the reason why this
was so.
ooh, l don't know was her reply;
[ get along very we'll. George is
going to make me a washing machine
by and by, and chrrn, aud sometime
when he gets better able he is going to
buy me a sewing machine. But I get
along very we'll without them
felt like shaking her up TO a realiz-
ing sense of the wicked, foolish thing
she was doing in thus wearing out her
precious lite while waiting for the
mythic machines which her we'll meaD-
ing husband promised to get for her
sometime in the future. Well he never
hired any help for her during all the
nine years they lived together, except
at tho times when her four children
were born, when the services Of Girl
for few weeks were an absolute
necessity.
When she died she left four children,
the youngest year old, and the second
wife (who came upon the scene just as
soon as decency would allow takes
very good care of them, but she isn't
their mother after all. But she is :,
sensible, practical minded woman, who
doesn't need any one to shake her up
to sense of her rights and wrongs.
George Lester hasn't machine on his
farm now that there isn't one in the
kitchen or sitting-room or dairy to Off
set it, and never heard of an earth
quake there in consequence.
''Jennie's own fault?" Yes; and so it
is nine cases out of ten as much the
fault of the woman who goes without
the things she needs when her hus-
band is able to get them. Jenpie
Lester might have been alive to-day if
she had not overtaxed her strength.
l tell you there are scores Of women
who are wearing themselves out in
similar unnecessary ways, and dying
leaving their work in the world un-
done. Maybe some of them will read
it and have their eyes Opened-Frona
"Helping Hand'' in Philadelphia Press.