The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-02-26
Worn Out.

NO, she was not strong, she had never
been very strong. Farmer Grey knew
it when he married her. Eight child
rem called her mother. She made all
their clothes and did her own house,
work, and yet mother was not strong"
Farmer Grey said it often, and always'
regretfully. Perhaps he was unselfish
enough 20 wish that she were stronger
for her own sake, but fear not. lie
was very robust, active man, and cx-
cecdingly anxious to ''get along" in the
world. Therefore, I fear that lns
regret for mothers fecblencss was SIM
ply regret that she could not do more
to aid him in his getting along
schemes.
She herself regretted That she was
not stronger.
Father works SO hard" she would
say, II feel that am not as much help
to him as might be if l were req
strong woman"
What more would she have done?
What more could she have doneP And,
most of all, what more should she have
done?
She kept the house in order. She did
q loving, God-fearing mothers duty by
her children. She was up early and to
bed late. Shc was very busy every
hour in the day, She MIXED and made
butter, worked in her garden, cooked
for "hands," raised and sold chickens,
but never had dollar Of her own.
She could, and did, ''when father was
rushed" 60 out into the fields and drop
corn for half day, and then come into
her hot, stuffy little kitchen and get
dinner for fourteen people, and yet
..mOthcr was not strong"
She often wondered Il she would ever
be strong. She would sit down on the
kitchen doorstep some nights long after
all the others were in bed drcading the
coming of the morrow, and hoping it
wouldn't be SO very hot, She was
afraid she might "givc out She
would lean her aching head against the
unpainted door frame. cross her tired
hands listlessly in her lap, close her
eyes, and wonder about many things.
Some of her ncighbors, with families
only half us large as her own, kept u
strong hired girl in the kitchen the year
around.
She often wondered vaguely how ii
would seem TO have a girl in her Kitchen:
she wondered how it would seem for her
to be away from home over night.
The fontlest hope of her life for ten
years had been that she might visit her
mother who lived tmo hundred miles
away. She said she wouldn't be afraid
to go .'such a long ways Alone" and
''father" had often said she should 60 il
:'such and such thing turned out well.''
These things often "turncd out well,"
but mother never made that visit, no,
nevcr.
Zone thing and another" she said,
"kept her at homes" and one day
message came bringing the news of her
mothers death. She would have liked
to 60 even then TO see once more that
beloved face, even though it was cold in
death.
But father said that. ''seoing as she
couldn't do any good there was no Use
wearing herself out making the trip"
SO she stayed athome, grateful to father
for his thoughtfulncss in not wanting
her to "wcar herself OUT
But she was SO utterly worn out one
day. so worn ont in body and mind and
soul, that when she claapcd her tired
hands over her breast in sleep they were
never unclaspcd again in this world.
There was no response of: Eyes, I'm
coming when father called her in the
gray dawn of November morning.
One Father who had truly loved her,
and who had helped her bear her heavy
burdens through all these twenty years,
had called her in the night. and think
she was glad to say: Eyes, Father, I'm
coming. u. l.. Sharp, IN Detroit Free
Press.