The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1886-12-21
es.'slat sfarp.
HOW SHE SAVED THE MONEY.
4 woMAN's STORY.

how persons feel when death 'stares
them in the face,' as they say in
stories. I used to wonder what kind
of sensation it was. Now | know.
You see John-John's my husband
was foreman of the night hands
in the factory for a long time. He
went to his work at six at night, and
came home at FIVE o'clock in the
morning; so I had to stay alone all
night, or the same rs alone, anyway,
though the child there was company
for me, but for all the help she'd be
in any trouble that might happen, /
might as well have been entirely
alone, you see.
/ never was afraid of burglars, be-
cause we hadn't anything they'd
think il worth their while to come
after. And then--we didn't hear
much about them in those days
though they've. got to be plenty
enough since. If I'd heard as much
about them then as I do now, / pre-.
sumo would have felt timid. But
as It was, / felt as safe cas- you please,
and when John used to coax me to
let him get boy or big dog to
STAY with me, / always told him ]
didn't want to be bothered with 'em.
One day, friend of Johns, who
had been working in the factory a
long time, and saved Up quite lit
tie sum from his wages, got tired Of
,fhat kind of life, and said he was
going to quit it, and find him little
farm somewhere, and settle down.
| knew what that meant. He'd ta-
ken a fancy to girl that worked in
the factory, and he wanted to make
d home for himself and wife.
Fe and John had always been the
best If friends, so it was quite nat
.ural he should bring hismoney here,
and ask Join to keep it for him till
he wanted to nee it. He didn't want
to carry it with him, he said, while
he was looking up the little farm he
had set his mind on buying. John
told him be had better put it in the
bank, where it would be safer and
growing a little, but he said he'd
feel Just as safe about it if he left il
with us as he would if he put it in
the bank, and he didn't think il
would have q chance to increase
much before he got around to use it
because he calculated to buy his
farm as soon as he found the ono
that suited him.
SO he left Il. There was trift
over thousand dollars, he told
John, and / thought by the way he
looked at it when he gave IL to my
husband, that he felt all his chancs
for the future was wrapped up in tht
bills. They represented the home
he had set his heart ON having, yor
see, and | couldn't help thinking
what ii he should lose it?
John took the money and put il
5a the till of that old blue chest il
tte corner there. That was one Sun
day morning, when John didn't hav,
to be at the factory. always shal
think the man was looking in
through the window, and saw Johr
put it there. He had been prowline
about the house, | suppose, and hap
pencd to look in at just the righ'
time. Any way, that's what l al
ways believe about it, for how else
I'd like to know, should he hav,
kpown snything aboutit? But there
Tn telling you my opinion, and wha
you want to bear. | suppose, is wha
happened.
One stormy night. abont weel
after that, John went off to bis worl
as usual. / felt kind of nery0u
some way, though / couldn't tell VIII,
/ felt 50. I've wondered. goo
many times since then, if ! didn'
have a sort of prcsentiment of wha
was going to happen. But l mad
up my mind that it was the storr
and the wind that kept howlin
rotnd the house that made me fee
SO, and / didn't say a word to job
about IT,
The cbiid. there, was about tw
years old then. / told her storie
for an hour or two and then, whe
she began to feel sleepy, sung I
her, and it WASH. long before sh
was tucked in bed fast asleep. The
] got my knitting and sat down b
the fire and worked until the cloc
struck nine. BY that time / wa
sleepy and concluded I'd to go to bet
900.
| must have slept about thre
hours, for when | woke up the bi
clock on the city hall was strikin
midnight.
As ! lay there, listening to tt
clock, / heard a step in the hall. III
first thought that came to me wa
that something that had happene
at the factory, and that John ha
come home. But US the steps can
near the door | knew they were nj
Johns. / was wide awake in q mil