Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-06
THE STORY OF A BRAVE WOMAN.

THE STORY OF A BRAVE WOMAN
Scandal and crawling suspicion got rap
over the knuckles the other day, out West
in manner that ought to make all busy
bodies shudder. Farmer Harmon lives
near Grand Rapids, Michigan. He and
his wife were supremacy happy in the
possession of each other, and of home,
and in the parental pride inspired by a
large family of children. They have been
married twenty-four years Not long ago
the wife disappeared. Gossip at once set
| about to divine the reason. In the alb
sence of fact it conjured up suspicion, and
| soon around went the tale that old man
Harmon had beaten his wife and driven
her away-perhaps murdered .her-and
presently the story of the murder was given
with full details Stories of their long
domestic infelicity became rife and grew
In their cruelty as they multiplied in num-
Der, and the very atmosphere of the re-
gIon was filled with awful brooding mys-
terry. At last some one found out that the
couple had daughter living in Chicago,
and suggested that perhaps the mother had
gone to her. The Sheriff of the county
was induced to telegraph to that city to
ascertain, and back came the reply .
Mother has not been seen here" Then
the geody-goodies were convinced of the
crime of the farmer. But the Sheriff re-
solved upon going straight to the man and
plainly telling him what was said about
him. And then a simple tale of truth
blew all the fiction away. There had been
no infelicity. The children were grown
up and married and lived far away, save
one, the youngest daughter Years before
when the family was young, diphtheria en-
tered the home and many members of the
household fell before it. The health
officials, to check the disease in that region
burned the mans house and its contents.
That was hard blow, and put him away
back" Everyone knows how hard. how
very hard it is to recover lost ground when
once i'll fortune delivers a blow. True.
kind neighbors built the farmer a new
house, but an Indifferent one. Hard times
came, crops failed the debts contracted in
illness could not be wiped out, and so pros
perity left the good mans side. He strug-
gled on, but things grew no better. There
was some relief as the children were
married of, but the old couple still
had stout battle to fight. At last there
was neither money nor bread in the
house" Then the brave woman said
Father, you and our daughter remain
here, there'll be one mouth less to fill. |
can work. | can get wages, for am not
good housekeeper.' So the husband went
with her to the depot there was a fearful
parting, and then she hid herself in great
city, and won honest wages and sent them
back week after week to help the old
man. said the farmer, and with them
came sweet letters, overlooking with love
and the courage Of a brave heart. But
both were proud, and they kept the knowl-
edge Of their low estate to themselves:
not even their children knew of it, and so
they labored on and loved on, and the
world was none the wiser for months. until
gossip and Shiny suspicion and meddling
chatter broke rudely in upon them. Then
the story had to be told Now the busy
tongues are stilled, and in all that region,
men and women who mind their own
business lift their faces up proudly when
good brave Mrs. Michael Harmons name
is mentioned. Her plan has worked well.
Her earnings and his labor on the farm
are winning the battle, and with the spring
flowers the dear old heart will come back
to its home nest. Let the world pray
that the remaining years may rest lightly
on the couple, who by keeping their own
affairs to themselves set the Michigan Paul
Prys at work. Had it at first occurred to
any one to ask farmer Harmon where his
wife had gone, what months of miserable
suspicion might have been spared now
humhled community. OF course it was
false pride on the Harmons part, and this
failure to volunteer their woes to the pub
lie ear gave warrant for investigation.
But how unjust suspicion does breed lies