The Grenada gazette., 1888-04-07
MAKE YOUR WILL.
Something Every Man Should Do. II He
Loves His Wife,


Loves His Wife.
A great deal of physical suffering
and mental misery might be pre-.
vented If those who have property 10
leave would secure 1t by will to those
who are entitled to it and for whom it
is intended. This is especially true in
the case of hus bands, the laws for
widows being neither generous nor
just.
Some years ago my heart was wrurs
by the sorrows of poor old lady,
whose story ran something like this:
Her husband died without making the
will which he had always promised
her to execute. and by the law she
could have but third of the
property. The remainder went to
the daughter. fair young girl
Just blossoming into most
attractive womanhood. The property
consisted solely of comfortable house
and the lot upon which 1t stood. The
place was the product of the joint
earnings and savings of husband and
wife, who began life with nothing but
strong hands and hearts devoted to
each other At seventeen the daugh-
ter, who had been kept at school by
her mothers untiring labor, married
a young physician. and he came to
live with them in the old home. By
and by he began 10 show an arbitrary
spirit toward the mother, which grew
at last into absolute unkindness.
Strange to say, the daughter joined
with him in an endeavor to drive her
from the home she had helped to earn,
and which was endeared to her by so
many old associations. Presently the
daughter died. but not until she
had willed her two-thirds 10 her hus-
band, providing at the same time
that her interest should not be sold
for a certain term of years. The
mother could not sell her third, for no
one would buy it so conditioned, nor
could she live in the same house with
her son-in.law. She could do abso-
lutely nothing, only support herself,
prematurely old and broken by trouble
as she was, by the most unremitting
toll, while the home she loved, the
place she had helped to earn. re-
mained in the hands of strangers.
Mrs. Margaret W. Campbell gave a
similar case at the Philadelphia meet
ing. An Iowa woman moved to that
State. when it was new, with her hus.
band. They were both young. To-
gether they worked to clear the land,
to build the Lighthouse, and when a
storm overlook them before the rude
shelter was finished, they knet to-
gether with clasped hands under the
quilt they had spread 10 keep off the
rain, and thanked God for health and
strength and for each other
Children came. The wife took care
of the family. rode on the reaper and
the corn-planter, and cheerfully did
the house-work. By and by the farm
was paid for. A new. handsome, con-
venient house was built, but the old
iog-house was left standing for the
memories it held. Every thing was
prosperous and well-to-do. The years
went by. Suddenly the husband died
without a will. The sons-in-law and
the daughters-in-law wanted to have
the property divided so that they
could have their share, and it was
done. The woman whose lifetime Of
toll had so largely contributed to
making the property was left with the
use of one-third. with such hus-
pand and such home.' she said. II
thought l had all the rights | needed.
Now l know that women need laws
for their own protection
Cases like the above are numerous.
They make their own appeal. Every
man who wishes his wife TO be pro-
tected should protect her by at once
making a will. -Emtly s. Boulon. in
Toledo Blade.