The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-05-18
A wowAN'S pOETHON.

sympathlzin9 neiShDof.
eyes. When John was married we
gave him the West place. Abram valued
that at five hundred dollars. Then we let
Mary's husband work at home here till
after their second baby was born, and he
had a thousand dollars to take with him
when he went away. We gave Jimmy
five hundred in cash for an education, but
he used it TO speculate on. Then We paid
three hundred for Jane's piano, and over
two hundred more for music lessons, for
she intended to teach before she was mar
RED"
"And how much did Abram leave you?"
questioned Mrs. Pryy.
"WelI, Won see he was sick a good many
years, and had to let out the farm, and
then land has SO deprecated in value.
He thought he had about seven thousand,
but the appraisers made it out only three
-NIary's husband told them that was all
it was worth before they b~egan-and got
q widow s third" The speaker leaned her
head YEARLY on her hand, and gazed out
of the window.
Tt was a pleasant place, this old home
of Abram Daley's, and the tears filled the
eyes of the sorrowing woman as she re.
membered that this house that had been
her home since the day she entered it a
happy bride, now almost forty years ago,
was hers no longer. Already the division
was going on, and the sons and sons-in-
law were wrangling over its smooth mead
ows and upland pasturage, as a crowd of
hungry dogs might do over a big bone.
"Of course, the judge gave you the fur
nitoor-your settin'-out, in particular. /
remember what an orfie nice settin'- ont
you had. We girls was all %enyious of
YOU"
Mrs. Daley leaned her face a trifie
closer to the window, as she slowly shook
her head. But n~eighborly eyes are sharp,
and, try as she might, she could not eon-
ceal the tears that rolled slowly down her
faded checks.
''Not your settin' -out ?" cried the neigh
Dor, in establishment. mot your mahog-
any bureau and your bird's-eye chamber
set and the cherry tables and stands and
chairs p
A long silence ensued, broken at last by
an anxious ''Hey?"
ssNo-o," said the widow, sadly. ''The
-the-well, Mary's husband objected so.
He said he would have the whole settle
ment ripped up and gone over, and |
supposed that would cost so much that |
had to give in
"Well, | never?'' the neighbor said under
her breath.
Don't say anything about it, the
widow whispered. "Iie wants the birds
eye set, and Jennie wanted the bureau.
But he said | might have that yellow bed
stead that Abram and me used in our
room, and the pine light-stand and moth
er's old chest and a feather-bed. | sup
pose it's all | need"
Sand you have worked, and worked
hard, too, all the neighbors will own to
that, for forty years, and for it all you get
one thousand dollarsl''
"And the bed and stand.' corrected the
widow, quietly.
"Humph. you mean the bed and stand
was all that the ungrateful wretches didn't
steal from the things that your mother
gave you."
81 would like my Bureau" sighed the
weary woman; 81 priced it so, and thought
I should always have it for my own
81 suppose there amt no help for it, but
it don't seem Jest right. Where will you
go to live after the estate is settled?'
Mrs. Daley locked her thin hands to-
gether, and pressed them down on her
knees. The neighbor noticed how swol-
len were the iinger,joints and how work
hardened the hands.
81 don't quite know" she answered.
"Mary said | might 90 there. She's got a
good many cows, and the baby is small.
| told her | was afraid | conldn't work
butter, for | have got the rheumatism into
my finger-ioints so bad, a-washing so
much BITTER. She said she'd get me a
worker, for ! could save l.er the cost of a
girl"
"Ain't We most too old to go into heavy
work again?" queried Mrs. Pryy.
ooh, no; I'm only sixty, and | heard
.%Jennie's husba nd tell Mary that there was
ten good years of work in me yet
"Shol That's the way m William
speaks about a horsel T.
But the widow held up her hand as
though she could bear no more.
81 allow that | can earn my bread for
some time, and therell be money enough
left to bury me, | suppose, though wonld
like to get Abram a stone.'
81 reckon Abram'll rest peaceful enough
without a %stone," snapped Mrs. Pryy.
sBut the bare idee of a woman workin'
for forty year, hard, too, and gettin' only
twenty-five dollars u year above her board
and clothes! Less than fifty cents a week
her hull life through. It's a shamel'
.'Well, Betsy" said the widow, meekly,
"what provision have you madea Has
William got n willr"
Mrs. Pryy started to her feet, consterna-
tion depicted on her thin face.
ssNo. he h%ain'tl Ill go homc this very