The west Tennessee star. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888, 1888-05-18
MARTY.
OF No Particular Use and Yet How
She Was Missed.

They said she was absurdly COM
mOnplace; that she was one of the
homeliest women they ever saw, or
that the Lord ever made; that she had
so few ideas it was mystery how she
managed to get on in the world when
she had to go out in It to earn her liv-
ing. because the world is full Of sharp
ers and she would trust any one; that,
taken altogether, there was really no
particular use for her in the world.
Yet it was amazing how they could not
get on without her. Under the cir
cumstances, knowing her uselessness.
It was strange that they must have her
to do all the little household things
when she was at home, and the keep
ing Of the books while she had the
time in the evenings, after hard
days work And it was remarkable,
too, how she kept her good nature
through it all. But that was Martyrs
strong point-her unfailing good
nature.
1t was MARTY, come here" or
'Marty, go there" or MARTY, I want
YOU" from her mother and father and
sisters. Nobody could spin top like
Marty; nobody could smooth out the
many wrinkles in the home machinery
rs Marty could; nobody could read the
evening papers to her father as she
did; nobody cOuld-and nobody want
ed to-do the mending and the mar
keting and the planning for the cheap
est and most apPetizing table fare.
That It took any brains to do this they
did not seem to consider. That it
might be tiresome duty with her
daily duties they took no thought 1t
was Marty; and Marty, somehow. was
made for such things; she was good
for nothing else.
They lived in the city, Marty people
did, and it is not the easiest thing in
the world to live on a small salary in
the city. They had flat-one of the
cheapest they could get to accommO-
date their rather large family, and they
had to pay considerable, even for that.
Then il was a matter of some moment
to feed such family of growing young
people; they must have nourishing food,
and wanted plenty of it, which wasn't
always easy to accomplish. And they
must also be clothed. This last was,
perhaps the hardest of all, for they
seemed to fairly grow out of their
dresses and their pants; and it wasn't
easy either to make the clothes of one
child do for the next in size, because
each one wore his or her clothes until
there was absolutely nothing left to
wear. So she mended them and tried
to keep things running so that the old
est girls and boys could have new
things before the old wore out, so that
the old could 60 to the younger chill
dren. It took good deal of her time,
and she had little enough time, but she
was glad enough to do it, in order to
help her parents who had load enough
on their shoulders without worrying
about that.
In return for all this what did she get?
We'll, in return she expected and
wished nothing. That she was doing
any thing but her duty she did not
think; and she would perhaps have
been greatly surprised if she had been
offered any thing for her loving work.
To be sure she did get dreadfully tired
of the whole thing sometimes, and
wished she might throw it all aside and
have the pleasant times some of the
girls had; but this was only when she
was unusually tired and had had a
hard day. She wasn't at all perfect,
and she never pretended to be; she
went to church, and had class in the
Sunday school sometimes when the
corps Of teachers was low; but she had
no thought of being other than most
unsatisfactory person in the busy
world.
And so things went on as things
always will go on till the end of time
and Marty was no nearer the wish Of
her heart than she was at the day o.
her birth. For Martyrs great wish wa:
20 be loved and to know that she wa,
loved, and it seemed that life was never
20 have this sweetness for her. No
that it made her unhappy at all, but i
would have been such a comfort Il
have known some one cared for hel
and whether or not she came home Of
never should come home.
ats pretty tough thing-is life. 81
her father said, and Marty fully be
lieved it. Still. like all young people
she wished TO live; and therein lies tn,
mystery that has puzzled many a wis'
head since the days of Solomon.
And one day the mystery was solved
for her.
She had had particularly hard day
and was going home pretty well tireC
out and rather cross. Every thing
seemed to have gone wrong that day
She had made mistakes and been repri
manded by the head man and told tina
il the same thing ever again happened
she must be prepared 10 find another
place. She was crying a trihe as sh,
walked along; it sort of eased her minC
and would help her to be At ease and her
self at home. Marty was always think
ing Of what they would say at home an'
Manning to have all things go smooth
h there. She was feeling sick. some
how. and not like herself Her hea'
ached and so did her back. Once sh
came near falling from faintness, ant
a horror came over her What wa
The matter? She was not in the habi
of feeling sick, She had been blssse'