The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-04-22

ladies Of Jersey city, and TeSpecgU1y
inoites their cooperation IN making
this column a feature Of general inter
est and utility. Information and Sug-
gestaons are earnestly solicited, and
assurance is gieea that all. comnpttqaS-
cations 9oSW TeceiUe immediate and
careful attention, and aoaU be regarded
as strictly confidential If the aorSteTs so
desire.
1t is only a plain, simple story OF
everyday life that | am about to re-
late. Perhaps [ might call 1t an OBJ
ject lesson in Christian charity. How
ever, the facts, as they are true, will
speak for themselves.
Some time since / remember, a
dozen or so years back, perhaps, there
appeared at our house one morning,
in answer to an advertisement for SER
wants, two young, strong and robust
Irish girls, whose general appearance
pleased my mother so much that they
were at once accepted, and were the
next day assigned to their respective
duties.
Mary and Susie were their names.
Mary was the cook. How well | re-
member the pies she used to make. L
| cannot call Susie to mind so well, as
she only waited on the table, and l, as
a boy, always had q Partially for
cooks.
Enough to say, they were both ex-
cellent servants and remained with
family for six years, at which time
my folks went to Europe to live, and
Mary and Susie secured other posi-
tions in some family uptown. They
were both good, hard working, con-
scientious girls and seemed to have a
great fondness for each other, for
which reason they always worked in
the same place when possible to do SO.
After they had been with us a year
| or so left home and went West, where
| remained for about ten years.
Walking along Park avenue n
other day l noticed a thin and ema-
| tiated looking III carrying a large
| basket of clothes. The burden seemed
more than the woman could bear, and
her hollow eyes and sunken cheeks
told a sad story of sorrow and prfva-
ton. Once or twice she paused, and
as | passed her she looked at me with
UGH an appealing, pitiful glance that
approached her and said - You
had better let me give you a lift. How
far have you to go 2"
She looked at me for a moment
| (queerly, / thought, and dropping
her basket suddenly, exclaimed:-.My
God. Mr.. -, is that your"
"Why, it's Mary, as / live.n / re-
membered her voice. "But how thin
and pale you look l said, land then
as | helped her along with her basket
she told me her story. | verified it the
next day and know that it is true,
every word of it.
will not tell it in full, only enough
of it to give a general idea of the cir
cumstances.
After leaving our house Mary and
Susie went to live with an invalid lady
and remained there a year, that is,
Mary did, for she got married. Susie
continued in the place until last year,
\ when she met with an accident which
affected her spine, and rendered her
unfit for work. OF this hereafter.
Mary's husband was q bright, active
and industrious fellow, kind to her and
to her children. Her little home IN
Harlem was a model of neatness.
John Chat was his name) managed to
save up a thousand or two dollars and
with this sum purchased a number OF
little rowboats and built a little wharf,
having bought this privilege from the
owner of the land where it was located.
One day John found some workmen
demolishing his wharf and then learned
that the railroad had purchased the
land and that his boats were now of
no further use to him. He sold them
for about quarter of their value and
went back to day labor.
All this preyed on his mind, SO that
he finally became violently insane.
His case came up before the Commits
sioners of Lunacy and he was sent to
the asylum.
Mary had three little children, and
went bravely to work to support
them. and with her slender means
used to buy little d~elicacies for her
husband. Finally her health broke
drown. She worked too hard. She
took in washing for a living as she
could not bear to lose her little home,
and wanted to be neal her children.
Day by day she kept up the strug-
gle. Her plump and rounded figure
began wasting away and the deep
lines of care began to make their APP
pearance upon her face.
One day there came, or there was
carried to her house, an invalid
Mary said the invalid, II feel thai
l am dying; / have hurt my back. ]
cannot work any more and have NJ
home. May | come and live witt
your
1t was her old friend, Susie. We'll,
said Mary, II have not much, Goo
knows; but Susie, you are worse of
than /. | will give you d home while
l cam"
This was six months ago.. Susie can
not live, so the doctors say, more thar
three months longer. Still Mary keeps
up the struggle, battling day by day
with poverty and want, and every
now and then Susie receives a little
bunch of flowers to cheer her dying
bedside.
Mary's children, three little girls
are kept neat and tidy. They haven
much, to be sure, but such as they
have, it is the very life of their mothel
that gives them what they have
which they, OF course, cannot appreci
ate.