The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-10-23
Will,s Wife.

Will told us before he married her that
she was just ''plain, off hand country
kind of GIRL" with no style or nonsense
about her, SO we were not surprised when
we met her. She wore her hair in the ex-
treme OF frowsy frizziness, and her dresses
in the lankest fashion suggestive of Sara
Bernhardt. She talked loud. and our souls
were disquieted within us when, after
few days acquaintance, she made herself
familiar enough to break out in Methodist
camp meeting style, singing in an uncult-
ured voice and rustic method. some old ''by
and by hymn. 1t was painful. and it
grew daily, 'McGnty," and Nearer my
God" in the same strain. The quiet, after
dinner hour. so precious to city women.
when the darkened rooms rest and refresh,
was all unknown to Willis wife. She chose
that hour to run the sewing machine and
sing. II shall be satisfied" All, but we
tried bravely not to let Will see that we
were astonished. but it was hard to do.
Annie was her name Her reply to the
salutatiOn, ''HOw do you dO?" was, Il do
as please when CAM She was always
risky enough to ''bet her bottom dollar"
and she always asked whats the natter
with doing whatever was proposed Will
looked plagued at the time of grandpa's
funeral when we were talking about how
we should go. Annie asked chow many
rigs" the family would need. She never
thought it worth while to put hat on to
walk square down street. She didn't do
it at Springvaley and saw no need of it in
the city.
She had no end of crochet edging and all
the numerous decorations with which many
women enjoy themselves, and her room
looked like big sample case of holiday
goods. Annie emphasized her statements
with land don't you forget it!'' and her
reply to ordinary questions was You bet!"
We grOaned in the spirit over countless Pc
culiaritieS, and the loud hymn tunes ''went
on forever
But one day terrible disaster occurred
down town. one of those wholesale horrors
which convulse a community, and the
patrol wagons were carrying the crushed
and bruised victims in every direction. A
swift messenger came to our house to tell
US that our Will was among the crushed
and dying. And soon they brought the
PROSTATE form which so short a time
before had been bounding with life and
youth and love. His wife did not scream
nor madly tear her hair, as we feared she
might; she turned very white, and bent
over his form with one deep sob as she
whispered. "Oh. my God! if it be possible
spare him to us"
But it was not to be. The weary days
and terrible nights saw Annie always at his
side, with gentlest touch smoothing the pill
low and listening for some word from the
dying man. so sweet and patient, though
her heart was breaking. And when it came.
the awful stiffness in the house, the dark
ened parlOrS, the shadow of death, who
was bravest of us all? 1t was Annie, whose
pale face was statue OF grief, whose sing
ing was silent forever. and through all the
dreadful ordeal in mute agony she went
about so pitful in her sorrow that our pity
fast ripened into love, and we opened the
most sacred places in our hearts forever
more to "WilPs wife. ID. M. Jordan. in
Texas Siftings.