Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-11-27

milkmen's cartsl But--the six hundred
dollars yearl'
"We could live veryseconomically here,
Jane" coaxed Mrs. Talford. "Whst
with the fruit and the vegetables, and
the neighbors ssyithere are plenty of fish
in the river"
"Oh, it isn't, the living" said Jane.
'Tts the moneyhor the children's educa'
ton. Mother, dear, we've got to face
that"
"He's,buried in the old graveyard,
said Noah Turnbull, who lived on the
next farm-"he never wouldn't hev
nothin' to say to the new cemetery
close by your mother, Jane. And it was
his last wish that the rickety old tomb
stone should be took'up, and a nice new
one put in its place. with his name cut
under hern, Didn't hev time to make
no will; but them was most the last
words he spoke. He never forgave MIR.
Talford for lettin' Emily Jane lie there
without no new tombstone over her"
"Poor fatherl" cried Jane, firing up
in defense of her beloved dead, Gas if
he hadn't enough to do to keep us NIL!
I'm sure he would have done it if he
could"
81 never knew about that, Jane" said
Mrs. Talford, with troubled couute-
nance, cor I'd have done without lots of
things to have the stone replaced"
"He wasn't best pleased" added old
TurnbulI, "when Adam Talford married
ag'i,. He thought ther' want nobody
good enough to take Emily James place.
"Don't look so uncomfortable, mother,
DEAR" WHISPERED Jane, hugging her little
stepmother. "He couldn't know what
a darling you were. Nor how good you
were to poor little Jane"
"But the new stone must be erected
at once, Jane, if your grandfather felt
so about it"
"Mother, it will cost seventy-fve dol
lars at the least" argued Jane. 81 was
up at the graveyard this morning, and
the old one is quite good yet, though
it's cracked across and sunk very low
into the ground"
"But should feel so much easier,
dear. Your mother, you know-and
Adams first wife! II should feel
quite guilty living here in the house
where he married her, with those last
wishes unfulflled. To please me,
janet
"AIother, cried Jane, with a second
caress, "Td do anything in the world to
please you!'
Noah Turnbull went away and in
dustriously promulgated the tidings that
"Adam Talford's second widder beat
Emily Jane Holcomb all to pieces for
good sense and good temper. Emily
Jane was always a snappish creetur, aud
that Jane is a smart gal. Earns six hun
dred dollars year in New York City,
I'm told. Six-hundred-dollars. No
wonder city folks gifts rich!"
The village stonecutter took the or
der. He was a handsome, dark-eyed
young fellow, with vague ideas about
some day attaining to studio in Rome
and a standard of "true art"
He was intelligent above the average,
and Jane and her stepnother became
much interested in the crude statue of
"Pocahontas, which he was trying to
evolve out of an uncompromising block
Of marble in the back shop.
"It encourages fellow to have people
understand him like that, said Harmon
Faile, as he Strengthened the line of
Pocahontas's third finger.
And then he set to work to invent
some pretty bas-relief of ivy leaves and
crossed palm branches to be carved over
the names of "Hezekiah Holcomb" and
emily Jane, wife of Adam Talford"-
for Mrs. Talford and Jane had decided
that Grandfather Holcomb must have q
new tombstone also. Tbs ivy leaves for
the young wife; and crossed palms for
the ninety year-old patriarchl A
"The living can economize in e' so
many ways" said Mrs. Talford, gently,
"but the dead should be cared for. 1t
won't cost so very much more"
Jane came down as soon as the sum-
mer vacation commenced iu July, to see
about the setting of the stones.
The children were riotous and rosy.
Mrs. Talford even had become sunburned
and plump, but poor Jane was pale and
worn.
"You are working too hard" said
Harmon Faile, scarcely needing her cor
dial praises Of the ivy clusters and ma
jestic palms. "Miss Talford, you ought
to take better care of yourself"
"Every one has got to work." said
Jane, with laugh.
"No, they haven't" said Faile, hur-
riedly-"at least not when there's some
one else able and willing to work for
them. I'm only poor stonecutter, Jane,
but my business is beginning to look up,
and can support wife. Will you let
me work for you, Jane"
Miss Talford was rosy enough now.