Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1891-03-20
New York Observer Prize story.l
Ezra % Me % the Boards
BY MARY II. FIELD.

y
any fun in it-but we're considerable
smart and independent yet, and so we
live on in our snug little home instead
of breaking up and going to live with
the children as some folks would.
There's more than a fifty-vara lot in
the place and plenty Of fruit trees and
vines, and my roses and geranlums
are famous, if | do say ii, and Ezra
keeps things up in good shape out
doors and Inc the same indoors, which
is the natural scriptural way accord
ing to my thinking. | never did like
women doing mems work, nor men
women's, for that matter. Ezra does
offer to wipe the dishes often, but
somehow | can't stand it to see him
with one OF my big gingham aprons
on, and he'd get all spotted up If he
didn't put it on, which I'd hate to see
even worse, and so, there it is. The
children are all married and settled,
making a fight for living just as we
used to, and they're all steady go-to-
meeting folks, I'm thankful to say,
and prosperous enough, | guess. Once
| was going to have the boys all pres
idents and the girls riding in coaches,
but now I'm just thankful to have
them good, plain, honest folks There
is nothing like seventy years to take
the nonsense out of a lady
Yes we're fixed so that we don't
need to worry il we're keerful and
don't go into extravagances, like keep
ing two fires or having fit OF sick
ness We're used to saving and wear
ing our clothes forever 1've worn my
black straw bonnet ten years, just
having Miss Armstrong touch 1t up
now and then, and Ezra couldn't
tell without reckoning when he had
his best Sunday coat), but we always
pay our pew rent and help support
the causes-that's the way we were
brought up. But goodness me, how the
causes do grow and multiply Once
there was only foreign missions and
home missions and the Bible society
and the tract society, but now there's
the women's boards, too, and the freed
men and the old ministers and Church
extension and the Sunday School and
y. NJ. c.. A. and w. G Il. L. and land
knows what. Well, Of course, we
couldn't give only a mite to the old
Boards, and the only way we can do
anything for all these new causes is
to keep crowding on little more load
every time-same as the man that got
80 he could carry an or just by begin
ming with it as a calf. Ezra's tailor,
you know, and he always made fair
sort OF living in old times, but what
with great stores full OF readymade
clothes and such lots OF machinery 1t
got so that all be could DO was to re-
pair and fx over things, and he's a
master hand at it, if / do say it. It's
something l could help about, and ev-
cry time there was new cause Ia
saw. Now. | can earn a dollar for
that, guess, and many's the day I've
cleaned and patched and pressed till
my back was pretty we'll used up
Somehow, we've always managed to
do something for every single one OF
the causes. | never could sit in church
and have q contribution box showed
right before me and not have nickel
to drop in it. Ezra's the same way,
only more so. do believe he'd feel
like going right through the hoor II
he couldn't always put something in.
Maybe it's habit; if it is it's good
one. ever so much better than smok-
ing, now, isn't it! Maybe it's pride !;
wouldn't wonder bit if it was in
my case, but | amt going to make
myself miserable with what my good
old mother used to cali ''self-examina-
ton" 1t took her week to get real
cheerful after one OF those spells OF
raking herself over the Goals, yet she
thought it was her bounden duty to
it at least once in two months. I'm
glad we don't have time for it nova
days, for | shouldn't get over it no
where near as quick as mother did
Well. whatever the motive may be,
that's the way Ezra and | feel about
the causes.
But what started to tell you was
not about any OF these little regular
affairs. It's something good deal
bigger. It's how we've helped about
the debts-foreign and home. We al
ways treat the Boards just alike, same
as we do the children. We don't be-
lieve in debts that's habit and pride,
too, maybe-but We don't.
"E1ra's great reader; / amt; |
couldn't ever seem to get the time
when / was young, and now my eyes
have given ont considerable. and /
shall have TO wait for kingdom come
before I'm a scholar But Ezra d
rather read than eat any day. Its
been amazing convenient for me when
he had TO wait bit for his dinner or
supper. Catch him hurrying or fuss
ing if he could get hold of book or
paper 60, Of course, we've got no
end of books, histories and such.
Somebody's always giving them to
Ezra-old Elder Harris willed him his
books, you know, and when any OF
our church folks moves away we're