Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-08-26
ONE WOMANS WORK.

Well, now, I've heard that sort of
talk before, and all | can say is, that
it's all very fine as far as it goes-but
it don't 60 far enough. l hold with
it, up to a point, Men is what their
mothers made them, body and soul
in a way-they start 'em of, so to
speak, but l tell you what, when it
comes to the finish-off, the wives have
big share in turning 'em out-one
way or the other. Now l could tell
you about a man-Henry Clinton his
name was-that / used to know in
Sawnee-before ever l came Vest
Think you'd like to hear about him ?
Well, he was comrade of mine before
he went to Williams College and father
put me in his store-after that | didn't
see much of him except in the summer,
but he was that kind of a cheerful,
happy. go-lucky sort that if you didn't
see him for ten months, or ten years,
you met just as pleasant after it. His
folks all died off while he was at college
and l heard it said more than once that
he'd sell the place and 60 offsomewhere,
but | had kind Of au.idea ofmy own
that he'd do no such thing. There
was one person that he-and every
body-thought heap of. That was
Mary Kent, our old minister's daugh-
ter, who lived with her brother and
his wife after her other folks died.
| don't know as he'd ever said much to
her, but they'd been together all the
time we were all children, and every
one thought he was waiting to get
through his studying first. She was
pretty girl-tall and slim, with nice,
light curly hair, and then clear, gray
eyes that sort o look straight at you,
and make you feel as though if you'd
done a mean thing you'd just as lief
she didn't know it. Now, about the
sensiblest thing that Henry could've
done, was to 90 to work to try and get
Mary-so, just like man, he went
and did the foolishest. He hadn't been
week home before he was dead in
love with q girl that had only lived
in Sawnee few months. Her mother
was a dressy sort Of a widow, named
Mason, and this girl-Hennie-was
one of the kitten kind, you know 'em,
that folks all call Sweet and that
can't come near another woman with
out leaning on her shoulder, or taking
hold of her hand, or some such foolish
ness. | never felt as mad with any
man as | did with Henry, when he
told me he was going to marry that
little fool-not that there was any
thing against the girl, or her mother
either, unless it was the old woman's
tongue. Talk Lord Almighty, but
if she wouldn't talk you deaf and blind
and lame! If Henry wasn't sick of
the sound of his own name in week
he was different from most. The we'd
ding was kind o hurried up, so folks
said, so as Henry shouldn't change
his mind--aud while the dear young
things" as Mrs. Mason called them,
were off journeying, she moved into
HeDry's house, $50 as to have things
ready for them"
The mean folks-thcrc's always
enough of 'em-kcpt sharp eyes on
Mary Kent those days, but she never
blenched-she was as nice and pleas.
ant as could be with the Massons and
Henry too, and Hennie hung on to hel
and called her dear Mary" and asked
her for advice about all kinds of things
that Mary never gave and Hennit
never would have took if she had.
The young people used to drop in
at Henry's good deal at first; he't
always been favorite, and even
could see his wife was pretty-but tina
mother of his wife's was just little toe
much for me. / didn't wonder tha
Henry lost his old, cheerful ways ant
got to have a sort of a sharp way will
him, listening to that Internal clack
clack, from one day to another, so
kind o. fell off in my visits.
The fall after Henry was married
was down in New York buying, anc
when | come back | found the towr
half-crazy. 1t seemed that the nigh
before, some one passing the Clinton
had heard au awful scream, and run
ming in, had found Mrs. Mason deat
on the floor, her face shot to pieces
Henry standing looking at. her in ,
stupid way, with a gun in his hand
and his wife on her mothers body
screaming, Mamma is dead-dead :