The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-04-02

Ezra Bates. the keeper Of the aims
house, was driving. and by his side sat
poor old Nancy, a picture OF humiliar
ton and despair.
It was still very cold, and the old
woman was bundled as she had been
the day before; but to-day black
Grape veil was thrown over her bowed
head, and no one could see the tears
running down her cheeks or note the
tremulous culver of her thin lips.
AS the wagon passed Mrs. Knapp's
house, Nancy's old friend Mary came
running out. shawl thrown hastily
over her head, to speak word OF COM
fort and cheer ''Do you see?" said
Mrs, Gregg, touching the dingy Grape
of her veil 'sI'm in mournin' for Nancy
Gregg. Her useless old body still 'cum-
bers the earth, but her heart and her
spirit are dead. I'm going to her fu-
neral"
Time was when Mrs. Gregg had not
known the need of dollar, and when
a husband and sons had stood between
her and want She had seen them die
one by one, and few years later had
seen the savings they had left her
swept away in moment by the failure
of the business in which they were in
vested.
For years she had led hand-to-
mouth existence, supporting herself by
weaving rag carpets, piecing quilts,
knitting stockings, and even going out
by the day in housekeeping times.
But she no longer had the strength
required for the work of weaving car.
pets, her sight had failed her, and her
sewing days were done. She could not
support herself by knitting, and at last
there was nothing left for her to do but
to be supported at the expense OF the
town.
From the time Of her arrival at the
poor-farm, Mrs. Gregg seemed to be
woman without hope, and yet there
were times when she felt that the
shame of being a pauper might be
taken from her.
Those times were when she took
from her old hair-covered trunk worn
leather wallet Of kind not often seen
now.
The wallet contained nothing but
small piece of writing paper, yellow
with age, and almost ready to fall to
pieces along the creases where it had
heen folded and unfolded again and
again.
The poorer old Nancy had become,
the oftener had she taken this limp
and folded bit of paper from the purse
that was once her husbands, and the
oftener had she read and reread what
was written on it, And this was what
she always read:
zone wear from date, for value received, J
promise to pay to Jason r. Gregg the sum o'
one thousand dollars, With interest at eight Pc
cent. FRANK M. Anh.
The note was dated January 10, 1856,
and it was on the tenth day Of January,
1885, that Mrs Gregg, in the secrecy OF
her cold and cherries little bedroom at
the poorhouse, took out this note and
read it for perhaps the thousandth
time.
81 don't know why don't throw
this into the fire." she said. Its out
lawed long ago, and Frank Ware, even
if he's living, has proved that he is not
the man to pay anything he isn't forced
to pay.
give hoped FOR years that / might
finally get something from this note,
given for money my husband and
earned and saved dollar by dollar, but
it's no use to hope SO any longer. I've
written to Frank Ware again and
again, an tried 20 collect it by law
before it ran out; but he had nothing
to nav it with then, and now, when he
could, he won't pay it.
eve heard that he has got proper
ty now, and l think he ought to pay
me at least enough to keep me from
being what I've no need to be it had
my own
II might as well burn the note and
stop hoping for what can never be
no, I'll send it to Frank Ware and tell
him I'm on the town as pauper, an
he can keep the note an put it where
it'll remind him of my shame and Of
his dishonesty every time he looks at
it,
Filled with this new determination,
she went to Mrs. Bates and asked for
writing material.
II haven't written a letter for three
or four years. she said, land l never
expect to write another. So, if you'll
let me have stamp for this it'll be
the last time l shall ever ask for one"
'sOh! I'll give you as many postage
stamps as you want, Nancy said the
kind-hearted matron.
During the first ten years OF married
life Nancy Gregg and her husband had
through unceasing industry and self
denial saved one thousand dollars
with which to buy small farm.
Not intending to use this money for
year or two, they had been induced
to lend it to Mr.. Ware, who was then
prosperous village merchant He
wanted the money to increase his bust
ness. The investment seemed a per.
fectly safe one, but before the year
was done Ware had failed SO disas-
trously that there was nothing left for
his creditors. .-a
He had then gone west, and many
were the letters sent to him by Mrs.
Gregg III the days of her poverty and
widowhood; but for years no reply had
come to her letters.