Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1893-03-03
Widder Gassett's Plans.
ORANGE CENTRE. Jan. s, 1898.


o'clock in the forenoon. | should
have wrote you before, but I've been
pretty busy, and seeing you was so
far off that you couldn't come to the
funeral, kept putting Of it off. There
wan no particulars to write about.
He died OF heart disease, and want
sick at all, scarcely. 1t come pretty
sudden, but guess mebbe it was just
rs we'll so. There want no doctors
bill to pay, and that would have
pleased him, il so be he could have
known it, There was quite Il good
many of his folks come to the funeral,
and there was nineteen teams in the
procession. We had the young min
lister from East Orange to tend it,
and he done real well. He's been
over to see me once sence. He said
he hoped was resigned, and l hope
l be. l want never oneto complain
of the Lords dealin's with me, and l
amt a-goin' to begin now.
l don't rightly know just what |
shall do, nor whether | shall make up
my mind to keep on living here or
not, and, what's more, | don't mean
to know just at present. I've always
had my mind made up for me, and
I've had it talked into me ever sence
| was married that folks had ought
to have their minds made up and plan
a good ways ahead, and now I'm goin
to he without mind a while, and
kinder let myself drift, and see how
it'll seem. There amt but really one
thing that I've made up my mind to,
and that is, I'm going to have my
own way, and that's what | never
did yet. l expect it'll seem scrter
queer at first. Farther, he YVES al
ways real strict, and l used to just
long for the time when I'd be twenty
one, because l thought Of course
when was Of age l should do as l
was a mind 20. But | found out that
women didn't never get to be Of age,
leastways when they have men rela-
tions.
After father died, brother John al
ways expected me to look to him for
advice, and to take it, too. meant
well, but, dear me, | never could see
why It's that women hain't no rights
in their own affairs. Then | got mar
ried, and you know what Ephraim
was. He was awful sot in his way,
and he was brought up by the Bible,
and YOU know this t says women must
obey their husbands. Sometimes 1t
seemed as if Ephraim thought that
was full the most important thing
there was in the Bible, but then l
amt a-goin' to complain Of Ephraim.
He was as good as most men, and
grand sight better than some. And
l amt a-goin' to complain OF men
folks either. The Lord made them,
and, such as they be, suppose we've
got to put up with them. But l think
I've had full my share OF mindin'
menfoIks, and now that l hain't got
no menfolks to mind, I'm goin' to try
how it'll seem to do just as l want to
for spell.
And there's just one thing that l
amt a-goin' to do. 1 amt a-goin' to
put on mournin' for Ephraim. ex-
pect folks'll think it's queer, but
there's another thing l amt agoin
to dol amt a-goin' to mind what
folks Il think any more. Ephraim, he
was always sayin', "What'll folks
think" or "What'll folks say'' l
used to ask him sometimes what diff
ference it made what folks thought,
so long as it was right in the sight
O. God; but Ephraim wasn't never
one who could be brought 10 see any
thing a mite different from just the
way he did see it. / always hated
the looks Of mournin' clothes, and
they must be awful heavy and un-
comfortable to wear, and / never did
like to wear black anyway. Ephraim,
he always said there want nothin'
but black that was suitable for mar
ried women, and so l always had to
wear black, and 1 think, seein' I've
wore black for him so long while he
was alive. l needn't do it any more
now he's dead. Theresa green stripe
piece down to the store, and I'm go
in to have me dress of OF that.
I've told all the folks round here
that I'd be much obliged il they
wouldn't call me the "Widder Gas
sett." It's true enough that I'm a
widder, but l amt any more Of
widder than Ephraim would have
been a widower, if I'd died, and folks
wouldn't have called him the Widow
er Gassett. And there's another
thing that l amt a-goin' to do. l
amt a-goin' to the Presbyterian
church no more. l was brought up
a Methodist, but Ephraim he said
wife had ought TO be of the same
faith as her husband, and so l Joined
the Presbyterians; but l never did
feel to home there, and l don't feel
no call to stay there no longer.
There's some few things that / ruth
er think / shall have done when L get
round to give my mind to 'em. For
-, III - h.va front