Middletown transcript., 1895-02-09

10 earn some money SOmenOV
and there didn't seem to be any otht
way"
She held out her hand, and Marci
saw that they trembled. Il will d
well by you." she went on; "say tha
you will put up with it and stay. Yo
don't know what 1t will be to me"
There was something in the woman
face that touched Marcia. ''She is il
trouble, she thought, sand l am GO
ing to help herr
She smiled reassuringly. "If yo'
don't think l shall crowd you," sh
said. "I'll stay. But you don't meal
that this room is all you havep" AM
Martha hastened to tell her there wa
a bedroom where she could sleep. g.
shall sleep on the lounge" she added
as she opened the door of the lirtl'
sleepinq-room. and Marcia went in ant
took off her bonnet.
1t was the next morning. Martha's
honsework was all done; SO she took
her rocking. chair out on the piazza,
where her boarder was trying the new
hammock. and as she rocked, she knit,
and presently began to talk.
81 want TO tell yen all about it," she
said. ~ kFt-g ~
"You see, this was ia hers house,
and, when he died, he left it to
brother James and me, after mother.
James, be thought he would move
right down here, and he wanted mother
and me to live in with them, and have
a chamber finished off to sleep in; but
We didn't want io-we didn't like his
wife over and above--and 30 we di-
vided the house. Afterwards, James
built on porch on his part. They've
got diniDgroom and everything.
''And mother and lived in here for
a good many years. We got along
real comfortable. She had her pension
and l sewed braid; but after a while
they stopped bringing braid around.
1t was all sewed on machines in the
straw shop. And then mother died"
She was silent a moment, and Mar.
cia saw her lip CULVER.
''She died, and 1 was all alone.
James wanted me to break up and live
in with them-his wife wanted this
rnom for parlor-hut could not; il
WIS home, and | knew it wouldn't be
ID The other part.
"The children were sarsy, too; they
hadn't used mother well, and one Of
them called me an old maid. Hrs
moi her heard him, and looked at ner
for | thought she would take him to
due; but she didn't, she only laughed.
And she knew" continued Martha,
"all about my dIsa appnint,nent, too. /
as going to marry Hiram Parker, and
F.. n.'d all my sheets and pilluw-cases
.;ade. and mutl.er and | Were just go-
.ug 10 quilt. 1 HAD live b-ti-quilts All
ready TOO for tile baIs. He wasn't sick
hut tWu weeks; It w.- tir ty. .hus ]
n. su'e f.ri Just ike Il idd-I, s.nt
~, t. :i* iurr:al ~ ct.i.! tr,rtiiD,
j W .sst! Ga nti roF JtHi..'i' Wiir - T.
4,t} nj, iie -. az ii never had IA
,..sice Is, Dt uariied, like Old Liddi
y .'hef.c And Martiia's knitting
nee'il' > h.siI-d brightly III the sub. and
ntr gray eyes were almost black with
hr remembrance Of her wrongs. NAL
cia murmured sympathizingly, and
presently Martha went on.
cts eight years new" she said,
since mother died, and they are al
ways at me to give shem this part of
,tIe house. Ican't bear to. I've got
along in spite Of them, till now"
"But how could you2" said Marcia.
What did you do to get something to
,at?"
The other woman looked at her a
81 suppose" she said,
you'll despise me but I've worked just
ike man. That field over there is
mine. Ipianted it myself, and raised
many things to sell. l went buckle
and sold my grass standing
for fifteen dollars, every year, and year
before last l sold potatoes enough to
buy me barrel OF -four and an alpaca
1ress. 1 got man TO plought he field,
and planted the potatoes myself, and
hoed them, and dug them. I've got
along all right till last year; it was SO
dry everything dried up. There wasn't
any huckleberries, and my potatoes
were too little TO sell. James used to
put hose in the pond and get water to
water his garden, but he never put a
irop on mine. They wanted me to give
~. and they thought l would have to.
II came pretty short last winter.
Many times did not have anything to
eat but hasty pudding, and l could not
buy any tea. l used to smell it from
The other part of the house, and
wanted it 50 bad.
II will say l don't think James
knew how poor l was; he has always
been pretty good to me. And the
neighbors used to invite me out TO
spend the afternoon, 1 used to be
sometimes, they mistrusted
how poor was.
"Pve got splendid garden this
year, but l know We may have a dry
season again, and | must have a little
money to fall back on. laid awake
right after night, thinking of every
way folks took to earn money, and
inally I thought if could only take
, lady boafder 1 could save most of
Ter board in the summer; for most of