The sun., 1895-05-20
WOMEN MENDED THE ROAD,
MARY ANN SMITH, AGED o4 YEARS.
TAUGHT THE MEN Il LESION
Tho eeIectnen wouldn't DO Their Duty, So
Sho Lost Patience and Called Out the
wome,-Haie Old Age In Connecticut

The Seiectmeu wouldn't DO Their DUTY, So
Sho Lost Patience and Called Out the
wome,-Haie Old Age In Connecticut,
New LONDON, May 10.-A most remarkable
old lady Is Mrs. Mary Ann Smith of East Lyme,
n country town among the Wild hills few miles
west Of this city, who celebrated her ninety.
fourth birthday anniversary on Monday. Tho
fact is, she is about as hale and rugged spry and
peart as any woman of half her age in the Land
Of Steady Habits. About everybody In town
came TO her birthday meet. and everybod gts
douahnuts and pies and cakes, cooked hy her
own hand and then told her how well md
strong she looked. supcrfuous ASSURANCE,
then each guest grinncd and said some.
thing facetious about Aunt Mary AIMS
plucky round with the laggard Sclocumen
of East Lyme, who wouldn't mend tho
highway that skirts her big farm, after she Lad
told them to about score OF times.
Twice or thrice. at least, she had dropped into
their littlc country Office and assured them that
II they didn't get to work on that particular
niece of roadway pretty soon, tho chances were
a. would cave In, and eventually slump through
into China or Australia. Tho guilty Selcctmen
insured Mrs. Mary Ann Smith most soleinnly
each time that they would certainly get to work
on Il right away, but with characteristic official
dilatoriness they did nothing about II whatever.
The weeks sped on, and the thoroughfarc stead.
ily grew more shaky and ricketty. with rolling
pebbles cropping out all the time so thickly that
II was perilous to drive team along its rugged
surface.
Then Mrs. Smith wrote n petition, signed BY
all tho other women and some men of the neigh.
borhood to the officials. asking them IL they
knew of any reason why they hadn't gone to
work on that neglected reach OF road, but they
vouchsafcd not word In tho way Of reply to
her paper. Then she petitoned again. re-re-
petitioned. md finally counterpettioned. in tho
forlorn hope of waking them up. but they kept
on in tho even tenor OF their mastery inacton
in respect to that part,cular piece of pike,
Then II was that Mrs. Mary Ann smith lost
patience, She didn't say a word TO the rest Of
her family, but bright and early four days be-
fors her birthday anniversary noted, she
hoped out of bed at dawn, and, after eating
the family hand barrow. She trunded 1t down
that long and lonely and good for nothing and
farmhouse OF her nearest neghbor.. Then shc
summoned all the women OF the ancient house
into Its front yard, and said to them curtly and
"Comc on. women folks, and never mind the
men. but get your wheelbarrows and hoes. and
como along down the road piece; we are going
to mend the roads OF East Lyme to-day. That's
what's up. The Selectmen are no good. and we'll
a me sSs VIII Fpdsi Thas S Ss HG
me!S nMG% "AA' 'N' WOMEN A'.A' A e'' lO'''"
So Mary Ann Smith strobe on grimly about
the East Lymg nelGnDOrDOOu, hunlfnODlnE the
women, not to arms. but to implements, a mod
ern feminine Paul Revere, and before O'Clock
that forenoon she had about a score of East
Lyme women plying shovel and hoe on the bro
ken. quilted. and stony highway. On account of
her great age. Mary AIMS neighbors wouldn't
consent to have her WELD heavy tools or wheel
barrowloads of stones Off the roadbed but in
spite Off them she armed herself with big bas-
Eet and lugged not less than forty cumbrous
stones Off the pike. In the picturesque company
of road members women both old and
young. not few Of whom were more than 80
years of age. and there were maidens and chill
the forenoon they labored, and while they did
not attempt to repair the roadbed. heless,
they removed all the loose rolling stones there
from, so that now 1t is In shape to be
traversed without danger by man and beast.
Having completed their self-appointed and
public-spirited task, all the women and girls
about midday repaired to Aunt Mary AIMS
home. and had q round of hot tea in honor OF
the exploit and to the everlasting confusion Of
all neglectful and wrongheaded and refractory
East Lyme Selectmen. They reented, however.
the ground floor. In respect OF the tes-drnking
celebration.
Relations of Mrs Smith came to her birth
day celebration from various parts OF New Eng
land, who together with her E:ast Lyme neigh
bors brought her q great number OF handsome
and useful gifts. Among the guests there were
two of her aged sisters whose combined ageS
together with her OVID. amount to 260 years
Mrs. Smith has spent pretty nearly all her life
sojourned for few months continuously in
Norwich. All her faculties are as good as ever,
while her memory is wonderfully quick and re-
tentiye.