The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-11-28
In the Midst Of Life.

enough Whlle hor nusDanO WAS AHNo,
for he was a steady, reliable workman
and always brought his weeks earnings
home to his wife. She acted as the dis.
bursting officer of the household and ex.
pended the money wisely and to good
account. The rent was the biggest item
of expense and made serious inroads on
his weekly wages. Yet by thrift and
close economy Mrs. Brown always man.
aged to have enough to eat and wear
with an occasional dollar now and then
to put aside. So that one day when the
ambulance brought home the dead body
of her husband she had saved up enough
cash to pay the funeral expenses besides
owning severl shares in Building and
Loan Association. The contractor who
had erected the insecure scaffold which
resulted in Browns death also came
forward and paied her sufficient sum
to enable her to live until, as she
thought, she could find something to do.
A few dollars were also raised by public
subscription, but as soon as the unfortu-
nate circumstances had been forgotten
and Mrs. Browns money began to give
out the serious problem of living began
to confront her. She moved into a
little two.roomed dwelling in an un.
healthy neighborhood and thereby cut
down, considerably, the item of rent.
The oldest child was only six and she
was compelled to either employ some
one to take care of the children while
she looked for work or leave them with
some of the neighbors who were kind
enough in their way, to be sure, but
who soon manifested dislike to add
other duties to the many already de-.
manding their attention. At first Mrs.
Brown thought it would be no very seri.
ious task to obtain employment but her
hopes were dashed with the first appli.
cation.
"what can you do2" was demanded
of her.
Sure enough what could she do? She
had been an excellent housewife but
she wasn't an expert seamstress. She
couldn't do clerical work. She hadn't
the strength to scrub and wash. Nor
could she do extensive cooking. 1t
see med that there was but one position
in all the world that she could adequate.
ly fill, the one of which death had rob.
bed her.
After wandering in search of work for
many, long, weary days she returned at
dusk, one night, to find her youngest
child with dry, flushed face. His
breathing became difficult and she called
a nearby physician. He pronounced it
mem branous Group in the worst form.
She applied what scanty comfort to the
little sufferer that her poverty.stricken
surroundings afforded but the malady
gradually grew worse. All through the
dreary night she sat by the couch of
her suffering child. In the morning
the physician shook his head ominously.
The damp, unhealthy location was
against the little invalid and Mrs. Brown
felt that she was helpless accessory to
the death of her child.
In her desperation and despair she al.
most wished that they all could follow
in the path of her husband. In order
to bury her child it was necessary to
sell her Building and Loan stock. She
must now beg or starve unless she OBJ.
tanned work soon. She started once
more on her hopeless quest. Winter
had come on and added new terror to
the desperate woman. Every hour she
was haunted by the thought that her
children at home were starving and
reezing. There was but one alternative
left, she must starve with her children
or beg from door to door. One by one
the pieces of furniture had been con.
verted into cash or taken in payment
for small debts.
She crept through the dark streets in
the neighborhood of her hovel. With
the night snow had set in upon days
cold rain. The wind had shifted to the
North and cut her poorly clad body to
the bone. She knew that there was no
fire and that the night was fast growing
colder. Her sorrow and her poverty
had bound her closer than ever to her
remaing children, and the thought of
the effect of the night upon them made
her poor heart sink within her.
She was creeping along street by the
side of which stood train loaded with |
coal. Half dozen of the big, black
Jumps might save her children's lives.
She had half promise of work on the
She hesitated. There was no
one in sight. Then gathering up her
apron in one hand she reached up with |
,ther and hastily lifted lump over the |
side of the car. She repeated this half |
l dozen times and then started through |
he alley to her shivering, starving chill.
lren. Just then a policeman came up |