River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-01-16
some OF THANKFUL STR0NG'S
EXPERIENCES.
BY sAnAn wADswonrH crrcHr1l

=
towns upon the coast OF Maine. Time
has not dealt tenderly with her, for at
the age of fifty her hair is as white as
the foam uDon the sea shore, where as
child she worked and played. She is
very tall wiCh STOPPING shoulders
borne dow by the burdens of life. L
do not tiiink her face ever could have
beea called pretty, but now from the
fifty years of beautiful living there
shines through those great Blue eyes a
something that has never ceased to
be pretty,-a beauty that can come
into no life save from beautiful
living. Reared as She was by illiterate
parents in neighborhood of still
more illiterate people, though no one
could think of calling her ignorant
she still holds to the form of the
language of the neighborhood in
which she lived as child and grew
into womanhood.
Early in life she married a sailor.
AOout year after their marriage a
pair of twin babies came. The proud,
happy husband and father soon after
this event started upon his second
voyage since their marriage, full Of
life and courage. A storm arose, and
within sight of the home that held all
that was dearest, his ship went down,
and it was only the lifeless form Of her
husband that she met upon the beach
the morning after the wreck. Their
babies lived their little lives of six
months and one coffin held both tiny
forms.
The East was no more home for her;
she could only
Gall mat home where my sailor went,
The iard where INV nestlngs be-"
Her brother who was excepting bach
out Vest and had grown very weary
of the lonely life, upon hearing of her
misfortunes sent for her to come and
keep house for him. There was little
left to grieye over, only the sea; Of
her parting with that she says:
II did love it even though it was
cruel to me. In my childhood it was
kind. The waves came often and
kissed my bare brown feet while upon
the shores worked and played. Often
we cruised along the shore for shells.
Then how grand it is, either in calm
or storm: yet, old Ocean, you were
cruel TO me. L used to feel as if /
must reach my arms out over the tide
and clasp my dear lost husband. /
cried often, Give me back my own,
dear cruel sea- but the tide ebbed
and flowed just the same.
"Takin' it all i'm all was right glad
sooner, but / don't know as it made a
great sight of difference. Through all
of them years that was keepin'
house for Martin, though l was right
glad of the work, ana glad that could
do my brother good hands turn, yit
the pain at my heart never stopped
a tuggin', until, - we'll, mebbe you
dom care to hear"
"Oh, please do go on; tell me all
about it" said 1.
"Well," she resumed, "when Martin
was married it seemed to me that l
was adrift. / thought that my heart
strings were bein' torn all but asun-
der. / felt agin that / had nothin' to
love, and say what you will there is
nothin' in life worth tryin' for if one
feels loyeless.
II was walkin down TO the village
one day, when as / passed Deacon
Strong's, l seen them two motherless
babies standin' by the gate and cryin'.
/ hove to- and asked them what was
the matter. Joe, who was then about
seven years old, raised his eyes full of
tears, and chokin back the sobs, said:
oh, pas gone to town and our hired
girls awful mean. She hurt Orrilly
awful cause she asked for some bread
and butter. OH / wisht pa would
come home, and | do wisht / had a
ma 1 smoothed the baby's hair back
from her dear little face, and when /
took her up she put both little arms
around my neck and Rugged so tight,
sayin' all the time, Mamma, nice
mamma. tay.' All at once / felt the
sorrow all melt out of my heart and
new love tack its place. Great men
poets, and sich-say that it is real
true love that loves where it is needed,
and | know that it was true love that
has never grown mite cold that
sprung up there between those baby
hearts and mine. Bless me. never
thought they had pa until ne drove
up right along side of where we was.
/ felt awkward then and tried to have
the baby leggo. but no, she chung all
the closter a sayin' all the time, oh,
mamma dom to tay: mamma doin
to tay.' Caleb couldn't help a hearin
If her and / thought that ! could
never look up again and meet his eyes.
Not a word was said for long time,
only just baby's sayin' Mamma tum,
mamma tum.' Some way the tears
begun to run down my cheeks, and at
last Caleb with tears in his voice.
don't know if there was any in his
eyes or not, did not dare to Look
said: Well Thankful, I'd be the glad
dest man in town if you would do it;
if you would stay and be a mother to
my babies and, here he stammered
some. L know I'm askin' a good deal,
Thankful, but | need you, too. We
are both alone in this world, so to
speak. You couldn't find a warmer
welcome nowheres than you can here.
Can you DO it, Thaknful?' Guess III
have to or take this baby along Yes,
and me too, piped in little Joe. So
Caleb went for the parson while me
and the children stopped at Martins.
There's no use a putin on it of,
saws Caleb: i can't never go back into
that house alone after this And as
we were both dressed up considerable
spry, thought it better so. We are
all starvin' for just the love we could
give each other without no trouble, it
seemed to me: love that was a layin'
not doin' the least good on earth, SC
to speak. I've never rued that DAY
and Caleb says he haint: and now
| though both our children is married
and settled in ifomes of their own