Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-03-13
MARY MASON.


street of little Nebraska town-the
town of Bubble.
The little woman was crouched upon
the carpet sofa in limp heap. She |
lSblked i'll, but anguine-exhausted, |
but relieved. The remains of the mid
day meal were on the table. There |
were traces of ashes about the stove.
The baby's gown was begrimed. In
spite of these facts the mistress of the
modest home smiled sweetly.
"Well," exclaimed her visitor, one
comprehensive glance embracing the
unwonted neglect of the place, 81 heard
you were not feeling well, but 1 did
not know you required assistance with
your housework. Isupposed, of course,
your friend Mrs. Mason was with you"
The little woman looked up with q
SPARKLE in her eye.
20, I'm well enough. was sick
enough up to last Tuesday. I've been
gettin better ever since. I'll have the
table red off an things Strengthened
before Tom gets home. If l feel like
it now l can let things be. There amt
no one TO notice. Mrs. Mason, she don't
come over. Truth is, we've got shet
of Mary Mason. We just" in emphatic
repetition, had to get shet of Mary
Mason"
The visitor was sympathetic. The
little woman was confidential.
"Me an Tom," she explained, "have
lived on farms all our lives. So when
we rented the farm and moved into
town, l thought the change was fine.
'My!' l says to Tom, 'ain't it nice to
live in large place. 1 never before
suspicioned how comfortable it was to
live reel near to folks, an have them
folks neighborly. Out'n the half sec
ton we might be two weeks 'ithout
seein' body to speak to. An here
we've got 800 people in this town, an
two trains u day-not to mention tie
freights-an' houses all round us. It's
awful nice / says to Tom, but what's
incest is Mrs. Mason. Why she comes
in that often I amt got n bit of time
to be lonesome for the stock. There's
only herself an her husband, so her
work don't count. She can't read or
write only Bohemy, an she amt got
no use for that language since she mar
ried out'n her folks. Take it alto
gether, she's willin' to .neighbor lots,
an that says to Tom, will be mighty
perlsin' for mel"
"Yes," assented her visitor, with a
rising infection on the monosyllable.
"Tom, he didn't say much. He's kind
OF slow-like. He jest said: WHAT suits
you, Eliza, suits mel Well, Mrs. Mason
she come. She kept comm. Some
times, if she got Samyel off early, she
come in before our breakfast. She
allts come in before got the dishes
done up. An she stayed. She stayed
all mornin' even wash mornin's
Sometimes she talked. Right along she
kept nibblin'. Sometimes twas a bit
of cheese, or couple of crackers, or c
hunk of spice gingerbread, or the toI
off jar of jell. L can't hear you wher
I'm a-rubbin',' I'd say. That never
mattered bit to her. She'd wait til
got through rubbin' an was a-bilin'
But whether she talked or whether she
didn't allus come, sure as the daylight
did, she allus kept a-nibblin', an She
allus stayed
The narrator treated himself to ;
teaspoonful of medicine out of bottle
On the windowsill before she pro
ceeded.
"Our girls get home from school a
12," went on the Frustrated chatelaine
IAN l allus have lunch for 'em then
Sometimes it's reel good. Sometimes
it's only scraps. Anyhow, it's the bes
me an Tom can afford. Don't you thinl
she stayed for every one of then
lunches? My, yes. She don't have T.
get dinner for Samyel till one, an sh
lowed that she most generally go
peckish about noon. So she'd set dow
with the children reg'lar, an then g
across home to get dinner
Her visitor sighed softly.
"Then. she would stay all afternoon
She was allus here when Tom com
home to supper. Her husband took hi
supper at the hotel, so she used to jim
us. Samyel never got back from tn
store before II, so she'd stay at ou
house to pass the time. Tom, he'd G
for the mail, an come back, an ther
shewas. Read the noos!' she'd say. Ton
who is natchilly petite, 'ud read i
He'd read, an read, an read! Land
sakes!' Mary Mason 'ud put in, go on
could jest set here all night an listen
An she did-pretty near!"
There was a mournful silence.
"On the farm" continued Mrs. Rol
inson, "mc an Tom allus went to bed {
eight. How was we to go to bed even {
ten, with Mary Mason a-settin' there
Land o. the livin'!' she'd say, seein' m
a-patchin,' I'm glad 1 amt got enn
children to keep a-slavin' fer-they d
fola S11oh n slew Df VOrlSl' Rut when
got through the mendin', an Tom ha
read every word in the paper, even til
Observation-Disclosures she was! Tol
he'd yawn an yawn. I'd tell as ho
I was dead beat, not havin' got muc
sleep the night before with the bah
that was croupy. She never pretende
to hear. By'm by, Tom, he'd go into OF
bedroom that's off the sittin'-room, a