Warren sheaf., 1900-05-17
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
5 The Widows Reform s
= BY Keziah Shelton.
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'T OOD morning. Pen. hean ,r,4,,
BY Keziah Shelton.
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l.
she amt that quite-has emmy idee
how we'll OFF she n Mari-Jane's goi4a'
to be?" +E
"4is, I've ben up all night. He'll
drop aout toward sundown, guess.
No, don't think they know what's
. waitin' for 'em, for he's KEEP a still
tongue in his head, es well es tite
rein on 'em. kinder figgered up his
Wuth while he lay a-mullin', an rs
he amt never spent nothin', his en-
trest must count up to nigh on twen-
ty thousan', sure!" .s...
well, we'll, he's ben sly. an KEEP
1t from his wimmen folks an the
'sessors!" said a listening neighbor.
Eyes, he's lived off what the widow
and Mari-Jane has earned a-taking
in and a-going out. and has boastcd
that by SO doing he could salt his
own wages! I don't know what
Heaven can offer such man in place
of the pleasure he has taken here
in scrimping and 'salting.' as he
called it, chimed in one of the more
intelligent of the neighbors. ~.
The news of old Brigham's immi-
nent departure from his narrow
sphere here, to the unknown land
that awaits us all, was discussed at
every breakfast table in the little
neighborhood, where even smaller af-
fairs than an occasional death in
their midst created a neighborly rip
pie, that served them in place of
wave of enthusiasm such as now and
then stirs the life stream that beavs
on it's bosom broader lives.
"The widder's ben a hard-workin'.
pashunt woman, an hes bore with
him better'n l should, I'm willin' to
say that, an L don't mind a-sayin',
es long es he's got to go whuther
I'm willin' or not, that I'm resigned,
es old Mis- Howard said, when her
darter Susan's drunken coot of a nus
band died an Suke ba!led and took
on, es eff he'd ben sum use to. hev:
Sez her mother to her: fSukie, I'm
ashamed O. yo; faint rite to ball 50.
He's better off, es the elders ben
a-tellin' on ye, an the Lord knows
you be!' An es fur Mari-Jane. hope
she'll enj'y her freedum awhile afore
she ties herself down to Il man .
her own; not but what Jim Reed is
well enuff, but there's a good deal to
be put up with, if one has the best of
men. There's WIS things to my mind
than bein' left widder, OF even than
bein' an ole maid! I wonder eff they'll
dare let jim come to the funeral?
I'd be afraid that the copse would
come to life. an I wouldn't run no
resk O. that, eff I was her! I'd let
we'll enuff alone!"
At another table the father said:
CAS- usual, Harris hez run in on Il
cheap ticket"
"Didn't git a return one, though,
dad, did hep"
Ella, ha! that's pritty good. 'sidering
yer aige. Joe. But as l WuZ a-sayin
he's cheated the doctors an sponged
what belonged to them an the nusses.
out O. his naybors who've watched an
tended him out O. pity fur poor Mis-
Brigham, tho they've felt like tellin'
him some plain truths! An there's
poor Mari-Jane; ole Harris hadn't
reely ennythin' ag'in Jim Reed, only his
comm there rendered the wimmen
folks about their work, as callers allus
duz. But q man needn't be hog, if he
duz know how! An Harris begrujed
the extry ole punk an bresh that was
used if he come in to set up awhile.
es it is material fur young folks to do,
even the best on 'em; We mite es we'll
try to make water run up hill by whist
ling to it, es to try to change human
mater! Yer can squelch 'em es fur
es We can see-but don't ye furgit it. yer
a-goin' to sit left in the end, ar the
grass on his grave won't need cuttin'
afore Jim Reed will hev rite to cut
it!''
"You're rite there! Did I ever tell We
what Brigham said when he heard that
the naybors had got hold of his taking
charge O the wimmen folkses' arm
ings? He was madder'n a settin hen!
Sez he: IT is true thet I du put ten
cents out of ev'ry dollar thet let 'em
arm inter a spice box; an it's true thet
the res of it duz vittle US three. an
wy shoodn't it? DO the bizzibodies
know how much Civ 'em outrite be-
sides? Then tell 'em thet they hev
all there is lef' arter our liyin' is per-
vided, tn waste on Their backs! Yis.
sirreee, it's a homes fac! l du all thet.
arter pervidin' a ruff over Their heads,
an aiettin' 'em split up ennythin' tn
burn-thet won't sell! Sum wimmen
hev tn help buy fewel; it makes 'e1n
more savin 'er. No. I amt never BIN
tite an mean with 'em. Theirs no Sc
cret abaout the fac. thet wimmen cost
full es much es they're wuth tn man.
but I've tried tn furgit it an du my
duty by 'em, an hev' hardly TUX my
JUS dues SEE he, I've clean rite tn
all they arm, still the ten centses folks
iaff abaout, I've put twice q year inter
the savin's bank-in their names. mind
We, now. not mine, es a mean man wood;
but they don't know it! I've ben. We
see, more'n homes with 'em, a-givin'
'em what wuz mine! It's jenrous.
call it, an arter I'm dead an gorn
fhey'l1 fin ont how n11ch thar ;s fnr