The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-07-11
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
{ The Widows Reform !
) BY Keziah Shelton 4
4
a AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA =
BY Keziah Shelton.

wonder IL the Widder-Well, j s pose
she amt that quite-has emmy :dee
how well OFF she n Mari-Janes goin'
to be?'
"Yis, I've ben up all night. He'll
drop aout toward shutdown, l guess
No, l don't think they know what's
waitin' for 'em, for he's KEEP still
tongue in his head, es well es a tite
rein on EN-. l kinder fggered up his
with while he lay a-mulin', an ~
he amt never spent nothin', his en-
trest must count up to nigh on TWEEN
! ty thousan', sUre!"
"Well, well, he's ben sly, an KEEP
! IL from his wimmen folks an the
'sessorsl" said a listening neighbor.
YES he's lived off what the widow
and Mari-Jane has earned a-takng
in and a-going out, and has boosted
that by so doing he could salt his
own wages! / don't know what
Heaven can offer such n man in place
of the pleasure he has taken here
in scrimping and sailing as he
called it," chimed in one of the more
intelligent of the neighbors
The news of old Brigham's imlni-
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 bears
on its bosom broader lives,
"rhe widders ben a hard-worldn.
| pashunt woman, an hes bore with
him better'n / should, I'm willin' to
say that, an l don't mind a-sayin',
es long es he's got to go whuther
I I'm willin' or not, that I'm resigned
es old Mis- Howard said, when her
! darter Susan's drunken coot of hus-
band died an Suke balled and took
on, es eff he'd ben sum use to- her.
SEE her mother to her: fSul1ie, I'm
ashamed O. yo; faint rite to ball so.
He's better off, es the elders ben
a-tellin' on ye, an the Lord knows
| you bel An es fur Mari-Jane, I hope
she'll eni'y her freedum awhile afore
she ties herself down to man o
/ her own; not but what Jim Reed is
we'll enuff, but there's a good deal to
be put up with, if one has the best of
men. There's wus things to my mind
| than bein left a wilder, or even than
bein' an ole maidl ! wonder eff they'll
dare let Jim come to the funeral?
! I'd be afraid that the copse would
come to life, an / wouldn't run no
resk o that eff was her! I'd let
well enuff alone!"
At another table the father said:
GAS usual, Harris hez run in on n
cheap ticket"
Didn't giC return one, though
dad, did hep"
"Ha, hal that's pritty good 'sidering
! yer aige, Joe But as ! wuz a-sayin'
he's cheated the doctors an sponged
what belonged to them an the muses.,
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
RELY ennyt ag'in Jim Reed, only his
| COuIn lutIt uthuNl GU bllC NiliiiiNh
folks about their work as callers allus
duz. But a man needn't be a hog, If he
duz know howl An Harris begrujed
the extry ole punk an bresh that was
used if he come in to set up awhile
es it is nateral 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
nater Yer can squelch 'em es fur
es We can see--but don't We furgit it, yer
a-goin' to git left in the end, an the
grass on his grave won't need cuttin'
afore Jim Reed will hev a rite to cut
It'll"
you're rite there! Did / 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 settin hen!
SEE he: 1T is true tibet / du put ten
cents out of ev'ry dollar tibet 1 let 'em
arm inter 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 tbet they hev
all there is lef' arter our livin' is per-
vided, ia waste on Their backs! Yis,
sirreee, it's a homes fact du all tibet,
arter pervidin' ruff over Their heads,
an a-lettin' 'em split up ennythin' tn
burn-thet won't SELL Sum wimmen
hev tn help buy fewel; it makes 'em
more savin'er. No, / amt never BIN
tite an mean with 'em. Theirs no Sc
cret abaout the fac, tibet wimmen cost
full es much es they're with 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 a clean rite tn
all they arm, still the ten centses folks
laff abaout, I've put twice year inter
che savin's bank-in their names, min6
ye, now, not mine, es q mean man wood;
but they don't know It'll I've ben, "
see, more'n homes with 'em, a-givin
'em what wuz minei It's jenrous,
call it, an arter I'm dead an gorr
they'll fin out how much Their is rul
'em an / can't helm Their han'lin' l.