The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-08-28

zlv
''sPARE A DYIN WOMAN THREE Oh FOUR
MINITs"
apron. 1--WE had rheumatic, fever,
consumption and heart disease. and
many and many q time I've expected
to go, but / have never felt like this
before. Ny heart goes funk, funk.
funk, my lungs seem to be hitchin
around, and now and then my breath
shuts OF on me the same as II had
got caught in hole in the fence. Mrs.
Watkins was took this very way be-
fore she died. and SO was Mr.. Comfort.
1t may come tonight, or it may be de-
layed till tomorrer. but within day
or two I'll be an angel. You won't
blame me fur dyin. will you. SamuelT
Mr.. Gallup turned his paper over.
pulled in his feet and crossed his legs.
but made no reply.
Folks can't help dyin, Samuel-that
is, can't. hate to go before I've
made the soft soap and put up the fall
pickles, but I can't help myself. 1t
was SO with Mrs. Watkins. She had
the soap grease all ready and was all
ready to dye rags fur new carpet, but
when Gabriel's horn sounded she had
to spread her wings. You'll miss the
soft soap, Samuel, fur you're great
hand to wash up, and you'll miss the
pickles, fur you love sour things, but
will you miss mel"
Mr.. Gallup held the paper In his left
hand and reached down his right to
scratch his heel through his sock, but
he was dumb. Mrs. Gallup looked at
him through her tears for time and
then choked down sob and said:
"Well, If you don't miss me can't
help it. I've allus had hot water ready
when you wanted to wash your feet,
and you've never found me without
stickin salve fur sore fingers. I've
nursed you through collie and sot up
with you through fever. You've never
had to tell me my bread was heavy or
the biscuit tasted of saleratus. And
when I'm laid away. Samuel. you'll re-
member that wore the same bonnet
and shawl fur 81 years and that /
allus made pair of shoes last three
years. Haven't done purity well all
things consideredT
Mr.. Gallup might have agreed with
her, but If he did he didn't say SO
aloud. He crossed his legs the other
way and scratched the other heel, and
when Mrs. Gallup could restrain her
tears she observed:
d.. n &hn mn "
some wives would, Samuel. When l
am gone. you'll find your shirts and
socks and everything In the usual
place, and you won't have to sew ON Q
button. I'll even scald out the teapot
and scour out the dishpan If have
time. If angels can look down from
heaven, then want to look down and
see that rye left everything in order.
want to ask you about angels, Sam
uel. Are they all old or young angels,
or are they sorter mixed up2 VIII |
be set back 30 or 40 years. or will be
an old woman angelo
She looked directly at Mr.. Gallup
and waited for reply, but he was
reading how to make hammock out
of -four barrel. and he paid no heed
to the question.
"And are all angels purity, Samuel"
she continued after awhile. "Pve new
err been purity since / was a. baby and
fell out of the winder. but If I've got
to be an angel want my face made
over as soon as | get up there. I'm not
goin to be p'inted our fur my homeli-
ness as fiy around. If was, know
I'd make ND faces at some Of 'em.
viii 1 be changed in the twinklin Of
IN eye and made as purity as the rest
Of emf
Something like smile fitted over
the face of Mr.. Gallup, but 1t was prob
ably caused by the article he was read
ing.
"And about the music, Samuel
can't play on no harp without lessons.
I have never even seen harp. When
we was first married, used to play
on the accordion fur you. but 1t was
awful poor playin. and you soon got
sick of it. Is 1t goin to be expected
that kin fly right up to heaven and
begin playin on harp the very first
thing? If 1t is, then l dunno as
want to die. never could a-bear havin
folks laugh at me. And the singin.
Samuel-the singinl My voice Is crack
ed, and l sing through my nose. and is
that goin to do up there7 s'pose l
could walk around with robe on and
talk and visit, but / can't sing nor
play, and they needn't expect 1t. Sam
uel, shall we talk about whether you'd
better take a second wife or mott
Sometimes l think you had, and some
times l think you hadn't. What do
you thinkY
Mr.. Gallup turned from the ham
mock article to one on natural gas in
Ohio, and he extended his legs again
and prepared to digest 1t thoroughly.
1t might have occurred to him that
Mrs. Gallup was In the room and that
she or some one else was talking to
him, but he answered not. Ten min
utes had gone by when he finished the
article and looked up and around as II
he had suddenly missed something.
Mrs. Gallup lay curled up on the
lounge fast asleep. and in the cor
ner Of each eye still glistened a big
tear. M. QUAD.