Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-05-28
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
{ The Widows Reform :
9 BY Keziah Shelton. Z
s AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAs

she amt that quite-has emmy ldee
how well OFF she N Muri-Jane's goih'
to be?'
"Yis, I've ben up all night. He'll
drop aout toward shutdown. | guess.
No, don't think they know what's
waitin' for 'em, for he's KEEP n stll
tongue in his head, es well es tite
rein on 'em. | kinder fggered up his
with while he lay a-muIlin' an rs
he amt never spent nothin', his an
trest must count up to nigh on TWEEN
ty thousan', sure!"
"Well we'll, he's ben sly. an KEEP
it from his wimmen folks an the
'sessors!' said listening neighbor.
Eyes, he's lived off what the widow
and Mari-Jane has earned a-taking
in and a-going out, and has boosted
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 Sailing 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 al
fairs than an occasional death in
their midst created a neighborly rip
~, NJ of n
wave of enthusiasm such as now and
then stirs the life stream that bears
on it's bosom broader lives.
"The widder's ben hard-workin'
him better'n ! should. I'm willin' TO
say that, an | don't mind a-sayin',
es long cs 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 nus
band died an Suke balled and took
on. cs eff he'd ben sum use to- her
Sez her mother to her: tSukie, I'm
ashamed O yo; faint rite to ball 50.
He's better off. es the elders be n
a-tcllin' ON We. an the Lord knows
YOU be!' An es fur Mari-Jane. | hope
she'll cnj'y her freedum awhile afore
she ties herself down to man .
her own: not but what Jim Reed is
well enutf, but there's good deal to
be put up with, il one has the best of
men. There's WIS things to my mind
than bein' left widder, or even than
bein' an ole maid! ] 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
resl o that. eff | was her. Id let
we'll cnuff alone!"
At another table the father said:
Gas usual, Harris hez run in on n
cheap ticket"
"Didn't gip a return one. though,
dad. did hep
Ella. ha! that's pritty good, 'siderng
Yer aiec, Joe. But as ! wuz a-sayin'
he's cheated the doctors an sponged
what belonged To them an the muses..
out q his naNhors whu'>e 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-,Ianc: ole Harris hadn't
RELY cnnythin' ag'in Jim Reed, only his
comm there rendered the wimmen
folks about their work. rs callers allus
duz. But man needn't be n hog. if he
duz know how! An Harris begruied
the eXtry ole punk an brcsh that was
used if he come in to set up awhile
es it is material fur young folks to do.
even the best on EN-; We mite es well
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 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 hey 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 folllses' arm
ings: lie was madder'n a settin hen!
SEE he: 1T is true tibet | du put ten
cents out of cv'ry dollar tibet | let 'em
arm inter a spice box; an it's true tibet
the res of it duz vittle us three an
wy shoodn't it? 90 the bzzibodies
know how much | Civ 'cm outrite be-
sides? Then tell 'em tibet they hev
all there is lef' AFTER our livin' is per-
vided. tn waste on Their backs. Yis.
sirreec, it's a homes fac! du all tibet,
artcr pcrvidin' ruff over Their heads,
an a-lettin' 'em split up ennythin' tn
burn-thet won't sell, Sum wimmen
hev tn help buy fewcl; il makes EN-
more savn'er. No. I amt never BIN
tite an mean with 'em. Theirs no Sc
cret abaout the fac, tibet wimmen cost
full es much csthcyre 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
latf abaout, I've put twice year inter
the savin's hank--in their names, mind
We. now. not mine. es n mean man wood;
but they don't know it! I've ben. We
see. more'n homes with 'em. a-givin'
'em what WIZ mine! It's jenrous. |
call it, an arter I'm dead an CORN
they'll fin out how much Their is fur
'em, an I can't help Their han'lin' it
then! I hope" they'lt hev' gratitood
ennff not to spen' emmy on't' Poor
Brigham he's been a hard master, like
all the Brighams afore him"
"Well, well. he's been a queer chan.
and has took pride in his smallnesses:
he told me once. that he'd got more'n
was good for wimmin folks to be left
with. Sometime he meant to make a
will and 'tie uD' his propertv he said y