Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-05-18
A FAIRFIELD STORY.
The r., axis Of Fortune as told by lwo o'd Por
traits.


ing room ut the town farm In Fair-
iiell. Maine. hang two large cfayoh
portraits. One Of these Is the picture
of faced but beautiful woman
the other of n curly haired lad OF Il
half dozen summers whose happy
smile ana bright face gave Mite lhli-
cation OF suffering or sorrow. Slfdh-
gers who sometimes visit the piac"
remark that the two pictures are
hung in strange surroundings. IL
is evident at u first glance that
they were NOT intended TO hang
upun the walls Of ponr-iarm
building as the smooth finished work
nlanship end elegant frames NJ once
declare them TO have been destined fer
Il higher resting place. But the cit-
liens OF the town who know the Eistoiy
- the pictures. " no have lived 20 Wit
ness the sorrow which has come upon
the homes In which they orig n;iiy
hung, see nothing in the incident but
IN illustration Of the Uncertainties that
are. perhaps, IN store FOR many 81 US.
Several years ago there lived la Fair
field Il woman who was possessed Of a
roudly store of the world good. Her
husband haze died and left her a COM
for table property, portion OF which
She devoted IL the education ana
bringing Ut of her only daughter. .
child who gave promise Of great
beauty ana many accomplishments.
She was quite the relying belle OF this
neighhorhocd and when she married 4
man name Gilmore IL was declared by
the disappointed swains To be TIA"
luckicst man IN ting county. They
had one child boy Who Il Is declared.
was almost perfect image az his
mother. having the same blue eyes
ana Tho same fair, curly hair. Gilmore
shortly after died ana the woman be-
came the wife Of q. II. Colby, VINO
founded the Fairfield Journal.
The course Of conjugll love did not
run smoothly IN this second union.
however. and after Il time colby end
his wiic separated by divorce. H. going
to live in New Hampshire and she re-
turning to the home of her mother,
taking with her the child. shortly
afterward Il became whispered about
that the woman had become the slave
TO n drug ana despite the EFFORTS of her
hcartbrokon mother ana the influence
III quiet. happy home, the insidiouS
web of habit slowly frightened itself
about her and she died as Il result %
m overdose Of the supplying stun.
shortly after the child died ana th"s"
many sorrows. following in such rapid
succession began to have their effect
upon the OLD lady. Her property hal
dwindlcd to almost nothing ard even
this, il was stated. was almost liter
ally stolen from her by the sharp prac
tees of certain persons and Sh" was
left destitute. n heart broken. mind
broken body-broken old woman. Si"
became Il town charge ana although
through the efforts of certain generous
hearted friends she was able To re-
main out Of the poor-farm for httlN
while longer the day came when she
was forced to take the rickety old car
rage and ride away 'over the hill To
the poor house" Strange to say Of MI
the personal relics and belongings
which had been preserved from the
wreck of her future fortune she eX-
pressed a wish that nothing be saved
except the two crayon pictures of her
erring daughter and fairhaireh grand
child. All the rest We're disposed Of
ana these two were taken ana hung
upon the wall OF her room at the town
farm. They were the links which bound
her to a happy existence.
At last the load of grief became too
heavy to bear and the woman became
permanently deranGcd. At first the
malady did not render her formidable
nor even disagreeable to the other oc-
cupants of the poor-house but at last
it became necessary that she be re-
moved to Augusta. This was accord
in9Iy done and at last accounts she
was living there, an inmate Of the State
asylum for the insane.
The two pictures were removed to
the sitting room where they hang
looking strangely out Of place amid
their dingier surroundings.