Cañon City record., 1903-01-01

SHE MAS 50 WAX AND NERVOUS SHE
COULD HBVE WHIT.
dishes. she had indeed not done so
much wogE as usual for Thursday
morning for her husband was at home
that day. aud he had done the churn.
ing FOR her. and the butter WAS now
waiting to be gathered and salted.
That was the next task that awaited
her. but she WAS So tired she sat down
To nesa.n minute In the low wooden
rocking Nefair that belonged To the
kitchen
Ten years ago blue eyed Mary Far
rlu-''en wa~ 4 pretty country school
mistra7s fall Of life and ire and ambi.
ti5R She would 81 TO college. she
would sndy English literature. she
would 20 t. Europe and study lltcra-
ture sGaiR. she would return q Ameri-
81 lud be R-cniigge professor herself
and have career IL was a pretty
dream OF . girls ambition. too pretty
in truth. At least Mary Farriugt1u
was TOO pretty FOR IL 10 bc real.zcd
Lovers followed her footsteps, among
them John Murphy. anu John Murphy
decided that Mary FaFriugtOns edu-
csltiun was finished, He was only a
farmer. aud one of her other lovers
was sch0oimaSter and the third one
lawycr while John Murphy did not
speak quite ErammatiCilly. But he had
forty three inch chest. and he could
pick her uP under one arn and run
half mile with her. II seemed some
how that just 50 he caught her mp and
ran away with her from both the
schoolmaster. who had dyspepsia.
and the lawyer. who had cold. clam
my handsb5ke. Ike thc wagGlnS OF a
seals clippers.
And now. She moved fecbly back
and forth in the kitchen rocking chair
She was SO weak and nervous she
could have wept She hreathed long
drawn breaths like the dying. and the
past came back to her as II does to
the dying. oh. that silly marriage
II she could only get out of ii, only q.
back ten years and live her life as she
had planned 1t, She saw herself th.
handsome. brilliant young woman col
lege professor. honored and loved. with;
white hands and pretty gowns anc
literary aud artistic people around her
Now, now, There was the ruggec
little farm with mortgage on IL
there were the five white headed. short
noscd. freckled children that lookec
like John Murphy. all except tl,s
fourth, the one who was always whib
ing. That one resembled her. Ther,
they were, there was she. with not
dollar 10 spare for anything but bald
necessities, and Mary Harrington So
loved grace and beautiful things. II
seemed MS II she had TO buy new pair
OF shoes FOR one OF that pile OF Young
ones every week. Would anybody think
now She had ever been pretty. the
hopeless bowed. broken down farm
wife of thlrty-twof
During the late autumn and winter
John Murphy had work as a teamster
at n dollar day. and that was almost
the only money they saw. He was of
duty Today because IL was Thanksgiv.
ing.
Miss Bookman. the children's teach
er. Just such live. pretty girl as Mary
Harrington had been. was going to tel.
her pupils at the schoolhouse of the
first Thanksgiving day In America and
show them pictures of Indians,
But now Mary was too tired TO dress
the young ones, too ,ired to get dinner.
too tired for anything. so she just lpp.
ped down In the kitchen rocking chair.
Thanksgivingf The only Thanksgiv-
Ing TO her would be death-sweet death
which comes not to the life weary.
II John or the childrea had come neal
her Mt that moment. she would have
spoken Grossly to them which was un
s-nni se~ Mary was ysntle and swsst