The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-10-01
BY SUSIE BoUcHELLE WIGHT.

Once upon time there lived a
woman who fancied that her lot in
life was hard one, and that all of its
burdens fell upon her shoulders.
There were children six that she had
borne in WEAKNESS and pain, and nur-
tured with deep anxiety and per.
plexity of soul. In their infancy there
had been the fatigue of days Of car
ing for restless little bodies, long
nights of broken sleep. of ceaseless
watching by sick beds, and over and
under and through it all was the end
less strain of trying to make one
dollar do the work of two.
They were all out of actual baby
hood now. but the load had not light
ened. In addition to putting her
shoulder to the wheel and helping
to augment the family income, the
& woman had new troubles and ankle
ties. This child to her dismay showed
the evil tendencies of long-gone an
cestor who had disgraced a fair FAM
lily name. Another, with moral ma
ture of perfect beauty, was so weak
IN body that he was a constant care.
The beautiful growing daughter had
a twist in her disposition that would
be fatal to her life's happiness unless
1t were trained out. This little one
had grave fault, and that one a
fearful weakness; and the whole re-
sponsibility for it all seemed to lie
upon the woman who, still young,
mad watched her roses fade slowly
away beneath the frost of time and
trouble that was whitening the hair
above her brow.
There came day when she forgot
al about the golden CLEANS of
heavens own sunlight that had shone
down into her heart through the clear
eyes of the child that looked trust
fully into her own, and the unfail-
ing tenderness and sympathy of the
man to whom Ter life was linked
she could think of nothing but the
burden--the burden.
1t is not just-it is not just!" she
cried aloud, and her trembling hands
fell helpless upon the darn she was
trying to set into little coat sleeve
"a darn that the fourteen-year-ol
boy was ashamed of and had resented
notify, with demand that she could
mot meet for new garment.
1t does seem enough for woman
TO have borne all these children, and
now i am having to help support
them! None of them make any al
iowance for thai. They expect the
same of me that other mothers can
give, whose responsibility ceases with
the material care of them-the care
'of their clothes, the serving of plen-
uful meals for the providing of which
she need give no thought. Here 1
must contrive and plan and work IN
I'll my body is dead tired, and then
whip my brain to turn out work that
only does injustice to what little
talent l have, just for the money to
help meet the ever-growing demands.
1t is all wrong-all wrong. MY bur
den is too heavy"
Her bowed head fell upon her
folded arms on her sewing table, she
closed her weary eyes and gave up,
with the half-whispered prayer that
through habitual repetition had be-
come almost second nature to her:
Teach me Thy will, o God. Lead
me in plain path. I"
AS the darkness swept down upon
her swift vision shut out self and
another burden came before her. She
saw her husband as he was when he
had left her that morning for his
work. With his hat removed, he had
bent down to kiss her where she had
stopped to pull weed from the gar
den path. He never omitted these
little courteous graces--he was re-
nned, gentleman to his finger tips,
she thought, with a faint throb of
prfde-but he had not smiled into
her eyes along with the kiss. She
had not been very pleasant at break
fast; she had chided the children
more than was needful, she had COM
planned at the inadequancy of the
weeks allowance, and because the
food did not appeal to her she had
made no effort to eat and had not re-
turned her plate, though he had be-
sought her to let him help her to s ,me
tidbit. "Of course he could not
smile. said something in her heart,
reproachfully. Smiles are nothing
but reflections of sunshine, anyway
and shadows cast reflections of their
own kind"
There was no gray in his hair, but
as her thought followed her husband
down the street she heard him cough.
and saw that he had grown thin, and
that his broad shoulders had begun to
droop of late. "He has to keep right
on at work on his books, no matter
how tired he may be-and for what :"
sudden shock of realization made
her remember that of the salary for
which he toiled SO unremittingly he
had the spending of almost none.
He had not one expensive personal
habit, a days outing was, of Sate, for
him thing unknown, his clothes
were of the plainest. He brought it
all to her, the fruit of his hard work,
the utmost his ability would COM
mand, and he never reproached her
for the disbursement of it. Did she
thank him, did she teach those chill
dren gratitude? Rather, did they
not accept it as due, and sullenly,
If silently, murmur within their
hearts tkat it was not more?
How hard 1t must be for him to
daily strive, to daily give OF his very
best, and then realize that he was
HafIiuo uhOrt of xphak I,4e en...s1.. -