The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-05-22
Seven Old Ladies.
By NJ. QUAD.


day surprised by the announcement
that Miss Priscilla Lester had decided
to open an old womans home I'm the
big manor house. She had been a
motherless girl for years, and her IA.
Their had now been dead for twelve
months. TO open and conduct such
home had been her dream for years,
and she was to have the enthusiastic
support of her church pastor.
1t wasn't to be called an old wo-
mans home, as such a term would
hurt old women's feelings, but was to
be known as the old ladies' rest.
While masons and carpenters were
making changes circulars were sent
out and answered by thousands OF
old ladies' throughout the United
States. More than 500 Of them called
in person at once, though told not to-
and when the rest was finally ready
to receive guests over 5000 applica-
tions were on file. Miss Priscilla and
the minister were amazed. They had
figured on only about forty old ladies
and not taking them all at once either.
After long confab, I'm which various
things came up that had not hitherto
been discussed or provided for, It was
decided to start off with only seven
guests.
The seven old ladies walked or were
carried or hoisted into the rest. and
then the institution was considered
opened. Each had a room, and the at
tendants had been instructed to treat
them as they would their own moth
ers. Some of them did not obey in
structions. They would have wrung
their own mothers necks before bed
time. AS soon as they found them
selves "solid" the old ladies' broke out.
They had game legs; they had stomach
troubles; they had lumbago and swim
ming Of the head; they wanted this
and that, and they wanted It quick
Next morning, after night Of
groans and slghs, the seven got togcth.
er I'm the dining room. The doctor, VIII
had known as many rs five old ladl
I'm his life, had made out the bill
fare and looked upon It as generou
one. That was one Of his mistakes
The seven agreed that 1t was th
worst meal ever set before n poor Ol
lady. 1t was already plain that the.
had been induced to enter the rest un-
der false pretenses. and each and ev-
cry one mumbled dark hints about
lawsuits to get even. One Of the seven
had as many as three teeth left I'm her
ha nfh NJ txtsn
and yet the seven were unit in want
ing to know why beefsteak had not
been provided.
After the dining room had been
cleared the old ladies began to draw
! the lines Of caste. When they got
through each had her own status and
was ready to pitch into that OF all
| others. The doctor recommended that
the whole caboodIe of them be pitched
outdoors, the minister looked thought
full, and Miss Priscilla hoyered over all
| like the angel Of peace that she was.
She held to It that as soon as the old
ladies had got settled down everything
would go smoothly.
The rooms were fine, but they were
found fault with. The beds were good,
but there were complaints. The food
could scarcely have been bettered, but
the seven cried out In chorus that they
were being deliberately starved to
death Miss Priscilla listened TO all
these complaints and soothed the com.
planners, and sometimes she would
bring about Il peace that lasted. all os
half an hour. Then Mrs. Hennessey
would suddenly say to Mrs. Smith:
"Think Of the likes OF you to be com.
planning, an old cat that hasn't had a
decent meal In your stomach for
yearsv
"And you--and your shouted Mrs
Smith in reply. "Don't we all know
that you were glad to get potato peel,
ings before you came here"
1t would always require Miss Pris
elias presence and sometimes that OF
the minister and two or three of the
| attendants TO smooth the troubled wa.
ters, and after the waves had subsided
the good man would be asked;
"These little things shouldn't dis
courage us, should they"
MOO, not exactly discourage"
"It's a noble charity, isn't it,"
Eyes, very noble"
"And the old ladies' will come to love
one another in timer
1--WE must hope that they will"
ooh, but, bless their dear old hearts
they surely wlll l must hurry up and
get the place ready for seven more"
The minister turned pale at the idea
| but seven more never came. The rest
had been running for a month, and the
old ladies already installed had bick,
cred at every meal and quurreled three
times a day when there arose a dis,
| pute one day rs to whether lumbago
or consumption entitled the victim to
the most respect ana consideration. II
was not settled on the spot. 1t has
never been settled since. There were
angry words, and there was hair pull,
ing over it, and then the seven old la.
dies left the institution by seven diff,
ferent ways, each one declaring she
would never return. BY the time Prls
ella and the doctor and the minister
had rounded them up and brought them
/ hooly tho Y,tipfstt,,p NNaa randy IN cuU.