Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-08

But It Was Her Boy Jimmy" VIII
Broke Her Heart.
THE ONE WHO TRIED TO HELP
Just the Simple Story Of a Colored
Woman Who Did Her Best
and Died.

:. An air castle tumbled down a few days
: ago and in falling it killed the woman
.swho had been building it for twenty-five
::years. This is the way of it.
: The woman was an old colored nurse.
t.whom the children in Dupont Circle call
Mary. For several years she had worked
: in the northwest part of the city. Twen-
t.ty-fve years ago Mary married man
sdown in Virginia. For seven years there
:,was happiness. for she was just the wom-
IAN to appreciate a home Of her own and
.-would have appreciated a good husband.
/. The first week her husband gave her his
money; the second week he said he lost
1T. and the third week he borrowed Mary's
savings to invest in f1atboat with which
he hoped to get rich by way of the eel
: fishing business. The boat never ma
: teralized. The fourth week Mary took a
!. long look into the future and went to
3: work for rich farmer, helping around
.sthe kitchen.
: For twenty-five years she kept at work
every steadily, barring the Interruptions
occasioned by the appearance at intervals
of nine children. Eight of the children
have dragged at Mary's heels all their
lives. and not one of them has 1t to his
credit that he has ever lifted a hand to
help her But one of them. Jimmy, the
one she loved and the one who loved her
tried to help, and yet 1t was Jimmy who
Sent Her Wages Home"
Several years ago Mary came to Wash
inston. for wages were higher here, and
il waS necessary for her to send money to
: he sIianty down in Virginia. Her hus-
band still lives there. and has lived there
/: right along. In twenty-five years his
+: wages have increased that now he
/. earns IS week. but he has never spent
:. cent of it except for his own pleasure.
a.: Mary, who could have abandoned the
;: whole business. has sent her wages month
: after month to pay the rent and the gro
:. GERS bill, and to buy with the very small
margin the things that other boys have
: that her children could be happy.
Not one CT these boys except Jimmy
(. has made effort to support himself,
!, and the husband has been long out of the
: running. except as a mouth to feed. Mary
. would have loved that old shanty, and
: when she called it home it was with
. all the feeling that clings to the word 1t
: is the same home that her husband took
: her 10 twenty-five years ago. although
+. II is all patched with tin now, and
/: strengthened with occasional board
wrenrhed off from fence while farm
: cr's eyes were turned away.
:. II Jimmy had been smiled upon by
: heaven there might have been another
:. STORY, but he was born with narrow and
: cramped lungs and has never been free
: from consumption. Consequently 1t has
< been hard for him to get job that last
= ed, and yet he has been the one who has
: always wanted to support his mother in
! stead of having her support eight worth
LESS children and one worse than worth
less husband. But his jobs scarcely last
/. ed longer than fortnight. so Mary kept
: on working. in spite of the fact that the
: doctors told her that some day the strain
|. and the trouble with her heart would
/ snap her life OF short.
Then Jimmy" Got Married.
= Jimmy was married several months ago.
: His philosophy was that he was twenty
: two years old and that he would soon get
= job. anyhow, and then the contrast be-
/. tween no income and some income would
: be SO great that he and his wife and his
: mother could live like royalty. His wife
: must have brought him luck for actually
: he got Job short while ago one that
: would last. and he moved away from the
: tin patched shanty and rented house
!. nearer Washington. paying five dollars a
: month for it. 1t was a ramshackled old
cabin between here and Alexandria. but
= when ii was rented Mary's air castle be-
gan to he finished She resigned from
her service place. and to tell the truth.
Marys mistress was not at all sorry, for
the work had dragged and Mary's heart
was bothering her.
Mary was going TO live in that rickety
old house. and Jimmy was going to see
10 IL that she never had to work hard
comfort that she had craved all these
years. She could see herself sitting in
s+front OF the house on pleasant DAYS or
-buStling about getting dinner for her boy
she forgot he was married-and delight
:; ed To think Of the things she would cook
for him. She knew, too. that the white
4speople she knew would give her some lit
tile things for Jimmy's baby when it came
and she had already bought two pairs of
] small white stockings for il with saved
up pennies As she dreamed these day
dreams, her mother heart warmed toward
: Jimmy just as ii had warmed twenty-five
years ago when he was scarcely larger
than Marys hand.
Broke Her Poor Old Heart.
Then came Mary's last day in service
She packed her things and sent them on
To Virginia before her. and as a last favor
z 10 her mistress stayed in the house that
evening while the folks went to the thea
ter. When the mistress returned Mary
was sobbing and tears were streaming
down her face
! A messenger had come to her saying
that Jimmy and his wife had fallen out
over question of money and that the
{ wife had called him vile name. Jimmy.
: after the manner of his bringing up, had
dealt her crushing blow and had been
locked up
Jimmy went to Jail for a long term. and
with the locking of his cell door the day
dreams and the air castle vanished. and
the weak heart that had been overworked
for many year stopped beating.
The eight children in Virginia will SIM
ply have TO go to work now. and that is
:: the only thing they are sorry for.
Chosen War Crafts Sponsor.
Mrs. John y. Bremen of Boston has been
asked by The Secretary of the Navy to
.hriSten the torpedo boat DESTROYER To-