Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1910-08-17

& a Lass of the LOOsm 3


NI# al E HL .H
cause of it, and her little Tom was not
going to be added to the great num-
Der of weakly children in Loomshire
if she could help it.
my place is at home, and at home
I'll bide," she reiterated doggedly to
all her husbands vit%uperatlons, but a
sullen expression, hitherto unknown.
gradually crept over her pleasant,
open countenance.
After that only God knew what she
endured for her lips were, dumb con
corning her humiliation. There were
days when her purse was empty, and
her cupboard bidfair to outyie that OF
Mother Hubbard, so scantily were its
shelves supplied by the man (?) of
the house. But Margaret Alice. thrift
ty by nature, had the knack Of max
ing a really appetizing meal out OF
very little. and always there Was the
child to bring comfort tosher heart
when even her brave spirit faltered.
1t is marvellous how cruel a man may
be without striking a single blow.
The tongue, an unruly member at
best, is apt to lacerate its yictumes
numerically when let loose inrun-
governable fury.
The trying winter passed and a de-
lightfully balmy spring followed. but
the girls physical strength had sunk
to a very low ebb, and at last there
came a day when she felt too crushed
and weary to battle any longer with
the forces of evil which had risen up
against her.
Little Tom was ailing, too, for
sheer want of. the care which had
been his from his birth until now:
and when his grandmotber-who had
obtained a slight inkllng of the true
state of things through a kindly, in
quisitive nieghbor-insisted upon
their coming home to her, the hus-
band, more ashamed thanh would
have owned even to himself. but
fiercely ~resenting his mother-:n-law's
interference, declared that he would
emigrate to Canada, and ha wife
could go or stay, as best pleased her.
After a few weeks at home Mar
garet Alice went back to ner looms,
while little Tom ran r. great danger
Of being completely spoiled by five
maiden aunts, who bickered vigor-
ously among themselves for the priv
ilege of nursing his small highness.
In Loomshire the great cotton
mills close for a week during the hot
weather, and the busy workers mi
CRATE to the sea or country. as their
Wills incline, to refresh themselves
and gather strength for the coming
winter. Margaret Alice's youthful Sis
tiers were no exception to this wise
rule, and gr;- IT were their prepare
tons as the time approached for the
annual exodus. The worse than hus-
handless wife pleaded earnestly to be
allowed to remain quietly at home
with her hoy, but her not unnatural
desire was met with loud voiced OPP
position.
The child needed sea breezes more
taan anybody, and Peg would just
spoil the outing altogether if she re-
fused to so with them. Afford it,
indeed. when they had been paying
into the holiday fund the whole year
long, and everybody knew quite we'll
that what would keep five could he
made to do the same for six.
After that Margaret Alice could
do nothing less than pack her scanty
wardrobe; and baby Tom crowed de.
lightfully at sight of the big waves
which came dashing over the prom
enade at Silverport.
Margaret Alice was not what would.
be termed a religious woman-her
family had never even been regular
church goers. Perhaps that was the
reason the open air service held on
the firm yellow sands the day after
their arrival attracted her more than
1t otherwise might have done. With
her child asleep on her knee, and her
five sisters scattered like a protect
ing band around her, she listened half
dreamily, half critically, to the deep,
musical tones Of the preacher, as he
sought to convey his message of hope
and comfort to the multitude of holi-
day makers. Her own dream of hap
piness had been so brief, and the
awakening so terribly disappointing,
even though she should live to be
quite old-aEd in spite of the aching
loneliness, she would like to see her
little Tom gro~ up to manhood
her life could only be a half and half
sort Of thing at best, she thought.
Yet here was a nan boldly declar-
Ing God desired the happiness Of ey-
cry man, woman and child. But'there,
what was the use of paying any heed?
1T couldn't possibly be true, or why
was there such a tremendous amount
of misery in the world? For she
wasn't the only disappointed woman
by a long way; there were scores like
her even in Loomshire.