The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1912-06-06
Aunt Sarah S
Pension Money
By Nj. QUAD
Copyright. 1872, by Associated Lit
rrary Press

In the village of Howells, after Mrs.
james Griggs became a widow, she
was always spoken Of rs Aunt Sarah.
Her husband was a carpenter, and in
the last days Of the war he enlisted
and went to the front to be killed. 1t
was years afterward that Aunt Sarah
got her pension, and then IL came in
lump sum of $500. Size was ffty-tive
years old then and living with rela-
tives.
There were two brothers, two broth
ers-in-law, three sisters and four or
five uncles and aunts interested in that
pension money. 1t came 10y the
o'clock mail. and 10y o'clock the news
had buzzed all through the village and
reached relatives living eleven miles
away. That evening there was an as
| sembly at the house of brother Moses.
| The family had let the dish washing go
| and dressed up Aunt Sarah In her
| calico best She was 5000 woman
! now, and brother Moses had said to
| her:
IN take charge of the money aud
| all you'll have to do the rest of your
life is to eat peach preserves and sit
with folded hands"
The other relatives, as fast as they
| approached. made similar offers, and
there was hardly a man in the village
who didn't offer to borrow the money
and pay 10 per cent interest. Aunt
Sarah certainly held the center OF the
stage. She had often been tainted
with having no will of her own. but
now it was found that her relatives
had made a great big mistake. She
had q will. She refused TO let any one
Of them take charge of her finances.
She refused TO lend shilling. She re-
| fused to follow any advice about in
vesting it. She proposed to paddle her
own canoe. When she cashed the
check she refused to bank the money
but carried the wad of greenbacks
around in a pocket made for the pur-
pose.
How was any relative to get his
hands on that money? This kept sew
eral men and women awake nights
anu gave lutil CHS III lhS
1t seemed that cajolery or flattery
was the only course. They had Aunt
Sarah from home TO home. She was
fed on preserves and lodged in the
spare room. She had an alpaca dress
and q new bonnet If she went to feed
the hogs or wash the dishes she was
chased back into the parlor and told
to look at the photos in the family
album. She was told that she was
/ growing younger every hour. and she
was provided with hair dye and
, toothbrush, and after a couple OF
!. weeks hints would be thrown out that
: she had better hand over the money.
She was always ready TO pass on to
the next relative after that.
Things finally got around to Moses
again. He had been thinking and try
I; ing to decide what his duty was. He
had finally made up his mind He
Z didn't even tell his wife about 1t. He
: was not secretive as rule, but In this
D case he felt that he could do his duty
unaided At midnight, when Aunt
, Sarah was soundly asleep in the best
bed in the house and dreaming Of the
e ounce. preserves she had eaten for
supper, Moses left his own bed and the
' house and started to crawl into her
I open window. 1t was known to him
that once the widow was asleep no
thunderclap could awaken her. Under
5 the window he deposited an old pair
e of shoes. and on the grass not far away
E he left an old hat. Suspicion must be
h cast upon tramp, you see
r The loving brother had got most Of
y his body into the room when Aunt
Sarah bobbed out Of bed and grabbed
s. chair and brought 1t down on the
e head of the intruder with such force
J. as to break the legs and his head at
$ the same time The chair fell to the
d floor, and Moses fell to the ground.
y There was an alarm. He was not a
, good liar and realized the fact, and so
II he simply explained that it was case
Of sleepwalking He had gone to bed
II worrying about the sisters money and
v In his sleep had tried to crawl into the
e window to see If it was safe.
After Moses had done his duty, or
Is made a good try at 1t, the 5000 widow
~ accepted an invitation to pass couple
Of weeks with a friend. She was bit
e afraid that some of her other relatives
s. might try the sleepwalking stunt.
Z Amid all the planning and talking no
lie one had mentioned marriage Such an
idea was preposterous. Fifty-fve
s. years and over and no man in sight.
70 They had said she was growing young
er; that she almost had girly walk.
c: One afternoon Aunt Sarsh took q
II walk down the highway to bridge
re over q creek. She was standing there
" when Deacon Griscom. sixty years old
o. came along. He looked at her ant
halted and asked:
"Mebbe you are n wilder woman%
= 81 am"
"And I'm a wilder man. Want t
- get married"
"Why-why-I hadn't thought
q Neither had |, but I'm thinking
n now. Stopping up at Perkins"
= Eyes"
Lets 60 and talk. I'm kinder lone
some. and | kinder like the looks q