Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1912-02-08
AN OLDMAID'S
$4,000
By Nj QUAD
Copyright. 1911, by Associated Lit
erary Press

Sarah Johnson had been called an
old maid almost eyc' since any one In
the village could remember Some fig.
ured her age az forty-hve, aud some
went five years better, Sarah had al
ways lived alone and on what sho
could earn at sewing She did 90 70
church, aud there was legend that
once upon time she attended sun
day school picnic, but she was by no
means a high tlier
Sarah had never complained because
the chance to marry had not come 10
her She had never complained of her
poor earnings and poor living. II any
one condoed with her she sighed a
sigh or tN'o and let 1t 20 at Tint Sho
didn't even hope for a change for the
better as fnr rs any ore kaew
Then, after years aud years Sarah's
day dawucd 4 relative died and left
her a cold $4,000 in cash II made
her the richest person in the village,
II brought her hundreds Of congmWm
tons and good wishes, but TO an IN.
quirieS rs TO what she was going 20
do with her money she said she must
have time to think II over When She
had been given fortnight she was
ready she announced that she was
going TO have good time ON her
money, aud she started right In
Sarah had always wanted bottle OF
ketchup Now She hr' pht one She
had ionged for d roy ,,ug chair Tor
twenty years Now She paid $3 for
one and sat mp long after her usual
bedtime 20 rock back ana forth Then
came Il pair OF tam shoes. then q new
looking glass then brown stockings
where she had always worn black she
stopped there to count her money, and,
finding that she had about S0oSo left.
she was encouraged into other eNtWV-
aganecs Then She Suddenly developed
what the villagers called a "Spcak
Her minister who had heard of her
reckless expenditures called TO sound
a note of warming, nut bumped up
against n biz of ohstiuncy totally TN
looked for He bad once invested half
a years SALARY n Wan street on a sure
thing. and. though he had lost IL, he
claimed TO be u business man He
was going on 20 tell Sarah that she
must do so and so when she interrupt
ed 10 say that she felt herself entirely
competent to handle her money
Then a second streak was developed.
The old maid announced that she was
going to have q good time with her
cash In spite % warnings aud argu
ments ana protestations she set off for
Boston ana took the best rooms at the
best hotel She ate Of fried oysters,
HOLSTERS aud crabs. She drank wine
aud tipped walters She rode in taxis
aud attended theaiers
She next went 10 New York city ana
repeated her performance In Boston,
only more so. She became acquainted
with a so called count. and he swim
dled her ont of $1,000 The fact got
into the papers. aud when she got
home she found that a special prayer
meeting had been held on her account
81 am sorry you went 10 the trouble
she said 60 her minister
"But you needed a. Sister Johnson
"Well | don't know ! always want
ed TO know counts and lords and dukes
ana I'VE got of for $1,000 where more
than 300 American women have paid
several millions each Il IS plain 10 be
seen, parson. dat you are no business
man"
Sarah took a nicr IN corn She do
II without advice and lost II. though
she might have lost It just the same
had every resident Of the village adj
vised Tho news stirred up the vii
Iaee again bur Sarah was compiaceni'
even smiling II all belonged 10
good time, she said 10 all Then she
announced that she was going 70 lu
rope She was member Of q church.
and now some of the other membciS
raised the question OF 'churching
her The majority weren't quite clear
on the matter, however nnd morning
was done Sarah took lu Europe for
six months She ate Of everything
there was 70 ear. and she saw al there
was 20 see. She had q maid. ana she
bought her clothes 10 Paris She knew
that her money was being rapidly eX'
hausted. bnt she did not piurh on thar
account II thus came ahoni That
when she once more landed 10 her
native village the sum Of $3.50 repre-
scented her original 10000
did sarah johnson collapse ai the
dcpot7 Did tears blind her as she en-
.ered her little weather beaten cot
tage? Did she Sin down 90 the iinor
and bewail aud wish she hadn't done
IT, oh, mol Sarah wnsn't that Kind
Of an old mid She sat down in ner
rocking chair and thought Of the good
! times she had had and smiled ANA
smacked her lips Her minister was
the first 10 call II may be that he
had the heather IN mind II be didn't
the woman I'D The last Of her tor
tune was lu silver She selected
ffty cent piece and extended it with
the observation:
'For the heather, parson'
"But hut"
1T Is all can give. and ! give y
with 81 cheerful heart