Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-07-23

speaking, lalu the DaSe OF tnht mOuu-
ment in attendance on the Turner's.
Now, reasoned, why not employ
Mr.. Turner and deduct their unpaid
bill2 The first part OF my reasoning
worked like a charm-but not the last
part.
He called the day after the monu-
ment was in place. l sat beside the
south window, pretending to sew, but
in reality, gazing at the slender shaft
which crowned the ridge of the ceme-
terry and ornamented our little lot,
knew what he had come for the
instant he opened the office door and
walked into my sitting room. hard
ened my heart.
thought of the elegant black silk
gown his wife had appeared in the
previous Sunday, and Of the new
broadcloth suit which had adorned his
comely proportions. determined he
should pay his bill. But he did not.
When he left he carried with him
not only all my money, but two glasses
of my best ounce jelly and two bot
ties of cod liver oil from the office
the latter was better, he explained
than he could get at the drug store.
can't tell just how 1t happened.
There was a tale of woe and want
which caused me to weep into the gar
ment l was mending. l felt heartless
when he explained that Mrs. Turner
had purchased the elegant black silk
to be laid out in, and, pending the time
of laying out, was getting bit Of &C.
tual wear out of it, while the black
broadcloth he had bought especially
to mourn in.
could see for myself, he said, that
the time appointed for his mourning
was not far away, and 1t behooved
him to be prepared!
1t chanced that Mrs. Turner got al
| most all the wear out of that dress be-
fore it was put to it's original purpose.
She also, incidentally, wore out the
doctor and me.
Being of the same name and sitting
so near them in church, and being
such congenial spirits, so said the Tur-
| ners, we seemed like members of their
own family. This was an unfortunate
circumstance for us, because 1t led
the Turner's to borrow nearly all our
transportable possessions and-climax
transportable
This Is the way the dreadful eli
max was reached. The day after Mrs.
| Turner died her husband appeared to
| me as | sat in the south window. His
time of mourning" had come, and he
was simply dissolved in grief.
He had come to beg a great favor,
a favor not for himself, but for his
dear departed-the loan of our ceme-
terry lot! Might he not lay his angel
wife under the shadow of our monu.
ment until such time as he could raise
money enough to take her back to her
old Iowa home?
He had noticed, such were the in
scrutable dealings of Providence, that
there was every likelihood of the lots
being unoccupied by its owners for
years. For this dispensation we ought
to be thankful and loan bit of the
ground to such as had not been kindly
dealt with.
/ loaned it.
When the doctor heard my story he
whistled hard, and went to the barn
He has done that for twenty years
when he has wanted to say unbecom'
ing words to me. As thought it were
not painful to me to have my dear
lot desecrated by strangers!
/ felt so badly that l could not go
to the funeral, and in the south win,
dow turned my chair that l might not
see the granite shaft.
Still, even the doctor softened lit,
tie in the matter when the youngest
Turner followed her mother in less
than a month-and followed her to our
lot, too, pending the time they both
should be taken west.
l became positively mellow in the
matter when cold snap carried the
second daughter to our lot in four
months. And when the third and last
child died and rested beside the others
the doctor himself headed subscrip
ton paper with which l burdened my
SELF
| remember the snow was deep that
week, and l had cold, but l trav
eled miles with the paper.
People gave literally, because they
all knew of our unfortunate connec
ton with the Turner'S. Many gave witt
the express understanding that Mr.
Turner would use the money to sen6
the present inhabitants of our lot tc
Iowa.
He received the money with thanks
and blessings, and sent west the only
member of his family that had es
capped our lot.
The blow fell on us unexpectedly
one morning at the breakfast table. A
neighbor flew in and exclaimed wildly
did we know what use Turner hat
made of his gift money?
l arose and ran to the south win
dow, expecting to see men with spades
and pickaxes at work on the ridge
l was recalled by the neighbor's voice
/ remember every tone now. Mr.
Turner had departed for the west, bal
and baggage on his wedding tour! III,