San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-12

told me to come in the house quick
and listen TO Pa singing hymns. /
come rushing in. and he mot;oned me
to sit down by him. but he kept on
singing till he got through. Mama,
he said, If anything should happen &c
me. ] want you to raise these children
right here on our place. I'm not afraid
of you doing anything wrong, but
don't think it's good for boys to get
city ways. They'll make better men If
you keep them in the country. And
keep this black colt too. He's going
to be fine horse some day. and may
bring you lots of money He told me
to remember if anything happen fo
him. that he was just as good Metho
dist as 1 was, even if he never had
joined the church.
We'll. he was killed the very next
day. and / never could forget what ne
had told Inc to do with the children.
so / kept them right here and raised
them as good as ! could, but. honey,
you never will know the trouble I've
had doing it. Yes. we kept the black
colt. that made all the trouble, until
he died of old age, when he was -,
years old.
THE children was always mighty
good about helping me. but they used
to be pretty little, and they couldn't
do much" she tells in her quiet, I'M
complaining fashion, when she speaks
of the dreary years that followed hei
husbands death.
They wasn't much company. and
they wasn't much help, but theS all
tried TO be- 90.
Mail Once a Month.
In the patient. unending work o.
hoeing and blowing in the fields. in
cutting and hauling all the wood they
used. in hauling the water for every
purpose in cans on their backs, in
milking the cows and feeding the
stock. Mrs. Insall was helped by "the
children. as coon as they got big
enough" bur TO all that. as we'll az
her endless individual tasks of coo%-
ing, sewing. washing, ironing. mend.
ing and such she makes only the most
casual illusions. Apparently, she has
forgotten much of it, and refers TO ii
only incidentally, as when she says,
Yes, / used TO have q beautiful gar
den. / always did love pretty things.
and j took good care of my flower
and watered them good when l was a
younger woman. When / was bring.
ing up the water from the river to do
the washing, it wasn't hardly any
more trouble 90 bring up few more
cansfull TO put on my flowers. Any
how, ] just needed those flowers for
something pretty to look at"
| She tells about the wonderful thing
it seemed when the first railroad was
built in that party of the country
about 80 years ago, but she has always
wished it did not come so near he,
own house.
1T scares the chickens So" she
says, land we didn't really need it a;
all. We had everything we needed
right here on the place. The railroad
hasn't helped us none.'
In the days before the railroad
came. they only had mail once O
month. but true to her cheerful phil
osophy, she says that didn't matter Q
bit, as no one ever wrote to theP
anyhow.
Has Quit Heavy Work.
For the last fifteen or twenty years
there has been bored well' in tn,
yard of Mrs. Insalrs home with 9TH,
best water in Kendall county" bu
for the weary years before that time
every drop of water the entire family
used. was brought up the steep hill
from the Guadalupe river, on thu
backs of Mrs. Insall and the children
of whom she always speaks collective
ly-"except, of course. when the rive
rose. then we had plenty of watei
right here in the house"
1t is only about month ago, tha
Mrs. lnsall has finally quit doing al
the milking on the place. She has beer
milking since she was child. and il
the 81 years or more that she has beei
doing il twice a day. she thinks sh,
must have got enough milk in all {,
overflow the Guadalupe river.
A We'll Earned Rest.
She admits having been scared {,
death of Indians with good rea
! son-almost until the time that th