Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks: A Picture of New England Home LifePidgin, Charles Felton
General
Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks: A Picture of New England Home Life
Pidgin, Charles Felton
New England -- Fiction
"I heard," replied Quincy, "that a man named James Sawyer was in the
Eastborough Poorhouse. I wrote to my father, and in his reply he told me
what I have just said to you. If you are my uncle, father says to do
everything I can to help you, and if he had not said so I would have
done it anyway."
"It is all true," said the man faintly. "I squandered the money my
father left me. I married a sweet, young girl and took her to the city.
I tried to introduce her into the set to which I once belonged. It was a
failure. I was angry, not with myself for expecting too much, but with
her because she gave me too little, as I then thought. We had two
children--a boy named Ray and a little girl named Mary, after my
mother."
"My grandmother," said Quincy.
James Sawyer continued: "I took to drink. I abused the woman whose only
fault had been that she had loved me. I neglected to provide for my
family. My wife fell sick, my two little children died, and my wife soon
followed them. I returned from a debauch which had lasted me for about a
month to find that I was alone in the world. I fled from the town where
we had lived, came here and tried to reform. I could not. I fell sick
and they sent me here to the Poorhouse. I have had no ambition to leave.
I knew if I did it would mean the same old life. I am glad you came. I
cannot tell you how glad. I do not wish for any assistance; the town
will care for me as long as I live, which will not be very long; but
your coming enables me to perform an act of justice which otherwise I
could not have done."
"Tell me in what way I can serve you," said Quincy, "and it shall be
done."
"Look outside of the door," said the man, "and see if anybody is
listening."
Quincy opened the door suddenly and the broad face of Mr. Asa Waters
stood revealed.
"I thought I would come up and see if Mr. Sawyer wanted anything."
"If he does," said Quincy, "I will inform you;" and he closed the door
in Mr. Waters's face.
Quincy waited till he heard his ponderous footsteps descending the
stairs at the foot of the hallway.
"Was old Waters out there listening?" asked Jim Sawyer.
"I don't think he had time to hear anything," Quincy replied.
"Come closer," said Jim; "let me whisper. I am not penniless. I have got
some money. I have five thousand dollars in government bonds. I sold
some stock I owned just before I went off on that last debauch, but I
didn't spend all the money. When I die I want you to pay back to the
town of Eastborough every dollar I owe for board. Don't let anybody know
you got the money from me. Pay it yourself and keep the balance of it
yourself."
"Where is the money?" said Quincy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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