My Neighbors / Stories of the Welsh People

d of Cartref in which he dwelt and which is in Barnes, and two houses in Thornton East; and one of the houses in Thornton East he let to his widowed daughter Olwen, who carried on a d

ef that he would not be rid of it, he called Lisb

ant to be next door, and Lissi is not likely to marry at her age which is advanced. Share and share alike of the furnitur

beth and Ol

the elder; "we shan't go astray if we follow the exa

a little gravel for the mother's grave in Beulah. And a cheap artificial wreath. They

ing ill-will and continually petitioning to be translated to the Kingdom of God; "but,"

t as a top reall

ounted himself blessed; knowing of a surety that the designs of God s

ree blankets were spread over those which were on his bed, and three earthen bott

ning. "You'll have Jennie and her young gentleman home fo

from the drapery shop in which they were engaged; and s

dn't leave him too much alone with Aunt Liz.

wen declared, loath to have her s

hink, Charlie?

and he proclaimed that there was no discourse of which the meaning was hidden from him an

the acts of her father Adam. But slumber kept from her because of that which Jennie had spoken; and diffiding the humor of her heart,

. "She can manage quite nicely, and there's Charlie wh

lack cloth into garments and while they stitched they mumbled the doleful hymns of Sion. Two yellow plates were fixed on Adam's coffin-this was in accordance with the man's request-and the engraving on one was in the Welsh tongue, a

eth chose more than Olwen, for her house was bare; and in the choo

its of their joint industry; and never, except on the Sabbath, did they shed their thimbles or the narrow bright scissors which hung from their waists. Some of the poor middle-class folk near-by b

ng Cartref now," s

to you," Lis

o you. It's as mu

we consul

nd he'll do th

very cute i

lied: "You been done in. It's disgraceful

" said Olwen. "And it will come

u of that? That's my qu

ishful of disparaging her siste

entirely free hand. Give it an agent

ticks and they're not rubbish," he swore, "it's

ll give you two-twenty"; and C

in the meanseason had been done to it by a bomb and by fire and wate

harlie, Lisbeth assuring him: "You'll never regret it"; and this is

be a nice egg-nest for

d mine will make it

at she'll never want a r

l Chapel; and as they stood up in their pew, you saw that Olwen was as the tall trunk of a tree at whose shoulders are the stumps of chopped branches, and that Lisbeth's body was as a billhook. Once they journeyed to Aberporth and the

that each had in Jennie, for whom sac

what she could not have, mourning her lo

ing married Christmas

ait a while," said O

-eight, or will be in January. We'll keep on in the sh

er is, the

s steady and respectable. We must see that she does it in style. Y

he floor of a box she put six jugs which had been owned by the Welshwoman who was Adam's grandmother, and over the jugs she arrayed t

nt's handiwork and was

me before she started. After all, it's my wedding. Not hers

l alter them,

be more considerate seeing what I have done for h

s they could devise about Lisbeth; "and I don't care if she's listening outside

her mother; and on Monday, at the hour she was preparing to depart, Olwen relente

wearing my prese

cold water, will you? It wouldn't be you if you did. I

whispering: "She's exci

bout their business; and when at noon Olwen proceeded to number seven, she found that Lisbeth had been taken sick of the palsy and was

e money's Jennie's, which is the same as I had it

ll never want for ten shillings a week w

sbeth urged. "I'll be quite hap

"I'm having a bed for you in our fro

he murmurs of Jennie and Charlie against

mplored. "It won't be for much longer.

ages," sa

the money hasn't been touched. Same as you gave it to her. She s

ver again," said Charlie. "Doesn't give Jen

can't eat that," Jennie scre

: "I'll have a bed for you in our front sitting-room"; and as it falls out

peaking and answering with an ill-favored mouth; it was no lo

will now," Lisbe

will oblige you

me smile. Why, he

d settled all tha

ve it in black and white.

ell approach him. He's worried about money for the new vestry. Why

came this: "It'll be a pity to

isbeth; and it was Lisbeth's way to probe with a fork all the dishes that Olwen had made and to say

ce grew narrower? She left over going to the aid of Lisbeth, from whom she took away the pillows and for whom she did not provide any more toothsome dishes; she did not go to her aid howsoever frantic the beatings on the wall or fierce the outcry. Never has a sentry kept a

," she said; and she sat at her work table to fas

"You let me starve but won't let me sleep. Why doesn't

om, her body filling the frame there

starve me. I cannot walk you know. You must not blame me

id not

eed the vestry shall have my bit. I might be a pig in a pigsty. I'll get the fever.

out? The two of you killed her. You did. I warned you to give up everything and see to her. But you neglected her.' That's wha

than the continued muttering of Olwen. "Have you no regard for the living

strode up to the bed and thrust