Thus, the Tailor’s Wife learned the Widow’s secret.
She spent the money on what was necessary. Then she replaced the furniture. She hired a boy to whitelime their cottage and the pretty fence. She bought new earrings for herself, playthings for the children, even some feathers for her husband’s battered hat.
Within a twelfth-month, the Tailor’s Wife had depleted the sum given her. She confronted the Widow.
“I know your condition,” the Tailor’s Wife said. “Don’t try to fool me with fairy tales about devils and mirrors. You don’t get about much anymore, Mama, so you won’t miss the other foot.”