Smyrna times., 1867-02-13
GRANDMOTHER.

There Is an old kitchen somewhere in ,ha
past, aud al old-ta>hioned fir. place therein
with rs smooth Old jams Of stone ,rnooth ,i, i
many KNIVES that have been sharpcncd There
smooth with many little fingers that have ,.lnn,,
there There are andirons with rings in IN
t"L, wherein MANY temple, of flame h,v,. h,.,'n
buIIdcd with spires and turrets Of crimson =
here Is broa !, worn hrarth-bload ruouob
l"T three generations to cluster on: worn IL,
Ie"t that have been torn and bleeding hv tb,.
way, or been made " beautiful and w,ILnJ
upon floors OF tassellatcd gold There ar
toh"A IN the corner, whcrewith We p a>prd :, co.l
and blowing for a little life, Iiphfrd mr.
1rSt candle there is a shovel, wherewith was
Drawn forth the glowing embers, IN which w.
saw our hrst tanclCs and dreamed our fr.t
dreams the shovel with which We stirred IN
logs until the sparks rushed up the CHIMNEY =.
II a forge were m blast below, and we wi>i. i
We had 5" many aIubS, or SO many marbles, ar
80 many something's that we coveted and 80
1t was that We wished our first wishes "
here Is chalr-a low. rush -hottonad cbo;r
there Is wheel in the corner. = h;g ,rIo,I :.
the garret, loom in the chamber. There arc
cheStiulS OF linen and yarn and quilts of rare
patterns and samplets in frames
ana everywhere and always the dear old
Wnnkled face of her whose firm, elastic stnr
Knocks the feeble saunter of her children : chi.
dren-the Old-iashlOned grandmother of twnn.
ty years ago. She, the very Providence of rho
old homestead She who loved Us all, and said
she wished there were more of Us to love. and
took all the school in the hollow for grand
children besides. 4 great expansive heart was
hers, beneath that wOOllcn gown, or that more
stately bOmba2lne, or that sole heirloom of sill
ken texture.
We can see her to-day, those mild blue ewes
with more OF beauty in them than time could
touch, or death could do more than hide
those eyes that held both smiles and tears
within the talntest call of every one of u.s. and
soft reprOOf that seemed not passion but re-
gret. A white tress has escaped from beneath
her snowy cap; she heightened the tether of
vine that was straying over window, as she
came IN, and plucked four leaved clover for
Ellen. She sits down by the little wheel--a
tress IS running through her fingers from the
dlstaii diohevclcd head, when il small voice
cries, Grandma, frOm the old red or die.
and Grandma, Tommy shouts from the ton
OF the stairs Gently she lets go the thread.
for her patience is almost as her charity. and
she touches the little red bark moment, tiIl
the younger vOyager Is in u dream again, and
then directs Tommy unavalll y attempts to
harness the cat
The tick of the clock runs faint and low, and
she opens the mysterious door and proceeds TO
wind 1t up. We are all on tip toe, and we beg
IN a breath to be lifted up one by one and look
IN the hundredth time upon the tin cases of the
weights, and the poor lonely pendulum which
goes to and fro by its little dim windows; and
our petitions were all granted, and We are All
lifted up, and We al touch with the finger the
wonderful weights, and the music Of tho wheel
is resumed.
Was Mary to be married, or Jane to be
wrapped in a shroud? So meekly did she fold
the white hands OF the one upon her still bo
som, that there seemed to be a prayer in them
there; snd SO sweetly did she wreathe the
white rose in the hair OF the other, that one
would not have wondered had more roses bud
ded for company. How she sood between US