Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-10-29
A Day with a Courteous Mother.


During the whole of one of last sum
mers hottest days, had the good for
tune to be seated in a railway car near
mother and four children, whose rela-
tions with each other were so beautiful
that the pleasure of watching them was
quite enough to make one forget the dis
comforts of the journey.
1t was plain that they were poor;
their clothes were coarse and old, and
had been made by inexperienced hands.
The mothers bonnet alone would have
been enough to have condemned the
whole party on any of the worlds thor
oughfares. | remembered afterward,
with shame, that myself had smiled at
the sight of its antiquated ugliness; but
her face was one which it gave you a
sense of rest to look upon, 1T was SO
earnest, tender, true and strong, 1t had
little comeliness of shape or color in it,
it was thin and pale; she was not young;
she had worked hard she had evident.
ly been i'll but have seen few faces
which gave me such pleasure. think
that she was the wife of poor clergy.
man; and | think that clergyman must
be one of the Lords best watchmen oil
souls. The children two boys and two
girls were all under the age of twelve,
and the youngest could not speak plain
| ly. They had had rare treat; they
had been visiting the mountains, and
they were talking over all the wonders
they had seen, with glow of enthusias
tic delight which was to be envied. Gu
lv word -for-word record would do jus
tice to their conversation ; no description
could give any idea of it, free, 81
pleasant, so genial, no interruptions
and the mothers part borne all the while
with such equal interest and eagernes
that no one not seeing her face woulC
dream that she was any other than al
elder sister. In the course of the da,
there were many occasions when it be
: came necessary for her to deny requests
: and to ask services, especially from tn
4 eldest boy but no young girl, anxiou
S to please lover, could have done eithe
7 with more tender courtesy. She ha,
e her reward for no lover could hav
4! been more tender and manly than wa
e this boy of twelve. Their lunch wa
= simple and scanty; but it had the grac
r of royal banquet. AT the last, tn
mother produced with much glee, thre
d apples and an orange, of which the chi
It dren had not known. All eyes fastene'
# on the orange. 1t was evidently grea
rarity. / watched to see if this ties
e would bring out selfishness. There wa
e little silence just the shade Of clouC
+ The mother said, How shall | divid
# this There is one for each of you
j and / shall be best off of all, for / e,
o pect big tastes from each of you"
V "Oh, give Annie the orange Ami
E loves oranges" spoke out the Oldest bo,
if with sudden air of conqueror, and {
1 the same time taking the smallest an
,r worst apple himself.
IN "Oh, yes, let Annie have the orange
v echoed the second boy, nine years old.
a. Yes, Annie may have the orang
Iy because that is nicer than the apple, an
p she is lady, and her brothers are ge
v tlemen," said the mother, quietly. The
p there was a merry contest as to WI
W should feed the mother with largest al
" most frequent mouthfuls ; and SO Il
as feast went on. Then Annie pretendt
er to want apple, and exchanged thin gol
IS en- strips of orange for bits out of Il
he cheeks of Baldwins and, as sat watc
be ing her intently, she suddenly fanei,
e she saw longing in my face, and sprar
to over to me, holding out quarter of h
rs orange, and saying, Don't you want
lie taste. too? The mother smiled unde
ist standingly, when | said, " No, thar
he YOU, you dear, generous little girl !;
ey don't care about oranges"