Smyrna times., 1876-11-29
The White Chrysanthemums

Marian Grey's heart was full of bitter
ness. Two years ago. she had gathered
these very white chrysanthemums of the
first week in November to lay on her
mothers coffin. There had been plenty of
the usual funeral flowers 5japOnicas, and
tuberoses and white heath, and the rest
but Marian had stolen. out and gathered
the chrysanthemums because her mother
loved them, and because they grew in the
old garden at home.
"She will not care for the Others she
had said to herself " she always loved our
own flowers best, and she shall take them
with her." Marian was fourteen then-old
enough to mourn for her mother passion
ately-old enough, too, to. understand and
feel deeply what her mother said to her just
at the close.
"You must care for papa and the boys,
Marian. You will be mistress, now, think,
young as you are. At least you can be, if
you are so careful of papa's comfort that he
dpss1t feel The need of getting any one to
keep house; and + trust the boys to yd,l
You must be elder sister and mother, too,
and never let them miss me more than you
can help" And then Marian remembered
how her mothers sad eyes had searched
her face, and now She had Kissed her at the
end, and said, I" It's a hard lesson; but you
must always think Of yourself last, and by
and BY you will see that brings its own ex-
ceeding great feward-s ~ H.. 80
Mrs. Grey had lived several hsurs after
that, and had kissed Marian again, and
kissed the boys also, and blessed them, and
then gone to sleep, like child, on her
husbands shoulder, with a child's smile on
her lips, and beauty as of long passed
youth, at whict, the children wondered on
hef.face. But Marian always felt that her
true parting with her mother was in those
few moments when they were all alone, and
mamma had charged her to be her father.
comfort, and the boys mother.
And she had tried, faithfully. She
looked back now over two years that haC
passed, and she said, with tears streaming
down her cheeks, "Yes, mother, l hav'
been faithfulr'. She had left school, anC
devoted herself to making her mother
place good. She had keptthe same seryan
her mother had, and the woman, touches
by ths unconscious pathos of the younI
girls efforts to make good that vcant place
helped her in O.. thousand ways. An
Asfisnsthought she had succeeded Sh
could not see that any comfort had bee
lacking in her fathers home and as TO
the boys-Hal and Geof gie-.=they sainios
soshipped her. "But of what use had
bsenTsA She Thought, bitterly; for now he
hther was going to bring home anothe
wife in her mothers stead. He had tol
her very tenderly TO be sure. He said thi
he had felt she was too young for so muc
cate. She ought to be in school; and ]
Bringing home to her for mother the onl
Woman he knew who seemed worthy to f
nee ownifnother's place, thas be ifelt.hewI
securing as great a blessing TO hersas
himself; and then he had said, as be kisst
her goodbye
Make the house look as pretty as "
ean-won't you, Marian? Elizabeth lov
beauty. don't think there are mar
nowers left except those white chrysa
'aemumsi but wish you'd put some
those in her room. ,.es
Marian thought she could have born
-, II 1t hadn't been for that last reque
me white flowers that she had gather
sass TWO years ago for her mothers fune
~ao duty as bridal flowers for the usurps
: seemed TO her that. this was the Q
s'0p too muoh.sg She did not consider IL
,s' iather could not have thought Of th
saAh Indeed, he probably never knew d
sAs naa made the wreath of them for |
SsAers coffin at ALL Her passionl
sl'is heart.zwelled almost 10 bursting w
'As bitterness Of the thought that she ,