Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-04-05

about in doubt and amaze so did every
body else. Had lunatic strayed int
church that clear November morning. OF
= Suddenly my gaze fell upon nv moth
er's face-such scarlet, agonized face
/ as it was las her trembling fingers FINN.
bled nervously but vainly with the CLASH
of the prayer-book which she held. NV
eyes followed hers downward, and the
mystery was solved. Instead of a pray
er-book, she had in her haste caught VI
a musical photograph album, which was
of precisely the same size and shape
never discovering the difference until
the fiendish thing began to rattle out its
rolllcking tune at this horribly inoppor-
| tune time:
| Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines"
we have erred, and strayed from
| Thy ways like lost Sheep"
1t was all confused Babel of sounds.
People stared, giggled and wondered,
My mother, in wrath and agony. strur.
gled fiercely with her internal machine
but to no end. The stopping part was
out of order; the playing part was in
horribly perfect condition. She thrust
it into the prayer-book rack, and the con-
tact with the hard wood sent forth the
sounds with redoubled distinctness.
She hid it in her muff, but no amount of
fur would muffle it. She threw it upon
the eseat behind her, where it ratified away
asmerrily as ever. She was Just about to
sit upon it, when a hand was extended
from the pew behind us-a slender, del
icate hand, faultlessly gloved in pale,
silver-gray. The hand closed over the
box, and in another instant we heard the
sounds growing fainter and fainter, as
Helen sailed down the broad aisle, leav-
ing trail of melody behind her as she
passed. Just as, with a click, the air
changed to Champagne Charlie" the
door closed behind them, and only the
clergyman's voice broke the stiffness
which settled over the church.
looked at my mother. The express
sion of agony upon her face faded slowly
to look of intense relief She turned
her eyes upon me, bent toward me to
whisper something, and-broke into
perfectly audible laughl It was laugh
of sheer nervousness, without particle
of mirth in it, but a laugh nevertheless,
positive and uncomfortable. Laugh she
must, and laugh she did until her face
grew scarlet and the tears poured down
her cheeks, and she was fain to hide her
diminished head behind her muf-
laughed until, in sheer despair, she was
obliged to fairly flee from the church Just
as the congregation rose for the "Te
Deum."
My mother and 1 sat for long time
without speaking, on that memorable
Sunday evening. She was calm and
composed now, though the traces of re-
cent emotion still fingered upon her
face. would not be the first to breach
one subject, the only one upon which
felt inclined to talk lust then 4; SO we sat
silent in the dusky twilight, watching
ed and flickered above the bed of glow
ing Goals.
Frederick" said my mother at last.
"Ves, mother"
"Your Helen is brave girl"
az am glad you think so, mother"
"Do you think" said my mother slow
ly, that she did it because I am. your
mother, or because ="
81 think" said I, quickly, "that if
anything would have prevented her do
ing it, it would have been the fact that
you are my mother"
" And that you were present" ," said my
mother, nodding her head sagaciously.
d" 1 thought so. Frederick, we had con-
versation two weeks ago"
"On dancing, gambling, and laughing
in church," suggested, as my mother
paused.
Frederick" said my mother, severe
", "will you be kind enough to let that
subject drop? Because was cantank-
erous idiot and a self-opinionated bigot,
will you leave me no place of repent
ance? Ihave had new views of the fall
libility of human nature since then, and
1 suppose may take woman's privil-
ege Of changing my mind.'
"Ry all means" 1 said, laughing, "es-
peciafly as you have fulfilled the eondi-
tions SO admirably"