The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-10-09

that belonged to such poor trash as she did.
Why, bless your soul when took that girl,
she hadn't rag o. close tit to be seen-not a
cloak nor bonnet of any kind 'cept pink cal =
leo and sun bonnet. Her father was drunk
when l went after hers her mother was as
Shlftess fookin' soul as you ever sot eyes on.
But Nell turned out to be smart as a steel
trap; Ell she hadn't been | shouldn't kept
her till this day, tell ye. Why, she was
only 1--WE years old when got her, am she
could do lots o. chores then-yes, Nell is
smart, If she is a sassy trollop. When she
was little and could put the stick on her, |
could keep her in her place; but sence she's
Deen agon' with that Teller / couldn't make
her pay any attention to word said"
GU took her at such an early age that it
would be quite natural for her to regard you
as mother. 1t may be that there is some
fault-in-your-ma We are none
OF us quite perfect in wisdom yet, you
know" and Mrs. Dales looked up at her sis
ter-in-law with pleasant smile.
AS for my management of Nell" said
Mrs. Melton sharply, while she clicked her
knitting needles with increased vigor,
have treated her as well as my father and
mother treated me, or any o. the rest o. the
family. They made us mind, and what is
more, they made us work. They never told
us to do thing twice; if we didn't mind
the first command, the rod came next; an it
Wrn't long comm, tell ye."
Though Mrs. Dales never looked up from
her sewing, she felt the full force Of the nod
and wink which emphasized Mrs. Melton's
concluding remark; it was all conveyed in
the tone of her voice.
"And you can see no fault in this sort Of
treatmentr' she mildly queried, after little
interval, as she raised her calm blue eyes to
meet the sharp, nervous gaze of Mrs. Melton.
She knew she was rasping the self-compla-
cency of her sister Jaw, but she was will
ling to risk this in order to learn something
OF the influence which had been brought to
bear upon Nell in whom she had become in
terested, during the few days she had been
visiting in Mrs. Melton's family.
Mrs. Melton paused in her knitting and
settled herself back in her arm chair with an
extremely self-satisfied air, as she said:
wall, you know what likely family my
folks raised. Every one on 'em is well off.
They're great workers and save every cent.
10 be sure, they're not great for gettin' mar
ried am havin' house full o. young ones to
take care on. Only me am James, that's your
man, out of family o. nine was fool enough
to marry. Wish had children, do you say?
Wall, now, didn't used ter want any; but
I've thought sence Mr.. Melton died, nigh on
ter two years ago, an sence Nell carried on
so, that twould been fine thing if had
some one o. my own flesh an blood to take
care on me in my old age, an heir my prop
erty. can't help rememberin' that when
Pm gone, them as don't care nothin' about
Will git my hard-earned savin's, an scatter
'em to the four winds of heaven, mebbe."
Mrs. Melton sighed and looked out of
the open window at the harvesters at work
in her fertile fields, with reflective sadness.
EYES," she slowly resumed, ''every one
on us own nice farms, every one 'cept your
man," turning to Mrs. Dales. 'He's the
poorest o. the lot. He never was quite like
the others; he was the youngest, and was
softer like--allers wanted to be givin away
all he could lay his hands on. We older ones
could beg from him his very last mouthful.
But he was only a baby when our mother
died, and, mebbe, we girls were more tender
OF him than mother was to us. She never
spent any time foolin' over her young ones.
She had too much work to do. She never
was known to kiss one on u.s.
Mrs. Dales looked up in establishment.
=" 1t can not be-" she murmured.
Fact. was the oldest, an eff she'd ever
kissed one on us l should a been likely to
know it. We warnt fused over, as young
ones are nowadays. We had corn bread and
porridge 'nough to make us tough and stout,
an close 'nough ter keep us from sufferin'
over much. For the rest, twas work, work,
'cept few weeks in the winter time, when
we was sent to school. We learned ter read
an write an cipher-an' that's all I've ever
had any particular need o. KNOWN. Now,
l've done as well, an even better, by Nell
than that, an you can see that she don't
even thank me fort. Pm sure, instead o.
feelin' myself ter blame for not DOM better
by her, think I've done blessed sight bet
term she ever deserved. The sassy trollop."
But, don't you Think" said Mrs. Dales,
" that If you had treated Nell more lovingly
when she was small and craved love, as all
children do, that she would have been more
attached to you, and would have treated YOU
more considerably now? l have noticed
that she does not seem to have the slightest
affection for you"
NO" Mrs. Melton replied, "she don't
appear to have the least atom of feeling for
me now, an never did She's alters been
high-tempered and head-strong, an nothin'
but the stick would ever keep her in her
place; now she's got so big | can't use that,
she's Jest gone wild. If she was my own
child I'd warm her back with it now Why,
| know eff one of us had dared ter talk to my
father or mother as she does to me, they'd
IA took the horse-whip to u.s."
"Well, for my part, 1 think you have
used the stick altogether too freely" said
Mrs. Dales, with more warmth than she had
yet shown. "Children are not dogs who
will love us when we ill treat them. That
love begets love is an unalterable law, and
in none Of the relations of life is it more
strikingly noticeable than in our relations
with children. | believe that we reap what
we SOW. IL we treat children kindly during
the helpless years of their childhood. we
abuse our power when they are too young to
resist us, what can we expect but that they
will be indifferent to our wishes as they
grow older. We can win a child's love. or
we can repress it. Nothing is more easy
than the former for an affectionate nature;
but person who has no inherent love for
the little ones who fall TO their care, can, by
studied kindness and unvarying gentleness
of manner toward them, in time bind their
tender hearts to themselves in a strong and
and enduring attachment. Children crave
love as naturally as plants crave sunlight,
and they become mentally dwarfed when
deprived of it,"
"Humph! / don't see what all this fine
talk has to do with me and Nell," broke in
Mrs. Melton, sarcastically. al didn't have
her when she was Il baby, il them's the kind
o. young ones you're a talkin' about. / took
her at five, and she was an impudent little
jade at that age"
"She had, doubtless, been neglected from
earliest infancy; but, to apply my remarks
particularly to your case, | will say in plain
words that il you had cultivated her affec-
tions, drawn out her love by unceasing kind
ness and patience and sympathy during all
the long years that you have had her under
your care, she would, no doubt, have treated
you now with loving devotion. OF course,
you know from your own experience that it
is natural for us to love one who is good to
US; and it is equally natural for us to try to
make that loved one happy"
- Wall I dunno 'hnut that cold NTrc