Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-06-19
Home Entertainment.

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John, will you go over 10 the
store with me tonight and hear
old Bill While tell some yarns"
You must excuse me Sam, but
I would rather stay at home even
ings."
"Stay at home? Why, thirk
the evenings are the lOnesOmest
part of the day. Father always
takes a newspaper aud sis and
reads until he IL ready to go to
bed, aud hardly ever speaks a
word unless he tells johnny and
me to shut up and not make so
much noise; just because we try to
have a little fun, while moth er
sits and darns stockings or mends,
and looks about as sour as father
does. III try to study or reau,
and move near TO the light, she
says: There is no room for you
there Unless | have q good light
/ do not care much about read
Ing"
swell, Sam, / will tell you
what to do. You come over to
my house tonight instead of go
ing to the store, ard / am sure
that you would have nice time.
Won't you Gomez"
"Yes, I'll come, just to see what
makes you hink it so pleasant at
home"
Promptly at seven o'clock Sam
was on hand, and as Johns moth
er told him to sit down, and push
ed low, cusnioned chair towards
him, he thought to himself tina. 1t
looked real cozy in there. The
square table drawn out into the
middle of the floor so that all
might sit around If they wished;
the large lamp that gave such a
bright light that even the old rag
carpet, that Mrs. Forrest was
afraid would not last through the
winter, looked better to Sam than
did the new carpet that his moth
er had Just put down. The fire,
too, seemed to burn better than 1t
did over in Sans house; how it
did snap and burn.
"That Is a sign of cold, father
said Mrs. Forrest, "when the fire
snaps like that" at which they all
laughed at mothers still clinging
to the old signs.
"Come, John, where Is the
book 2" asked his father. John
brought the book, and then Mr..
Forrest explained to Sam what he
had been reading, and after they
were all seated. mother with her
knitting Dora with her canvass
and zephyrs, while John got out
his crochet; even IL he was q boy
of sixteen years old, he knew how
to knit and crochet, and he was
not ashamed of it, either.
Then Mr.. Forrest proceeded to
read how Mr.. Pickwick. with his
friends, went to visit Mr.. Wardle;
and when he came to where they
were skating, and poor Mr.. Pick
wick fell into the pond, Sam
laughed until his face was so red
and his eyes so full of tears, that
it made every one laugh to look at
him.
At half-past nine o'clock the
book was closed until another
evening, and Sam, after having
promised to come again the next
evening, went home and went TO
bed happier than he had been for
a long time. AS he jumped into
bed, he said aloud, 81 wish my
father and mother were like
Johns. 1t Was great deal better
than listening to Bill White; he
swears So"
Fathers and mothers, make the
lone winter evenings pleasant and
happy for the boys and girls. Let
them have plenty of light, and get
them good books to read; and If
they are little noisy. let it pass,
and remem Der that these same
roisy boys and girls will soon be
men and women, and when they
60 forth from the old home they
will take with them the remeui-
brance of happy evenings when
they were all together.
There are too many homes like
Sans, and too few like the one /
have been telling about.