Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-07-14

~
there every evening. They always
have such good times at their house,
answered Jack.
81 don't see why you children can't
be more cOntented at homc," remarked
Mrs. Newton. "If we had Il palace of
gold, | verify believe you'd be signing
to get away from it to spend your even
ings in somebody's garret. But that's
the way with some people--they never
know when they're well off, and she
sighed to think how little her deluded
progeny appreciated their blessings.
Notwithstanding all their supposed
advantages, the discontentof the Now
ton children ddnot grow less, and their
desire to spend their evenings at the
homes of their schOol-fellows increased.
Their playmates rarely visited them,
intuitively feeling they were not very
welcome to the female head of the
house. youngsters always make
such muss and racket" was her
comment.
One bright day in early spring, Mrs.
Lewis, who was something of an inva-
lid, and had hitherto been prevented
from visiting Mrs. Newton since her
removal into her new home, called on
hat lady and was duly shown through
the handsome rooms.
at is perfect. | do not believe it
could be improved upon" was her ell
thusiastic praise, "and you have dis
played such good taste in furnishing,
1t is all charming, but The prettiest
thing about ii in my estimation is this
lovely little veranda opening from the
back parlor can imagine how you
will enjoy it summer afternoons and
evenings. Here you can bring your
rocking chair with your book or sew
ing. At this side Mr.. Newton can en-
joy his cigar lmdisturbcd and mds.
turbing, while these clustering vines
will make delightful retreat for the
children who, with very little play of
the imagination, can fancy themselves
in the country"
"Y-es," replied Mrs. Newton, in Il
rather embarrassed way, "but we will
not probably make use of it, for the
only way TO get to it is through the
palor and my new carpets would soon
be ruined if allowed Mr.. Newton and
the children TO run through whenever
they chose, and of course, if we used
the rooms SO common, in Il short time
they would not he fit for company, you
know"
Mrs, Lewis gmadc no reply. She
looked at the handsome things about
her on all sides, and willie her hostess
ratified away gIibly on the subject of
wall decoration, dndOCs and frcScOng,
was pijIying the owner Of all this
splendor, from the depths of her heart.
"Oh" she thought, "this is not Il
home-this is onlya house; merely 4
place where husband, wife and child
rem Can eat, drink and sleep, This
mother has no appreciation Of the
blessed uses Of a real, true home. The
best and chcericst of all she possesses
is denied her own household and re-
served for strangers"
81 would not exchange places with
Mrs. Newton for the world" she said,
while speaking of her afternoon visit
that evening to her husband, as they
sat by their own cozy sitting-room fire,
before the lamps were lighted, while
the shadows danced and chased each
other like merry spirits over wall and
ceiling, giving occasional glimpses of
chint2-cushiOncd casy-cllairs, pretty
mantcl ornaments made by her own
hands, bright rug before the hearth,
II bracket here and there, Il few pictures
on the walls, and a scarlet table cover
streWn with books and papers, Just as
childish hands had left them. 81 like
elegant things, too, but | do not want
anything too fine for USE" she contin-
ued. al haven't amy patience with
pCoplc whose vanity leads them to ded-
icatc all their choice pictures and clc-
CANT sofas TO strangers, while they
think crcaky furniture and dingy, bare
walls are good enough for the family.
A parlOr that serves its highest uses
when the children and llics are excluded,
would better not he built, and it seems
to me the most absurd of all fOllies is
to build Il huge house and furnish it
elegantly only to close it up and live in
one or two rooms in the back part. No,
| wouldn't exchange our little home
and cheerful sitting-rOom, with its
pretty ingram carpet and cretonne cur
tains, for Mrs. Newton's raw silk set
and Irish lace window hangings"
at must be Il comfOrtless place for
Newton and the children" responded
Mr.. Lewis, "and Mrs. Newton will find
out, if she lives long enough, that she
has made II great mistake. If she
wanted to teach them to hate their
home, she could not employ surer
method. Ipity those boys of hers
they are bright little fellows, but their
mothers foolish vanity is already max
ing Il shadow that will lcngthcn far
into their future. Sunlight is us rcqui.
site to Il child's happiness as it is TO the
life of a flower, and | dent wonder
that Il boy or girl grows fevcrish, and
cross, and discontented, who is com
PEELED to live in IL house that is kept as
dark as Il dungeon. | tell you, Kate,
that II bright, sunny home is the best
safeguard for boys, ever discovered.
Years verified the truth of Mr.. Lewis
remarks. Sam and Jack Newton learn
ed to seek abroad, in questionable
places, the cheer the handsome stone
house had never offered them, and grew
up pronigate and worthless. Mary and
Lilly married early, glad to get away
from the prosaic, unlovely place, while
Jenny lived alternately with each sis
ter, finding the atmosphere OF their
palmer homes more agreeable than the
gloomy elegance of the unused double
parlors and cOmfortless, dingy break
fast room of her childhOod's home.
And thus the mother was left in the
big house, old, gray and lonely. What
solace now was the thought that the
furniture and carpets still looked new
and bright as when they were bought,
since a deserted hearthstone was the
price OF their preservation
"Tho heart that cleaves TO the Word of
God, and delights in it, cannot help but
find in II, daily, new tnsts Of his goodness ;