The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-12-02
AN ADDRESS TO SIS.
Which Every Sis in the Land Ought to Read
and Heed.
Peck's Sun.

Come here, Sis, and sit dswn beside me,
and let me give you little talking to. That
is right. Sit clesr to the other end of the
sofa. 1t makes more room fer my gout and
corns, besides being good habit for young
lady to become addicted To-. Always pander
to this habit and you will in time find your
self walking through the green meadows and
beside the still waters of self-respect. You
may be walking alone, to be sure, but you
will have fewer lawn dresses to do up Mon
day morning. wish to speak to you of
your mother. 1t may be you have noticed
:areworn look upon her face lately. OF
course it has not been brought there by any
act Of yours, and still 1t syour dnty to chase
1t away. don't mean for you To run at 1t
and shake your skirts and tell it to "shoo,"
as you would hen, do expect you TO
get on the other side Of the fence to throw old
oyster cans and pieces Of barrel slaves a. you
did at the COW yesterday. But want you
to get up tomorrow morning and get break
fast, and when your mother comes down and
begins to express her surprise, 60 right up to
her and kiss heron the mouth. You can't i'm
agine how it will brighten up her dear old face.
Besides, you owe her kiss or two. Away
back when you were q little girl, she has
kissed you when no one else was tempted by
your fever-tainted breath and swollen face.
You were not as attractive then as you are
now. And all along through those years of
childish sunshine and shadow she was always
ready TO cure, by the magic Of mothers
kiss, the little dirty chubby hands, whenever
they were injured in those first skirmishes
with this rough old world. And then the
midnight kisses with which she has routed
50 many bad dreams, as she leaned above
est these long, long years. Of course she
is not SO pretty and kissabls as you are, but
if you had done your share Of work during
the last ten years the contrast would not be
80 marked. Her face has more wrinkles
than yours, far more, and yet, il you were
sick, that face would appear to be far more
beautiful than an angels, as IL lowered over
you, watching every opportunity to minister
TO your comfort, and every one Of those wrin-
kles would seem to be bright wavelets Of sun
shine chasing each other over the dear old
face. She will leave ysu one of these days.
These burdens, If not lifted from her shoul-
ders, will break her down. These rough,
hard hands, that have done sosmsny unnec-
essary things for you, will be crossed upon
her lifeless breast. Those neglected lips
that gave you your first baby kss-will be
forever closed, and those sad, tired eyes will
be opened in eternity, and then you will ap-
preciate your mother, but it will be too late.
There, there, don't cry; she has net left
you yet. She is down in the kitchen, string
ing beans for dinner, and If you feel 50 bad
ly you might 60 down and finish them and
let her change her dress and rest an hour be-
fore dinner. Aud after dinner ysu might do
up the dishes while she takes little nap.
Then you might take down her hair aud do
II up for her. You need not wind It over
ysur fingers and fuss to make little spit-curls,
as she used to with yours, but give 1t good
brushing and wind it up gently and tenderly
as though you enjoyed doing it for her. The
young man down in the parler can wait un-
Til you have performed these duties. If he
expresses any impatience, you may explain
to him that you feel under more obligations
to your mother than you do TO him. II this
does net seem TO satisfy him, ask him how
many times he ever got up in the middle Of
the night to warm peppermint for you when
you were dying Of the collie, or how many
times he has carried ysu up and down the
room just because you would not be quieted
in any other way. Ask him to repeat Mother
Hubbard backwards, and if he is unable to do
1t, it will be proof positive that he is not the
whs has repeated and explained it to you
seventeen hundred times. Catechise him to
find out If he is the one who gave ysu the
black silk dress and sat up nights TO make It
while you were of having good time. Cor
ner him up and make him admit that he did
without new bonnet last winter that you
might enjoy twelve dollar one that you ad-
mirsd 50 much. Wiring from him confess
sion that he has a stitch in his side, brought
there by doing up your finery week after
week. Then show him out the front door,
put on calico apron, and 60 cut and help
yeur neither pick currants for jelly, and am
sure you will think more Of yourself, the
world will think more Of ysu, and you will
be happier for having done so.