, 1882-06-16

We must not let mother and father
die, yet awhile
Die :" | exclaimed. shocked be
yond expression.
Yes, Caddy, didn't notice it any
more than you have, until the past
two weeks but it seems to me now,
that | could count every fmrow in
fathers careworn brow, and every
thread of mothers whitening hair,
They are old beyond their years, Cad
dy. They have been worked to death,
and because they loved us so we'll as
to bear it all patiently we never saw
it."
Hates voice was all OF trcmble,
and | burst into tears.
Mother Is an intellectual woman
she went on in moment. with Il
mind capable of rare development
But how much time do you suppose
she has had for reading and reflection
beyond the wants and necessities of
her large family? and don't you know,
Cad. how often we have excused our
selves from reading aloud to her, let
ting her sit digging away into this
very old bas ket, solitary and alone,
through the long evening hours. |
fairly hate myself when | think of
| it,
l did, tooJ by this time, and | said
so. But Katie" added, isn't there
bright side to it somewhere"
"We can make one" she answered
deciievly. II have been thinking of
that, and how would it do to go to
work and get the house cleaning all
done before she gets home 1t will
be vacation next week. and Rosa and
Nellie will be here to help us"
To this plan | gladly consented, and
then went to bed. When we arose
next morning it was with very differ
ent views of life and its stern realities
from what we had ever cherished be-
fore. But we were determined to en-
ter into the conflict armed with
strength higher than our own, and
through that to conquer. And we
did. Two weeks more and the house
wore a new aspect from garret to Gel
lar; everything was as fresh and clean
as could be, and well repaid we felt
for all our toll. One spot in the house
was an especial attraction, and that
was mothers and fathers room; hith-
erto a bare, sparsely furnished apart
ment, with the same stamp of self-de
nial upon it, there had always been
upon everything that was individually
their own, but now the most CHEEKY,
and tastily arrayed of any room in the
house. We girls had planned the
renovation, and John-dear, good,
honest fellow-had lovingly paid the
bill. And now, with all in readiness
for her coming, with a well-cooked
meal upon the table, with an air of
thrift and neatness upon everything,
which gave us the utmost satisfaction,
we looked for our mother home. But
when eho onme-when we saw the
dear face looking eagerly out of the
hack window to catch a glimpse of
home and its treasured inmates--the
revulsion of feeling was too much for
us and we ran behind the door to
hide our tears. Such foolish thing,
but we did not stay there long; she
called us as she came in and we came
out from our hiding place all tear
stained as we were and greeted her.
And then such time as we had, tax
ing her over the house and witness
ing her delight and surprise, mingled
with little softhearted rebukes for
our working so hard while she was
gone. But when she came upon her
own room, and her eyes fell upon the
bright, new carpet, the bed with its
snowy spread and ruffled pillow, the
easy chair and dressing table with
all its little appointments, it was
really refreshing to hear her exclailn
over the extravaganza We had been
guilty of, and all for the sake of a
woman who was fast growing old
But oh, when we told her we had
done it all that she might dwell in
perpetual youth, when we whispered
in her ear the lesson we had learned
by puttiag ourselves in her place,
when we told her what we purposed
to do in the future, that she might
live, not as a slave, but as a queen
among her children, how her heart
melted into tears, and with what
manifest love she clung to us.
And as the years still come and 90,
we are reaping blessed recompense!
The rich reward of our struggle with
idleness and self-indulgence we see
before us in the faces of our loved
and loving parents, where sits sweet
content, and beams a look of. youth
once more They share with us our
pleasures and entertainments, we
share with them the otherwise solitary
hours, and in the interchange of
thought and feeling find a wisdom we
could have gained from no other
source. Rejoicing in the knowledge
that we are smoothing for them the
rugged pathway of mortality, we feel
our recompense to be incorruptible,
being assured that it as gold laid up
in the treasure house of God, and
bringing forth an hundred fold
n .