The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-04-26
AUNT MILICENT'S STORY.
By HARRIET N. HATHAWAY.

1t and its occupants made pretty home.
tab!eaa on the bright, sunny afternoon
which perfaced the opening of this simple
story. At table sat.a lady, with sweet
face, smooth, quiet brow, from which
swept back profusion of soft, brown,
Wavy hair, while tender smile played
about her lips, and beamed from her eve,
~ 1t rested on her little daughter Gerty,
standing opposite her Before q window
across the room; a middle aged lady, in .
stlver-grey silk and dainty mob-cap, was re-
Ginning in an arm chair; one could not
study her face without feeling sure that she
hal had varied aud sorro " ful life exper.
fence, that she had, through much chasten.
Ing, attained the serenity OF spirit that alone
comes through submission to the will q,
God.
Mamma" said Gsrty, "may l look a
this pretty vase? please may take it in my
hand?"
Mn. Willis raised her eyes from an en-.
craving she had been studying, and after
little hesitation, replied:
Eyes, Gerty, If you will be very, yer,
CAREFUL; it is very frail, and were you t
reak it, money could not replace it; you
know Uncle Robert brought It from Italy
last summer, Aunt Milicent," addressing
the elderly lady.
80 derty, thus permitted, drew the beauti.
iui vase towards her, her pretty, young face
dimpling all over with smiles and roses,
and her mother addressed herself to her
aunt. With gentle touch the child turned
it this way and that, held it up to the
light, the better to see its transparency, and
at last, salts led, was just abont to place it
whence she had taken it, when it sud.
eenly dropped from her fingers; a crash.
cry from the little girl, and the pretty
bijou lay in shivers upon the marble table.
&C. - vase, my vase!" exclaimed the
mother, springiug upon her feet, and with
hasty hand dealing blow at Gerty, "you
cruel, carelesss girl"
But, mamma,, mamma, l did not mean
TO! o, l am so sorry!" and two large
tears stood in the entreatrg blue eyes,
But fiercer blazed the anger upon the
young mothers face you could scarcely
have believed it the same that one mo
ment before had looked so gentle and
tender. Stamping ler little foot upon the
carpet, she seized Gerty by the shoulder,
and hurrying her to the door, and opened
ii, and pushed her roughly into the next
room, with:
There, 60 oat of NY sight You are
the trial Of my life, and 1 do not much
care If l never look
"Alicel Alice!" md OBTAINING hand was
laid upon the young mothers arm. 1t
WAS Aunt Milicent, who, with face as white
- her cap-border, confronted her excited
and angry niece. Mrs. Willis, was at once
awed into silence; she had never seen such
an expression on that placid face before
she had meyer heard such authority in
her tone.
go. Gerty," she said, II forgive you,''
and Gerty, smiling through her tears, lift
ed her face to her mothers for the kiss
without which she would not feel sure OF
her forgiveness; then, turning to her aunt,
who had sunk upon the nearest seat, Jock
ing so changed from her wont, Mrs. Will
lis asked:
"What is it Aunt MiIicent? What has
shaken you so?"
20, Alice, my child, be thankful those
dreadful words you were but just about to
say did not pass your lips, else might you
have lived to mourn your foolish, wicked
anger TO the end Of your days--you might
have lived to suffer as ! have done!"
Mrs. Willis seeing her aunt so deeply
moved, seated herself ON an ottoman at her
feet, and taking her trembling fingers in her
own. she said:
"Aunt Milicent, will admit have been
unjustly, unreasonably angry with my dear
confess it to her--poor dear what great
pitiful tears stood in her eyes-but do not
think it is such a terrible thing that have
done; even had l finished my sentence with,
i do not much care if l never look upon
you again. though it would, doubtless
have panied my little girl, she would have
known / only said it in my anger, and she
Is so sweet-tempered she would have for
given me at once"
"Ah, Alice, how ready are we to strive to
make our ways right in our own eyes!
Should q mother ever commit an act that is
Of nature to call out the exercise Of for
giveness from child? Does she not iniure
her moral character by 50 doing? But
think, niece, 1 can do more real benefit by
telling you my experience than by moral
izing, aud 50 l will school myself to the
painful task, thinking it may be to you q
useful lesson.
"Perhaps you have heard portions of my
life, and often of my boy, my little Paul,
who came to go sad an end, before you were
Of an age to know OF the painful events con-
nected with bis sudden death. naturally
possessed just such hasty temper as have
marked in you. I was, like yourself
warm-hearted, impllsive and generous, but
1 did not control my temper: had never
been schooled to it, for my mother died
when I was young, and NV father pcttcd
and INDUCED nae in every within and cap
rice. My 'tantrums,' as my old nurse used
to call them only seemed to am,lse him:
when used to 60 in one of them, he would
laugh, and call me his little finder oox,'
and declare he loved me all the better that
I had some spirit of my own, and 80 grew
to think it not wrong, but commendable;
of course, the habit, by indulgence, grew
stronger, and there were times when al
most felt afraid of myself.
When was about twenty, married
man in respect to temper entirely my oppo-
site, and this is the only reason that render.
ed our married relations in any degree har.
monious, but looking back upon them from
my present standpoint, count it as the one
green, sunny spot in my life, but that it was
20 Is no credit to myself had my husband
been passionate, our welded life would
have been stormy and uncertain.
We had one child only. our little Paul;
he was good boy, but stirring, and 1 often
was unnecessarily irrit.ted at his boyish
pranks, often harsh. and did not control
my temper when crossed by him and yet
never . mother detsd more upon her boy
than upon my darling. As you remarked
Of Gerty, he saw deeply enough into my
character; to know that my injustice
to him did not arise from
want Of love, but from giving undue
sway to my passions. All, Alice, feel
hunbled il, my own estimation, to-day, to