St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-05-15
"Looking Over" Mother.
BY HOWE BENNING.


"GOing anywhere this vacation, Kate
Morgan p
''NO, did think would go to the
| Catskills for week and have one good
time like folks You know never
really did do anything Just for pleas
ure, but the stern needs of the coming
winter | think will change my plans"
| whats the need ~
! "A velvet dress
"You don't mean it, Do you forget
TINT You are a graded d-schOol teacher
at Il salary of $500 IA week p
Il cannot help it. | have earned my
money and saved it, and | want one
thing that feel at home in when |
am invited to such places as Mrs. Gun
Hingham's, for instance.
"All right, of course"
Are you going any where, Louise y
mo, | have changed my plan, too"
"What was it ~
Il was invited up to Uncle Edwards
farm to spend the summer, and ex-
pected to go until | heard DR.. Lanes
sermon two weeks ago"
81 did not hear him allude to the
fact"
"Not exactly, but do you remember
his asking lis if we had ever thought
what was the very best blessing we
ever had, and advising us to go home
and look over our blessings and give
God thanks for them p
81 had no difficulty in thinking up
my hest blessing. 1t is my good, pa
tient mother, and when | went home
and looked her over, it did not take
me long to decide who needed noun
tain air and fresh milk the most of any
one. So the upshOt of the matter is,
mother goes for three weeks to the
farm, and am your most gracious and
successful hOusekeeper at home. Come
and take tea, will you ?"
Perhaps" Kate Morgan answered
absently, and the two teachers left the
subject and the large schoOl-room to-
gether.
But the earnest, energetic Kate Nor
gan took il new thought along the ia
miliar streets. All the school-years of
her twenty-One Years of life had been
spent in some connection with that
graded school in the busy manufactur-
ing town of Benton. The year before
she had been graduated with honor
from the high-school, and at once of
tered a situation in the intermediate
department, that she had filled to the
satisfaction of all, and her own great
enjoyment.
For so many years she had known
what close economies were necessary
in her plain home that the younger
children might be clothed decently and
that she might complete the school
Sha hnI ha,. 70 fh.,.
out his quarterly salary as a clerk, and
sigh over its meagreness again and
again. She had seen the lines in her
mothers patient face deepen over the
problems of turned garments and doing
without things. No wonder her salary
had seemed to her almost fortune.
and its possibilities little intOxicat-
ing. She was young. too, and pretty,
with musical gifts that made her well
come everywhere. But she was child
of "the kingdom" too, and every day
prayed, '.Search me, q God, of thy
self" and to such the Spirit is the
leader.
1t was late when she reached home,
and she was still busy in Cooking
over her mother, and thinking that
she had never seen her so pale and
worn, when her father entered with IL
sigh over the warm day, and sank
down III his chair quite exhausted. His
daughter wondered that she had not
noticed before how fast he was grow
ing old. The three young children
came in and they sat down to the plain
supper. Kate wished now she had
bought quart of berries in the morn
ing, instead of that fashion magazine,
when she saw how little appetite her
father had, and how the sickly boy
| Willis left his bread uneaten. Willis
was thirteen, Herbert ten, and little
Alice five years of age. Three others
were waiting up in Goods acre" on
the hill.
That night up in her own room Kate
went through rapid mental calcula-
tion, and with pencil and paper laid
the result plainly before her eyes, after
this fashion:
To twelve yds black velvet at 800 per yd. s4soC
| To trimmings and making 1o.0l
Money lost 5a.OI
Kate Morgan CT
To cash in hand $3.50
| Saved
But it kept her awake that night,
aud it was several days before her busy
brain gave her even a beginning O
things, and how it should be saved
But each day she prayed, ''Teach me
0 God, of Thee, in this. as all things
One morning at breakfast, she asked
.'Father, when do you have your va
cation this year 7"
1'The second and third weeks of Au
gust )" was the reply, "but | shall prob
ably straighten up jays books for hin
in the time-a little extra pay"
That afternoon found Kate walking
up to the door of Deacon Hollis pleas
ant farmhouse. She found the Deacon
aud his wife sitting in their shaded
porch, and met "A hearty welcome
= Their own three daughters were set
tied in homes of their own, and tn
old people enjoyed call from Kate
and her singing greatly. She had L
give them Rock of Ages now as sool
! as she recovered breath. 1t was some
time before she could get TO business
Then she asked:
"Deacon Hollis, have you dispose'
OF your twO-seated rOckaway, yetf