Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-08-25
FINDING MAMMA.
How Susie Searched for Her, and
Where She Found Her.

Gas for man, his days are as grass.
As the flower of the field so he flour
isheth; for the wind passeth over it,
and it is gone; and the place thereof
shall know it no more"
"Mcn go to sea, and never return.
1t may be the prince of nation that
the ocean wraps in its chilling waters
it may be an unknown stowaway, dis
owned ard dishonored. Death comes
to all alike. His stealthy tread ad.
vances often unheralded. 1t there
fore becomes us all, in whatever age OF
rank of life we are, to be prepared
AS for man. his days are as grass, >"
repeated the minister.
Would he never stop? Susie knew
he had been talking for at least three
hours. In reality, the poor man had
just commenced his sermon; but there
was no denying the facts, that it was a
very warm day, that the pew had a
very hard seat and very stiff back,
and that Susie was very little girl.
Her feet didn't come near the floor In
fact, the seat was so high that it was as
much as grandma could do to touch
hers. Grandma sat in the corner and
Susie at the end of this old-fashoned
pew. They always went to church to-
gether since mamma died and papa
went away in the great ship with the
patch on the sail, that Susie and
grandma watched out of signt.
Grandma let Susie sit in the end be-
cause it made her feel so important,
and sometimes had the effect of keep
ing her still. But to-day poor little
Susie didn't know what to do. She
looked around the little church. Ii
seemed rs though nearly all
the old folks had gone to
sleep, but, of course, they hadn't;
it only looked that way. Then
she watched the grandfather long-legs
on Deacon Dodd. He crawled slowly
up the deacon's stiffly starchcd SUNDAY
collar. The deacon's hair, stiff and
straight with Sunday oil, just met the
collar; so Sir Long-legs had little
trouble in mounting to the deacon'S
bald spot, in the center of which he
stopped to rest. Susie thought that il
his body were only little larger, and
his legs a great deal longer and spread
out evenly over that shiny bald place,
he would look just like the black lace
crown of Mrs. Deacon's white bonnet.
lie didn't grow, however, although
Susie watched him for fully minute.
So she turned her attention to Elder
Brown. Why did he nod so slowly
and reverently at everything the min.
lister said and then jerk his head back
suddenly and look around at the con
gregatiOnp Susie thought that it was
very considerate in him to nod assent
SO atl'ably to all the minister said, and
concluded she would do it too. SO she
wagged her little head slowly and
solemnly forward and back. But what
was the use? 1t made her dizzy; be-
sides, did minister notice such little
girl as she?
She glanced out the window. o.
the blue sky, the golden sunshine, the
green grass, and the mOny-colored
flowers outside! A rose vine, Chamber.
ing up the old church wall, peeped
saucily in, and shook two pink roses AT
Susie. 1t seemed as though the,
blushed and smiled at her alone. and
the leaves were just SO many fingers
reckoning her to come outside, away
from the sleepy deacon, the tircsomC
sermon and the stifi-backed pew.
"lf | could only 60" thought Susie,
II don't believe the minister woult
care. / don't believe he cares anything
about little girls at all. He isn't talk
ing to me, anyway. He says: Men arr
like grass I'm not a man. | dom
believe I'm Ike grass, either. NY dcal
mamma never said so. She called m,
a butterfly n rosebud, and her 'owl
sweet birdie. o, mamma! mamma
why did you die and leave me al
alone?"
Two great tears rolled down Susie
checks, and left two spots on her Sun
day dress. A gay little bird lighted OF
tree near by and chirped, and whistle,
and flew away. Susie heard him, an,
could sec through her tears that tn