Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-06-17
FINDING MAMMA.
How Susie Searched for Her, and
Where She Found Her.

"As 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"
Men 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 and dishonored. Death comes
to all alike. His stealthy tread adj
vances often unheralded. It there
fore becomes us all. in whatever age or
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 q
very hard seat and very stiff back,
and that Susie was a 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-fashioned
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 sight.
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. 1t
seemed as 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 starched 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 if
bis body were only a little larger, and
his legs great deal longer and spread
out evenly over that shiny bald place,
be would look just like the black lace
| crown of Mrs. Deacon's white bonnet.
He didn't grow, however, although
Susie watched him for fully a 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-
gregation? Susie thought that it was
very considerate in him to nod assent
SO afably 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 a little
| girl as she? -
She glanced out the window. o.
the blue sky, the golden sunshine, the
green grass, and the many-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 they
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 tiresome
sermon and the stiff-backed pew.
IF could only CO." thought Susie.
Il don't believe the minister would
care. | don't believe he cares anything
about little girls at all. He isn't talk
ing to me, anyway. He says: Men are
like grass. I'm not a man. don't
believe I'm like grass, either. My dear
mamma never said SO. She called me
"a butterfly a rosebud, and her 'own
sweet birdie. O, mamma! mamma,
why did you die and leave me all
| a1one?"
Two great tears rolled down Susie s
cheeks, and lett two spots on her Sun
day dress. A gay little bird lighted on
q tree near by and ehirped. and whistled
and few away. Susie heard him. and
could see through her teers thas the