Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-12-30

TERMS: Two Doll
children rude. They have outdoor
exercise in long walk to and from
school,"
AS she spoke, the hall door opened
quietly. and fall of footsteps crossed
the hall to the sitting-room. Five
children, three girls and two boys,
came in with languid footsteps, and
pale faces from which all childishness
seemed stricken. Spotlessly clean,
with shiny hair and polished boots,
they followed in orderly fashion the
lead of the eldest, who stood before his
mother. awaiting her permission to
speak.
"Well, my son?'' she said quietly.
''There is no school this afternoon:
the senior class is to be examined, :"
he said, YEARLY.
mo school! Very we'll, I will set you
some sums after dinner, and find you
some words to study in the dictionary. :"
Silently the five sat down and wait
ed till the visitor departed, uncomfort-
ably conscious of ten weary eyes, and
five pallid, pinched faces.
| Crossing her own doorway, Mrs.
Turmoyle was greeted by a merry duet:
''No school! no school!'
Then the tenor:
''Won't you make some bobs for my
kite, mamma? There's a splendid
| wind'' ~ ,-..,...
Followed by sweet soprano: -.
| "And oh, mamma, you promised the
first holiday. you would trim my dolls
bonnet"
Iain't a kite, too?" stuck in Mark.
ooh, do let me get my breath, y
cried the little woman. ''Where's your
hat. Tomp'
"Oh, I forgot" said Tom, sweeping
it off with profound bow. ''.Here,
take this chair, and let me take your
bonnet and sacque up stairs. You are
very tired
"I'll help make. them.'' said Bessie;
land I'll 60 and watch Tom mamma,
if you don't feel like trimming the
bonnet.
"We'll see after dinner" said Mrs.
Turmoyle, looking from one round,
rosy face to the other, marking the
sturdy limbs and dancing eyes. To be
sure the hair of all three must be re-
duced from state of rebellion before
they were presentable at the table, and
soap and water were pleasant sugges-
tons in the maternal eyes. There was
perfect health and happiness, if the
voices were shrill and boots noisy.
"I've been to see Mrs. :Stone," she
said, when washed and, combed, the
children gathered around her to wait
for papa and dinner, land I wondered
if could ever make my children as
quiet and orderly as hers are.''
"Willie Stone is a milk-sop!" said
Tom, contemptuously. "Always crying
because his head aches! He can't play
anything, and daren;'t move for fear of
spelling his clothes. Wouldn't play
football for fear of getting dust on his
shoes! There's a nice hoy for you--
he might as well be girl!'';.
"And mother, the teacher had to
write note to Mrs. Stone the day John
Grey split the ink on Maud's apron.
She was so afraid to 60 home it was
awful! She said her mother would
whip her, and keep her on bread and
water for whole day. Miss Lee told
her to say it was not her fault, but she
said her mother would not believe
her,
"Dinner-and here comes papa!'
cried Tom. ,...-. = .y,sr.~
Mr.. Turmoyle came in with very
/ grave face. He made NO comment on
the boisterous announcement of the hol-
iday. but stopped to kiss the rosy faces
with unwant0n tenderness. After din
ner he sent the children to the nursery,
and he said to his wife, who had been
anxiously watching his clouded face:
''Tillie, met DR.. Holmes on my way
home, and he tells me that there have
been three cases of scarlet fever from
school. 1t is raging feartully, he says"
"Mrs> Turmoyle turned pale.
''In the school?' she murmured.
"Well, among the scholars"
There was a little more to say, but
the heart of each parent sent up q
petition to kind Heavenly Father to
keep the plague from their door.
Yet it came. A week later Mark
sickened, and in three days more all
three were down. Tender, loving care,
and unexpected docility of patients,
carried the little Turmoyles safely out
upon the road to health again. The
most nauseous medicines were swal-
lowed if mamma coaxed, and the most
stringent stiffness was observed when
papa was discovered to have tears in
his eyes beside Bessie crib.
The day the children assembled in
the sitttng-room for the first time was q
gala day, but papa was observed to have
a sad face.
while we are thankful, dear chill
dren,' he said, "for our blessings, let
us not forget to sympathize with the
sorrows of others. Willie and Maud
Stone were buried to-day and Amy will
be deaf for life. The others are still
very i'll.
At bedtime, when the children slept
the sleep of convalescence, MIR. Tur-
moyle came to the nursery, where the
blue-eyed wife was laying out the morn
ing clothing.
"Tillie, he said, drawing the little
woman close in his strong arms" I
have had long talk with DR.. Holmes,
and cannot rest until thank you for
our unbroken nursery. Next to God
you have saved our c6ildren.''
Il am sure you never spared your
self in nursing" said Mrs. Turmoyle.
"The nursing was the smallest part
of it. DR.. Holmes says it was not the
scarlet fever that killed Stones chill
dren. but the mothers system. The
fever found overtaxed brains, bodies
weakened by want of exercise, tempers
made sullen by q deprivation of all
childish pleasures. They were nursed
by system, no allowance being made
for weakness or suffering, and the two