Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-02-11
TOMS MOTHKf.


health. She was the very personifica.
tion OF dignity In its most imposing
aspect, and so impressed was she with
the value of dignity that she could not
tolerate giddiness, under which head
she included all expressions of happi-
ness or light AS for pooi
health she simply had no patience with
it, believing, like most persons who
are blessed with good health, that it
only required an effort of the will to
throw off anv form of illness.
Now, TOMS wife was nearly rs pos
sible the opposite OF Toms mother.
Not but that she had plenty of dignity
of sweet, womanly sort /; but, bless
you, she was anything but stately. And
she was not only light.hearted and hap
py, but she took no pains to hide the
fact, letting song and dancing eye be-
tray 1t to the whole world.
But worse than her giddiness was
her lack of strength. Not that she was
sickly either. She had rosy cheeks and
bright eyes, and plump figure but
still her back would give out some
times, and then she would have to lie
down and rest.
How Tom ever came to fall in love
with her-for he certainly did love her
would be hard to tell; for Tom was nat
urally somewhat like his mother, not
only dignified and strong, but firmly
convinced that his dignity was some
thing to be proud OF. and that his good
health was due entirely to himself and
quite within his own control.
Still Tom was good fellow, aud
Susie admired him immensely, and low
ed him quite as much ashore, proba-
bly-than he loved her woman's love
for a man is deeper and truer than a
mans for woman.
To Toms mother, Toms wife was o
very painful fact aud constant sur
prise. Such lack OF dignity was not
only unbecominq; it was shocking. She
bewailed it to Tom, one day but Tom
had replied, with dignity equal to her
| own 4:
"I would not have her different,
mother"
Think of it /! Brought up to realize
the Importance of dignity, endowed
with it himself, and with his mothers
grand example constantly before him,
he Yet could prefer giddy, frivolous
child as his wife. So be it. Mrs. At
kinson thereafter became doubly digni
fed, and all Snsie's gentle pleasantries
froze and fell liftless before they coull
reach Toms stately mother.
Susie's other crime of not being
strong was yet to be dealt with, howev-
er. When they were first married, her
occasional lapses from good health had
/ not troubled Tom, though his mother
had regarded it with highminded indig-
nation. But after awhile, when Susie
foolishly allowed her back to give her
trouble more frequently, it was another
thing-then Tom was worried.
You see Tom was not rich still as
he was dignified, it was necessary to
have appearance of at least moderate
wealth. Anything else would have
been uDdignifed, of course.
To keep up this appear ance Susie
must work hard and yet appear to haye
plenty OF leisure. It had not been
Susie's way, but il Tom thought it
was best. why that was enough, and so
| she kept up appearances to sdch an ex-
tent that until her back refused to hold
her up any longer, she never even told
Tom how tired she was.
Finally she gave out one day right
before Tom. and for the first time in
his life that dignified gentleman saw
his wife in tears aud heard her declare
that she ''just could not keep it up any
longer"
TT Tom had only been sick himself
once or twice he might have UNDER
stood and Susie would haye had the
dearest medicine wife can have, the
sympathy. AS it was, he was only
surprised and pained-pained to gee bis
wife so childish.
"There. there - he said, in his lofty
manish way, ''you mustn't give way,
Keep yourself busy and It will pass
away" And he kissed her and was
gone.
But he was not to sweep Susie's back
out of existence by any such dignified
waving of his hand. Again and again,
in spite offended by foolishly breaking
down until at last he was annoyed and
concluded to consult his mother, think
ing, very wisely, that az she was wo-
man she could know just what to do.
There is no gainsaying that Toms
mother was woman, and she was
quite sure that she knew what to do,
though she received her sons conf
dences at first with an icy reserve that
said the matter was no concern of hers,