The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-06-26


and was fast obtaining in our little town the
reputation of being what is now called a
| woman's rights woman. She had become
rather too fond of talking in mixed companies
| on high subjects, and 50 fell into the very
error her lively little mother had foreseen ten
years before.
"As to Car Mrs. Barbara said one day,
| "she is turning schoolmistress. She talks lee
lures. Iwonder she does not get few les
sons in action" the little satirist said; lit
would become her drawing room and dinner
table finely. Any actor or popular preacher
could tell how to arrange her elbows when
she is discoursing. can't; formy education,
dears, was neglected. in that particular de-
partment. We only danced and sang and
fiirted when was a girl Why, remember
once meeting man who talked of Peru, and,
assure you, dears, / thought it was some
where in Germany! But what matter! The
world was ours, and we had only to live and
enjoy and make others enjoy. And we did
it, girls: we did it! O., that | was young
againF'
Caroline Doolittle, however, was not very
popular in Kettlewell; and this was undoubt-
edly owing, not TO her sound mental cultiva-
tion-which was as genuine il was laud-
able-but to the mischievous habit she had of
bringing her attachments into prominence. |
suppose she did it to manifest her superiority
over the rest of the women; but, unfortu-
nately, the result was that while she vexed
the women, which she did not mind she re-
PEELED the men, which she did mind very
much
One man, however, paid her the tribute of
homage which was as unceasing as the voice
of waterfall Morning, noon and night
Egerton sounded the praises of his wife He
had grown stout and healthy looking, and he
was as great a simpleton as ever. Indeed,
his giggle had got new notes Of imbecility i'll
it, and was now perfect wonder of vacuity
in unarticnlated sound He had a slight drop
in his lower lip, too, and fixed SMILE which
might have made his very dog understand
what mental weakness Is in mankind. But
Eserton adored his wife. They had threa
children now, and from infancy lie pointed
these children to their mamma as the sole
model of excellence and strength. E1ertop
was very fond of nursing his children. and
would walk up and down with them by the
hour, telling them at brief intervals TO look
at their mamma
Tremendously gifted woman he would
sometimes say to his friends. Then, dropping
his voice like Guy Fawkes in the conspirators'
room: Sometimes ] see her reading for two
hours at a stretch. have timed her by my
chronometer. What would have become of
me if had not married that woman | don't
like to say | think" Egerton would add,
solemnly, II think, with my disposition and
my way of looking at things YOU know, l
should have gone to the bad"
Egerton had also given himself up greatly
TO the study of cooking. and had little room
fitted up with stove. and hung round with
pots and pans | think this must have been
about the time when the great Sever was
teaching us English people how TO work won
ders with soup and fish and fowl In this
room Egerton would concoct rare dishes,
generally coming out with very red face,
and now and then upsatting a boiling sauce
pan down his thighs; on which occasions he
would rush from the room shriek:nr. and de
clare that it was really too had and he would
give the whole thing up. Ecerton had an
idea of working a reform in the present way
of cooking red mullet.
"A delicious fish, he would say: "hut under
the present system it is sent up in paper;
treated, in fact. as if ii were a package II
is intolerable that delicious fish should b.
treated as if it were package
Time, which was writing its record on Or
younger people, had not forgot TO pencil
deeper lines ON Archibald Goldmorc Visible
signs of advancing years upon him, and
the elephantine firmness of his tread was
going. He stopped; his hair was not so gray
as once it had been Goldmore. the vie. the
sensible, the millionaire, was dseing his hair
TO keep up the appearance of youth beside his
lovely wife. All, lovely young women what
fools you make of us whitening, elderly men,
And even the little mother. so long undying
in her energy, began TO show symptoms of
decline. The hight step was falling into
slower movement; the quick motions of the
frame were seldom seen; she was growing
little deaf, and every one observed it, though.
with characteristic vivacity, she tried TO hide
the failing. She began to like quiet-hodily
quiet-and would sit in her chair hour after
hour; hut her mind was as active and her
tongue as pungent as ever; and often Sophia
would laugh till she was tired at the little
woman's quaint remarks or sroll stories of
days gone by She commented on everybody
and everything with the same satire sense
and absorbed worldliness as of old Her two
sons-in-law furnished her with abundant
material for criticism; and Sophia often
blushed to think how heartily she enjoyed
her mothers caustic comments on Goldmore
and Egerton. Both Were favorites with the
old woman but GoldmoreS mercantile stiff
ness and Egerton's feebleneSs of mind were
too tempting for her to resist
i can hardly keep my couutenance, Sopby,"
she used to say, when these two men come in
together. One ! can stand but both is more
than mortal can They generally looked
in after churchl Mrs. Temple, how do you
find yourself this morning. Pretty wellrr
She hit off Goldmores voice to the note
And then: 10, how are you. Tremendously
warm day, isn't it, | do dislike a tremerl-
dously warm dayrn delivered exactly as
Egerton would Thereupon the little satirist
would fall back in her chair laughing, and
pleased to see Sophia laughing.
"Now, really mamma, You are too bad.n
Sophia would say.
Not bit, Scphy. You like it, or You
would not laugh. And, beside, why need the
old man be bore and the young man block
head! o, may the day never dawn when |
do anything but laugh at q stupid or a fool"
Still Sophia was kept in wonder and fear
by her mothers growing turn for economy.
In some things she was becoming almost
penurious. and the question: What will it
costN which once she disdained to ask of any
thing that pleased her, was now never off her
lips. There was positive alarm about her
manner. too when any new expense was iii
view. which was full Of grave suggestions;
| and Sophia quite tried to reconcile herself to
| Goldmores opinion that her mother had
lived beyond her means. and Was now trying
TO exc out her means. Beside, the old wou,aH
would sometimes, in covert way, try to
sound Sophia as to what she would do whan
left alone in the world, and once she actually
| asked her if she had any idea of ever making
money for herself. This uneasy question
| pointed only too plainly i'll the direction of
| the practical Goldnore's observation, that
Mrs. Tempe was living on an income that
would perish with her. and that Sophia would
I've left in poverty. But beyond conjecture
no one could 60 for the old woman kept her
| secret, and would not suffer any nterruga-
| tons. To Sophia she oonided that she felt
| little alteration in strength; but even TO her
| she would not admit that the cause WAS old