Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-09-24
Mothers at Home.

Mothers at Home.
when hear man say, II haven't
seen my mother for five years." I al
ways feel like saying: "Well, then, you
ought to be ashamed of yourself!" If
L don't say it, think it, which gives
me some satisfaction. And I think of
the lonely, elderly woman living in
some quiet, far-off place, her children,
some here, some there, and she nothing
to do in the winter days but to remember
and say: "Well, after all, perhaps old
maids are just as happy"
There she sits at her parlor window.
Far away are the roofs of the town, the
steeple OF the church where she was
married. just where the shadow of
the steeple stops at sunset is her hus-
bands grave, and the little ones so
close to it., that first child who died
young-the girl The old lady does
not cry nowadays; but she sits and
thinks; the knitting falls into her lap.
"Poor pat" she sighs; and sees him
in her fancy, u young man coming
home from the fields beyond, brown
and handsome, catching up little Trot
and giving her ride to the house on
his shoulder. Dinner is ready. Her
father and mother were living then;
not so old as she is now either. They
had stopped to dine. They gave her
advice about Trot and housekeeping.
All gone, all gone, like dream.
If little Trot had lived, she thinks
she should have had q daughter, per-
haps, about the old home yet. Per
haps she might be married; on the
whole, she rather thinks she would,
and then she might have lived with
them, and her grandchildren would
have been comfort. Daughters are
daughters always.
She sits in her rockingham and
looks ut the photographs Of her sons
Tom and Dick. Oh, she did so wish
that Dick would stay on the farm, and
Tom be a minister and preach in the
village chapel! He might have been
called there. It would have been
likely. people thought him so talented.
But Tom dropped theology and took to
law, and Dick went into trade. They
are doing SO well-so we'll! Of course,
she is glad, but she is so lonesome
And now they do not even come down
on the Fourth of July, or Thanksgiving
Day, or Christmas. One is in one city,
one in another. She would quite will.
ingly sell the place, and go and keep
house for either, but they do not pro.
pose it. They lead bachelor life
there; she, that of childless widow
here. Letters come, but men do not
like letter writing, and it is only 6
little comfort after all. They are goo6
boys, but she has money enough; she
needs nothing but to be with them.
As for "the boys" no longer boys a
all, except to her, when they speak o
their mother it is to praise her. Sh,
was so good; so energetic. She spared
no pains to educate them. She dit
without pleasures that they might hav
more. But they believe her more com
Portable at home. If she were poor
either would do everything for her, bu
she has more than she needs. 1t i
quite distance to Rose Hill, where sh
lives. They mean to go and see he
very often, but they are busy men, AM
do not go. And SO, some day, Their
will come letter with black seal
and there will no longer be any oil
mother yearning for her boys in tn
empty farmhouse.
"The last she said," will run tn
postscript, perhaps, "was, If l coul'
see Tom and Dick once more.
, Haven't seen your old mother TO
five wears? Well, even if you do los
$50 by it, or one Irritation with girl
or jolly fishing party, go to see hei
The time will come when you can onl
see her grave.-Ne1c York Ledger.