Feliciana sentinel., 1892-07-02
KEEPING UP.
. Mother who strove for the sake 81 Hes
Children.

ChAdren. f
&he was Q woman Of middle age, thin
sfld plain, with no claim to beauty ex'
cept the eager dark eyes shining star
like from q wistful, cnre-lincd face.
Twenty years ago she had slipped her
trustful hand into that of another, and
counting the world we'll lost for the
sake Of her love and faith. had entered
upon a life of such toll, privation and
heroic endurance as only women in
frontier settlements, amid primitive
conditions, know.
II have tried my best" she said. sim.
ply. ''to keep up with the children.
Father and / resolved, when our first
boy was n baby that, stint and scrapc
and contrive as we might, we'd educate
nil that Heaven sent MS And we have
done what we could. wasn't willing
that my children should get ahead OF
me. I've tried to study their lessons
with them and to enter into their feel
ings. don't want them to ontstrip me
In the race.
This mother had been one OF those to
whom carly rising and late retiring had
been always essential. in order that the
routine of the honse-work shonld not
suffer. In that part Of the country
where she lived hired help for domcs-
tic purposes was almost unheard of:
women did their own work. y
neigh bor's daughter sometimes lending
kind hand in an exigcncy. and the
men OF the family doing their share at
need. In her determined effort to keep
stem with her children in their intellec-
tual development, she had in another
direction b,,ilded better than she knew;
for the children, boys and girls alike.
had early been pressed into her service,
and had, as she explained, taken hold
Of whatever was TO be done. The boys
could make beds and set tables as well
as draw water and split wood. The
girls were facile housekcepers, with a
practical knowledge of cooking and
laundry-,vork-in American society as
essential in the outfit for life to the
richest as to the poorest Though the
living in the houshold was plain, it was
abundant, and the ideal set before the
family was something nobler than a
mere strife for wealth. Everything
was open and above board. Books were
read and prized in common. and SO
much was going on to interest every
body that there was no temptat ton to
! devour poisonous tidbits in secret So
hit came to pass that the keeping up
with the Cnl]HTen Drought STeaC SOOu
| in it's wake.
|. At last n day dawned when the
Emother felt as if the first stone had been
| set in a wall of separation. Two Of her
| brood had found their wings. 4 daugh
ter was going to college. ~ son wa:
|. entering upon a business career. The
little wistful woman ycarned to kceT
pace with them both. ycarned perhaps
TO ordain the pathway of both, as she
1 always had done. But it was inevitable
| that there should be some parting ot
| the roads. Brave as she was she kept
down n heartache under her CHEEKY
| show of courage.
"IIave comfort, dear" said an ole
| friend, who had been through a similar
experience. 1.-The children will never
| eutgrow you; You had a twenty years
start of them. And you have 50 disci
| plined your mind. and trained You,
| heart. and elevated your own thoughts
| above the daily rnt. the fret. and th'
stir. that you dwell in serene atmos
| pi,cre, favorable to expansion of ever,
| faculty. They may acquire facts. bu
they will fly like honey-laden bees bacl
to the hire. The mother who has keep
pace with her children from baby-hoot
| to adolescence will never lose tsscfn. -.
| Harpers Eazar.