The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-02-06

in open-mouthed silence while my mother
with heightened color on each of her thin
cheeks, spoke with vehemence he never
before imagined she possessed:
"You have always assumed to control
everything, Joseph Astery. Our boys have,
with the exception of Preston, been nodded
by yourself into what you consider the true
ideal of manhood My life has been passed
in hard work for 80 years, 80 of them as
your wife, and all that have received in
return for this hard, unceasing toll for you
and the boys has been my board and the few
clothes that have been begrudgingly doled
out to me- Don't start, Joseph, you are
going to hear the truth for once in your
life. Three of our boys, while they have
always had an affectionate feeling for their
mother, early learned to pattern after their
father and have come to treat me with
rough regard such as one might assume to-
ward an obliging servant. | have taken
this treatment without a murmur, beliey
ing the boys whom | had so loved and so
toiled and struggled for through the help
less years of infancy, really loved their old
mother when once you probed the coat of
carelessness they had put on towards me.
My heart has been faithful to them all; but
Joseph, ifyou think that Jed and the other
two seem nearer to you, because they are
more like You in character, can you blame
me if my heart beats with perhaps deep
er love for our youngest son, who while he
so resembles you in his physical strength,
has always been so tender and considerate
of his old mother that while they add to
her heavy cares and burdens by their care
lessness, he lightens them by his thought
fulness? You have found me faithful
accomplishing wife, Joseph Astery, for
thirty years. We have, as | supposed un-
til you spoke, been laboring for mutual ben
efts Many times | have thought your
decisions not generous ones, but never until
now have rebelled against them. Now |
demand that Preston be given thousand
dollars of our, not your, money before Jed
ediah is given another like amount.
My mother, usually so sweet-tempered,
was now thoroughly aroused and determ-
ined to throw off the yoke and assert her
independence for once, if she suffered for
it. When [ now think how she braYed the
storm of wrath surely expected to follow
her words, through love of myself, can
not resist the temptation to stop, even as
l write these words, and gently stroke the
gray hairs of the one who has enudred so
much for me. Surely one cannot measure
the depth of mothers love. But di-
gress.
1t was the first time my father had stood
quietly under rebuke. Perhaps the justice
of her remarks forced their way through the
years of selfshness, or may be the picture
of the little woman, as she so saucily faced
him, brought back the memory of the days
so long ago when he was wooing the bright
eyed lass, and this tempered the hot words
that at first rose to his lips. Whatever
the influence, l was compelled to admit
that I did not understand the power that
controlled my father, for the big, strong
man was suddenly subdued; the overbear-
ing air disappeared, as if by magic, and, in
stead of an angry word, he quietly said:
"You may be more than half right,
Phebe, but don't know as | would own
it except as between ourselves. If it was
fo- any other purpose-to buy farm, Il
thrashing machine, or emmy thing Of emmy
account, why, yum, I'd be sorry prom
ised Jed an let you have the money for
Pres; but | can't reconcile myself to seein'
him throw away thousand dollars, good
money, let alone all of his time, in Jest get
tin an education that | don't see ever done
emmy one emmy good.
"What about the thousand dollars p
questioned my mother, ignoring his pro-
tests.
"Taint no use, Phebe, can't consent,
and | have given my word to Jed.
"Yery well, then" replied my mother,
quietly. "Preston shall go to school and
without the use your money. l am sor-
ry you can not see the question in the
same light that | do. You remember |
had a small sum of money left me from my
fathers estate This has been out at in
terest for twenty years. The amount was
so small you though it was not worth ac-
cepting, when You were disappointed be-
cause the larger sum was left to my broth
er. | was thankful for small sum that
| could call my own, and have used neither
principal nor interest. The sum will more
than answer Preston's needs, and | shall
expend it for him freely. You may as
freely use the sum now on hand for the
other boys and we shall see which brings
the best results in the end
To say, that | was astonished atlearning
that my mother had so large sum of mon
ey at interest, would be to simply convey
the state of my fathers feelings at the same
time He felt that he was beaten all
around and could not say word 1t was
easy to see that he begrudged even this
sum to be paid for my schooling, and nu-
merous hints were dropped to me about
what a nice payment such asnug sum would
make toward good farm. While | dis
liked tn take my mothers legacy to pay for
my schooling, when felt that | had earned
a sum working for my father that honestly
belonged TO me to do so, and l thus accept
ed aud was soon i: the University, and
hard at work.
The four years in school passed quickly
Tor me. While the money my mother
gave me was not sufficient to pay my ex-
penses, it proved ample with what sums
| could earn during the long summer va
cations and at odd spells to pay my way
and leave good sum besides at the end of
the third year; and during the vacation of
the last year succeeded in perfecting
machine that not only brought me enough
to repay mother in full and with compound
interest, but also left me a large sum be-
sides. had been home once only during
the four years, as I could i'll afford the
time. Caring to see my mother only, |
had arranged each year to have her make
visit to her old Eastern home, which
brought her near the city where my yaca-
tions was passed. The first few years
these visits had done her much good as
could be seen in the improved condition of
her health, but the last year she came to