The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-08

select her as a typical mother. She loves
her ease too well for that. and she is too
anxious about the preservation of her
complexion to display that zeal of self
sacrifice which one associates with the
maternal quality. She is fond of her
children, and kind and often over indul-
gent, but she leaves their care to the
nurse AS they grow older they become
the parents and she the child. Were she
not so amiable and sweet she would seem
selfish. Her children pet her and praise
her, as her lovers and husbands had done
before. and she is as gratitied with their
admiration and as tiatuered by their COM
pliments as if she had never before been
praised.
1t is a severe blow to her when her first
grandchild is born. She has rather en-
loyed being mistaken for the younger sis
ter of her own daughter, but a grand
child is another thing, She would weep
over the humiliation of it, had she not
long ago learned to abstain from tears
lest they dim the luster of her eyes. She
is too tender hearted and sweet not to
learn to love her grandchildren after the
first wrench is over, and in time she be-
comes the pet of this third generation.
She flushes prettily when they rave over
grandma's lovely complexion, and is
pleased to have them observe that the
year-old baby's hands are no whittier than
her OWL EuC Is d uluSb bdSJCLuAlN dl-
tired old lady, never under or over
dressed, but always with great care and
daintiness. People look as her where
ever she she goes with admiring eyes.
Even after the last trace of her beauty
disappears, the charm of her tasteful
personality fingers, and she holds the at
tention of the public by that peculiar
spell which hangs about woman who
has been an object of love and admira tion
fof Soma abSprb
love as they go through life, and give
forth its suggestion even into old age,
like the perfume which dried rose leaves
exhale
Not so fascinating, but more useful, is
the dear old lady who had never been a
success in life until she became a grand
mother. She was a commonplace girl, an
onlooker at all the pleasures of her time.
Her marriage was prosiac and devoid of
deep sen timent She neither felt nor in
spired strong passion. Her life was
full of dull hardships and disappoint-
ments. The arrival of her children filled
her with anxious cares aad maternal
worries, and she never knew positive hap
piness until, as a prematurely old lady,
she welcomed the advent of her first
grandchild She has lived to see her
children comfortably settled, and the
hardships and trials of her life are fading
in the background of her memory She
has become famous for her pickles and
her cough syrups. Her broad lap is the
home of all the children, and the young
mothers consult her with the appearance
of the first toothing symptoms.
She knows the ages of every one in the
neigh borhood, and somehow all the bits
OF news float to her, but she is kiud-
hearted and free from malice, even if bit
too talkative
Her face is round and rosy and her fore
head always shines She throws her
head well back and looks at you squarely
through her spectacles as she tells YOU
her age, expecting you to be surprised
But you are not, even if you appear so.
Her broad figure is unsteady in its move
ments, and she has great trouble in
mounting stairs or stepping into a car
riage. She is rather proud than other
wise of her stiff joints, which make her
an object of solicitude to younger people.
She had never known the pleasure of at
tracing attention by her youthful
charms; and it is a secret satisfaction to
her to be noticed and cared for on account
of her age and failing strength. She is a
born grandmother, and in this sphere she
has found the real happiness she missed
in every other. For herage has no ter
rors. All hail TO herl m5 --l
Last, and most unfortunate OF all, is the
old lady gossip. Caustic in her criticism,
dreaded and despised by all who know
her. The young shrink from her, and the
mature avoid her She unearths the
skeleton from every closet and her fail
ing memory forgets everything but the
evil she has heard of her fellow being
during her long life. She is like a thistle,
which has dropped all its feathery bloom,
and stands hideous and terrible in its
pointed dgliness.
She tells the neighborhood belle that
she resembles her grandmother, who was
dreadfully gossiped about, and she re-
lates the reckless deeds of his great uncle
to the thriving young business man. The
black sheep of past generations are hauled
from their graves and paraded before the
eyes of innocent grand-nieces and chill
dren, by this terrible old lady, who finds
no pleasure in her old age save in the dis
comfort of the young.
She is like some old crow who sits cav
ing on the limb of a tree and frightens
away all the song birds
When she falls ill, universal if unut-
tered wish goes up from the heart of old
and young that she may pass TO her final
account; and no one mOurns her death.
But Death himself is TO be pitied who
takes into his keeping this most deplora-
Bile and hideous type of the old lady.
ELLA WHEELER Wilcox.