St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-15
THE REALM OF THE CHILDREN
Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Mothers.
THE GOOD WORK IT ACCOMPLISHED.
A White Savage and His Life i'm
the Samoan Islands.

The Strange Story OF Long Island
sailor Bey-The Chiefs Daughter, a
Touching Story of Child Life
Among the Blackf0ot Indians.
For several weeks Bessie, my pretty neigh
Dor had been receiving regularly square en-
velopes officially done up in red sealing wax
and looking as important as a government
document. I had seen them when went in
for tea with her mother and the pile in the
card basket was gradually increasing to most
alarming proportions. Noticing my looks of
curiosity, at the end of the fourth week, Bes-
sizes mother remarked, ''you are interested in
those square envelopes-so am I, but I can't
get Bessie to tell me what they are all about.
All that she will say is that they are some new
fad of the Brown girls
Little though this admission may reveal to
outsiders it served. to make me doubly
anxious to ascertain from Bessie the exact
meaning of the rather curious wording that
marked the forW of the invitations-for such
Improved to be when we were invited to in
spect the contents Of the mystic envelopes.
In very pronounced red letters the following
business like communication was set forth.
at the fifth meeting of the SIS. P c. NJ" on
Monday afternoon, April 2, at three o'clock
sharp. MoLLIE BROWN Secretary"
And pray what is the ''S P. C. M" ques-
toned Bessie's mother and myself in one
breath? ''The Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Monkeys" guess laughed Mrs.
Bates, with fond glance at the sxteen-year-
old daughter, who had just then moved to the
other side of the room for a cushion to place
at her mothers back. There is only one
thing about tiff the Brown girls originated
it, it may be queer but it is certain to be
right
s"This remark made US all smile, for the
various fads of the Brown children had
caused much innocent amusement in the
neighborhood ever since they had moved into
it five years ago. The father of the five tow
headed tots was a professor, more wrapped
up in the unraveling of dead languages than
the solving of human problems that were be-
fore his eyes every minute of the day in the
capricous moods of growing daughters. One
thing he did preach to them and that was
charity, but in his absent minded way he ap-
peared to forget that charity begins at home,
and frequently did the very thing through a
mistaken idea of philanthrophy, that would
cause his poor over-worked and worried wife
to sit up late in the night endeavoring to
make over and mend garments for the girls
because their father had given away to some
plausible beggar the money that was to be
expended ON a new wardrobe.
It was no unusual sight to see the Brown
children marching out with their breakfast to
some poor family in nearby alley. They
were always getting up fairs for the poor or
starting some scheme by which some one was
to benefited. Therefore when the invitation
to the ''S. P. G. NJ. was opened, Mrs. Bates
felt very positive that whatever those mysti-
cal letters sgnifed they were founded on
some good though possibly impracticable
idea.
eff you two will promise not to TELL" said
Bessie, 81 will tell you all about it. But you
must also promise not to laugh, or 1 won't
have the courage to begin" We both did as
requested and the great secret was revealed
for our benefit.
'You know the Brown girls are always
planning something no one else ever thinks
Of" began Bessie. We nodded emphatic ac-
quiescence, and she continued:
'We were all at Meta Smiths one afternoon
when her mother came into the room while
we were discussing the probability of Nan
Browns winning the composition prizes and
asked Meta if she would mind having little
Robbie with her for awhile. The cook left
this morning, you know DEAR she said,
''and have such a number of things to do
before it is time to prepare your fathers sup
per that thought if you would only look af-
ter Robbie awhile it would be such help to
me, for he is such busy little fellow can't
keep track of him."
ssOh, mother" answered Meta, in a sort of
fretty tone and before she could say any
thing more, Mrs. Smith said, "never mind
dear" and took Robbie away down stairs.
But she sighed when she did So and we girls
felt very uncomfortable, even though Meta
tried to laugh it off and came near talking
about the composition prize, just as though
we hadn't been interrupted.
son the way home Nan Brown was very
quiet until we had almost reached the corner
where we were to separate from Maud and
Amy HaviIand, when she suddenly exclaimed,
Girls, have an idea ? AS she or her sisters
are always having ideas, we all cried in
chorus what, another!' Yes she said
and one that we all ought to have thought
of before. Let's start society,"
''tA society," we echoed; what to do? A
society is not new idea "a Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Mothers she
replied, earnestly. we all heard how Meta
spoke to her mother to-day, and we saw how
tired and disappointed Mrs. Smith looked
when she trotted that mischevious Robbie
down stairs. Meta didn't mean to be cruel
but she was. We all are more or less. 1 can
remember lots of times when mother has
asked me to do something and have pleaded
that was too busy with my composition, or
given some other excuse when I could have
helped her just as well as not. We ought not
to wait to be asked. We ought to see what
will help our mothers for we won't have
them always with u.s. and the least we can do
is to try and repay them with kindness and
consideration for all the sacrifices they are
continually making for u.s.
''We were all very quiet while Nan was hold
ing FORTH continued Bessie, ''for we knew
she was speaking the truth, and when she
went on to suggest regular meetings where
we were to confess to each other our misde-
meanors and reyel in our attempts at loving
helpfulness at home, We all fell right in with
the scheme, and now every Monday after
noon The Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Mothers meets and darns stock
ings, hens towels, or napkins or does any
thing that will lessen the labor of some over
worked mother, while the mothers at home
do not know why their daughters have grown
so suddenly considerate in their ways. Now