The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-11-30

gown.
Pm glad that rockers out of the
way" she thought, bustling around to
bring the delayed tide of housekeep.
ing up to highwater mark. Its
somehow been a standin' aggravation
to me. Farley he's always bringin'
up his mother, and what she used to
do and what her ways was. And he
says, so often, Pears to me / can
most fancy l can see mother settin'
there, where she used to set, in her
old rockin' cheer, a-creakin' back an
forth, till I've got downright nervous
about it Farley may as well under
stand, first as last, that l amt goin'
to stand so much of his mother Yes,
I'm glad had the moral courage to
split up that there cheer. l s'pose
Parley'll miss it when he comes down
from Canady but"
And she finished the half-formed re-
Election with an energetic manipula-
ton of the broom in a neglected cor
ner of the back kitchen, which sent
the gray cat and litter of brindled
kittens flying in various directions
Yet, aside from these sudden tenn
pests of discomfort and disloyalty,
Mrs. Farley was an affectionate wife,
| wiz u III lONCu ctuI Ullc hlull-
ly-natured man whom she called hus-
band ! And, after all, the blue Mon
day morning was more responsible
than Mrs. Farley.
II s'pose," said Miss Mix, turning a
paper pattern around and around on
the piece of maroon colored merino
that was about to be transformed?into
a Sunday gown for Mrs. Farley, 1.-The
| Wilder Farley was a dretful trial to
you, afore she was took away ~
"N-no, | can't justly say she was"
rather reluctantly acknowledged Mrs
| Farley. ''She was a quiet, pleasant
sDoken creature enough, no more
trouble than kitten, and deal of
help when Jenny was little. She
didn't live long after l came here. 1t
wasn't that. 1t was Parley's perpet-
| ually bringin' her up. If the bread
| CHANGED to be a trifie heavy, or the
soft soap was too thin, or the dried
sweet corn moulded-his mother done
this, and that was the way his mother
managed. 1t was enough to try the
patience of a saint. Do ye' s'pose,
Miss Mix, it'll trim we'll with velvet !?
Or would We try Il shade darker of
repped silk, the way Sarah Coming
has her serge -
"a letter for you, Mrs Farley" said
the voice of Ozias Breakwater out
side, as something white and oblong
skinned into the room and alighted
in the midst of the red merino
breadths, Jim Hall just came up
past the postotiice, and he left it"
Its from Parleyr' cried the wife
with Il suddenly frightening face, us
she broke open the envelope. ITO
tell me when he's comm home.n
A blank expression came over her
face as she perused the contents.
Il dew wonder what he's wrote,n
watched Mrs. Parley's countenance
and sclssored her way through divers
and sundry side cores at the same
time.
He's well, l hope?' she ventured
to say aloud at last.
Yes" Mrs. Farley succinctly an
swered.
And then she read, for the second
time, its paragraphs, with strange
stirring at her heart.
Eve got Il real pleasant surprise for
you, my dear wife," wrote honest
James Farley, in the somewhat formal
phraseology OF the Complete Letter,
Writer" that had been his guide and
tnodel as d youth, II CHANGED to come
across your aunt AsenaJh up here at
Lake Edward. 1t seems the saw mill.
your Uncle Eben started has proved
failure, and he's dead, and she's all
alone and has had a paralytic stroke.
''And they was sort of plannin' to
send her to the town house, poor soul,
because there didn't seem to be no
body to take her part, and she was
too proud to let on who her relations
was.
$50 I've told her just what I'm GER
tain you would do if you were here,
and that she's kindly welcome to a
home with us so long as she lives. You
was always good to my mother, dear
wife, and feel that | owe you debt
of gratitude that | never can repay.
And so she's packed up her few be-
longings, and we shall be down home
i'll a week
II trust you will approve what |
have done, for | really did not feel
that could leave your venerable old
relative to the grudging care OF the
public authorities. The Lord has
seen fit to prosper, and your relations,
dear wife, will ever seem to Inc as my
own ~
My dear Aunt Asenath-my dear
mothers only sister, who brought her
up ~ thought Mrs. Farley. "Oh, how
good Jane. is How can / ever thank
him for this generous kindness And'
with sudden revulsion of feeling
'.how false have been to the memory
of his good mother! l could cut off
nv hand when l think of the crazy
thing I've done y;
Peter Schenck, the village cabinet
maker, CHANGED to be passing just
then on the top of Il load of furniture.
Mrs. Farley rushed frantically out
and hailed him with voice and ges-
ture.
"Eh - said Peter Schenck, drawing
rein at last.
Il want you to come in" said Mrs.
Farley. II want you to mend up this
cherrywood rocker as neat as you can.
| think one or two rivets III do it, but
don't mind expense if more is neces-
sarv."
Miss Mix stared over the top of her
spectacles. Peter Schenck eyed the
dismembered chair with professional
scrutiny.
ANY hurry % said he.
Eyes, there is hurry ~ excitedly ut
tered Mrs. Farley. Il want it all
mended and polished and back here
in my keepin'room in week from
nown
wall, I'll manage it somehow"
said Peter, carrying out the remains,
with slow eXactness.
And | want you to understand,
Miss Mix added Miss Farley, that
I'm dreadful sorry said what | did
about his mother-it was only because
| was overtried and put out-and
that the Farley family, from beginning
to end, are the best folks in the
world
"La!" said Miss Mix
And when James Farley and Aunt
Asenath arrived, in the orange bright
ness of fall sunset, they received the
warmest of welcomes, and the little
cherrywood rocker stood in the glow
of the fire, like an old friend, to greet
them.
Il allays feel as if I'd got home"
said cheerful James, when L see
mothers rocking chair afore the
stove"
"Oh, James," cried his wife, fiinging
her arms around him, Il never was
so glad to see you in all my life be-
fore!n
"Bless the little woman?n said Par
lev, laughing Come in, Aunt
senath-come inn'
And good old Aunt Asenatli felt
that she was entering into an atmos-
phere of domestic happiness of which
not the least Indication was Mothers
Rocking Chair"
| Iife's book is full of new leaves