The Forrest City times., 1894-11-16
MOTHER BILLIARDS HOME
It Was with the Black Sheep" of
 Her Family.

That IS my cousin Susie Lee and that Is her husband; that fat baby is her oldest; we ain't got no pictures of her other children, though she's ben a. promisin' them to us this long time That other baby on the opposite page. the one with the cunnin' bare toes. is Abner's youngest taken good ten year ago'-and so on, and so on, until every picture in Seth Ballards photograph album had been described in full to the weary visitor.
 But what else could Ida, Abner Bal. lard's wife. do to entertain the guest, lady from New York who knew no one in the little town of Clifton save the cousin who was her hostess? Laura Martin, the guest, knew nothing and cared nothing for the details of farm life; in fact, she detested the country, and would never have come to this quiet place but that she had been or dered there by her physician.
 The cousin whom she was visiting, Rufus Martin, was almost a stranger to her; and his wife and her family she had never before seen or heard of She exerted herself to be cordial to them, and never allowed them to suspect how fearfully she was bored. This afternoon she and her cousins wife, hannah. were visiting Abner Ballard; and his sister hannah and Serena, his broher Seth's wife. were also there assisting to entertain her
 Serena would every now and then disappear into the kitchen. and then after moments pause Ida would fol- low her. During one of these brief absences, while Hannah was attending to the wants of her youngest baby. Laura, being left to her own re- sources, began to examine the gayly bound books which lay on the center table carefully piled and mathemat- ically equidistant Presently she saw a volume of poetical selections. not quite so new nor so shiny as it's com panions; and, as she was glancing over it's contents, she came upon a photo graph which represented a bright eyed, curly-haired, goodloolIing fel- low about nineteen or twenty years old.
 ''Who is this good-looking young man, Izannah? His face is very fla miliar." said she, showing the picture to Mrs. Martin.
 No one whom you ever saw" an swered Hannah, with flushed face and confused air.
 'Ah ha. One of your old beaux, eh? l must say that he is ten times as good looking as Rufus. am surprised you nf bx, but very homely cousin. Do tell me about him
 Nonsense! he wasn't any beau of mine. Put the picture away; l don't want to talk about him." answered Hannah, in the abrupt, snappish man. ner common to her when she was tired or busy or worried or sleepy, in fact, he. usual manner when at home.
 Laura fully appreciated the many do- mestic eXcellences which Hannah pos essed; she saw that, like her brothers, she worked early and late and could make a dollar go as far as five times its value would under the manipula- ton of most people. The Ballards were proverbiaf in Clifton for their in- dustry, their ability to do everything quickly and we'll, their sobriety and promptitude, and, also, for their econ- omy; only most people thought that in them that virtue had degenerated into the vice of stinginess. Success was the standard by which they measured everything and everybody; and sue cess to them had none but a pe- cuniary meaning.
 At that moment Ida entered the room. and Laura appealed to her to