The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-09-28

the education which had been denied
herself, and she looked forward to the
time when, through the work of her
own hands, she could repay in dollars
and cents some of the hasd earned
savings which the dear mother had
spent on her. If she succeeded in
gaining that hundred dollars, mother
should have stout maid to lift the
burden of the heavy work from her
STOPPING shoulders. Then, with new
enthusiasm that her dream might be
realized, she seized her pencil and be-
gan tracing some delicate curves
about the figures she had outlined.
But her mind was not on the group
she was painting, and time after time
she was compelled to erase lines she
had drawn. At last, in desperation,
she turned to clean canvas, one she
had stretched upon small easel
few hours before, and, in an absent
minded way, began tracing the tired
face that she had seen out by the
stile few minutes before. She did
not know how long she had worked
upon it, nor how perfectly she had
drawn the STOPPING figure, until at
noon her brother Jack ran up to her
studio to tell her they were waiting
dinner on her.
"Hello!" he exclaimed, stepping
back to get better view of the por-
trait; "that is the best picture you
ever made. There must be some
artist blood in your fingers after all.
1t is poor, tired mother, and no mis-
take"
Then, for the first time, Mamie
stood back and looked at her work,
done half-unconsciously. eyes, it is
like her." she answered mechanically;
and then she told Jack what she had
heard and seen, and how her hand
had lost its cunning when she at
tempted to 60 on with her work of
the morning.
"You have done the best work of
your life here" said Jack, touching
the canvas almost reverently, "the
very best. And now, if you would
just draw companion picture of her
pretty, finely educated daughter sit
ting up in her cool, pleasant studio
drawing the tired mothers features,
you would have something worthy of
the prize for which you are striving"
Name gave him swift, indignant
look; but as she saw tears instead of
fun in his eyes she said nothing, but
silently followed him down to dinner,
thinking soberly of his words. Her
mother did not look rested, and
Mamie noticed she ate scarcely
nothing; but when she offered to
help with the dishes after the meal
was over, her mother said Mamie
would help, and, as she wished to
keep her hands sensitive until the
picture was finished, she would bet
ter not put them in dish water. Easily
persuaded, Mamie went back to her
painting; but though she had better
success than in the morning, she did
not feel at ease, and every time she
would glance at the rough sketch of
her mother Jacks suggestion came
back to vex and torment her.
The next morning, while preparing
breakfast, the mother was seized with
fainting fit, and had to be carried
to bed. 1t was long before she rallied
and during the suspense Mamie had
time to review the past and make
new resolutions for the future. Never
before had she noticed how thin and
white her face had grown, nor how
many gray hairs were sprinkled
among the dark locks that had once
been so soft and abundant.
In the afternoon the mother in
sisted on rising and came with feeble
steps into the kitchen; but instead of
allowing her to take up the burdens
that she had tainted beneath, Mamie
led her out on the cool porch, and,
seating her in an easy chair, informed
her that she might be commander in
chief, but that in the future the
heavy part of the kitchen work must
rest upon her own shoulders.
Her mother objected mildly then,
and later, when she was stronger,
protested earnestly against the sacri-
fee which she must make in giving
up her ambitious plans about the
prize picture. But Mamie had weigh
ed the cost of the self-denial proposed
and insisted that mothers were more
valuable than gold; and so the tired
mother settled down to rest while
Mamie began systematic education
in the kitchen. Her mother was sure
that she would soon grow Disguised