The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1895-03-13
Mother Ballard's Home.
by FRAEC1s Y. wADLEIuH.

That is my cousin Susie Lee, and
that is her husband that fat baby is
her oldest; we ain't got no picture of
her other children, though she's been
a-promisin' them to us this long time.
That other baby on the opposite page,
the one with the cunnin' bare toes, is
Abners youngest, taken good ten
years ago, and so on, and so on. un-
til every picture in Seth Billiards.
photograph-album had been described
in full to the somewhat weary visitor.
But what else could Ida, Abner
Bnllard's wife, do to entertain the
guest lady from New York, who
knew no one in the little town of
Clifton save tho cousin who was her
hostess? Laura Martin, the guest,
knew nothing and cared nothing for
the details of farm life; in fact, she
would never have como to this quiet
place but that she had been ordered
there by her physician.
The cousin whom she was visiting,
Rufus Martin, was almost 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 sus-
pect how fearfully she was bored.
This afternoon she and her cousins
wife, hannah, were visiting Abner
Ballard; and his sister Izanuah, and
Serena, his brother Seth's wife, were
there also 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 resources,
began to examine the gayly-bound
books which lay on the center-table
carefully piled and mathematically
equidistant Presently she saw vol
ume of poetical selections not quite so
new or shiny as its companions; and,
as she was glancing over its contents,
she came upon photograph which
represented bright-eyed, curly
haired, good-looking fellow about 10
or 20 years old.
"Who is this good-looking young
man, hannah? His face is very
familiar" said she, showing the pic.
tnre to Mrs Martin.
"No one whom you ever saw" an
swered hannah, with a flushed face
and confused air.
"Ah ha! One of your old beaux,
eh? must say that he is ten times
as good-looking as Rufus. I am sur
prised you didn't take him instead of
my worthy but very homely cousin.
D0 tell mo ABOUT MIN.
Nonsense he wasn't any beau Of
mine. Put tho 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,
her usual manner when at home.
Laura fully appreciated the many
domestic excellencies which hannah
possessed; she saw that, like her
brothers, she worked early and late
and could make dollar go as far as
five times its value would under the
manipulation of most people. The
Billiards. were proverbial in Clifton
for their industry, their ability to do
everything quickly and well, their
sobriety and promptitude, and, also,
for their economy; only most people
thought that in them virtue had de-
generated into the vice of stinginess.
Success was the standard by which
they measured everything and every.
body; and success, to them, had none
but pecuniary meaning. They were,
perhaps. little sharp" in their bus:-
ness dealings. but they never crosse
tho line into actual dishonesty.
At that moment Ida entered the
room, and Laura appealed to her to
know who was the mysterious origina
of the picture.
"That? Why that's Mark Ballard
my husbands youngest brother. In
sure. hannah, you neeen't try to dis
own him, for everybody in the Count,
knew him. He was the youngest o.
the family. and no more like the Bal
ards than chalk's like choose. He wa