Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-02-18

Mimicking every musical chime,
Tinkl:ng and jingiing them all Into rhyme,
Ciashipg and eIangipg the harshest of sounds
Into a cadence OF harmonic rounds.
Telling tale OF the deepest despair,
Lay Ing the heart and its wounds all bares-
Then Ike the vcriest god OF pure truth
Swelling the Joy and the rladncss OF youth
How can censure-Ah, how can praise,
One who has wasted the best OF hls daysi
/ ALsIKE.
! lEXCHANGEOF RIGHTS
Mrs. John Morrison had just returned
from the women's convention and as q
result could talk Of nothing else bu'
womun's rights during dinner.
Mamma. said her little daughter,
who bad been listening for long time
with great attention to the conversation
without being able to gather much from
it, "What is woman's rights"
Her mamma did not answer right
away; in fact. it was rather puzzlipG
question. bnt she thought for few
minutes over what she had heard at the
lecture, and when the question was re-
peated. she had il all in quite good shape.
"Woman's rights, Bessie" she be-
gan
Us all bosb, broke in papa, finish
ing the sentence.
"No, John. IL is not" said Mrs. Nor
risop. little annoyed. There Is q
great deal Of justice and truth in 1t.
and l don't want any child 10 grow up
with any narrow and bigoted ideas
about il. Woman's rights. daughter. Is
the emancipation of our sex from the
yoke Of inferiority under which we have
SO long labored, and as natural result
il allows to woman ths right OF SUI
frage."
well, IL that is what 1t said, said
Bessie. after pausing for sufficient time
TO let the long words sink in, "if that S
what it is, guess I'm not woman's 8
rights. don't want any more suffrage
than I've got already. Why, last week
when Carlo killed our poor rag baby. y
her tears rising up at the remembrance
Of the awful tragedy. II know l suffer
ed more than George did, cause lie just
said the dog had eaten one Of the dolls
and went ON making Indians all over
his spelling book, and l felt so misera-
BILE couldn't even 10 to Cousin Ada S
tea party.
Come here, daughter, and I'll tell
YOU all about il SD rs you IAN under
stand" said papa, laughing heartily.
"Woman's rights is where all the mann
mas and big sisters and annts and girl
cousins go to meetings and make speech
es and vote and form clubs and preach
sermons. and all the papas and brothers
aud boy cousins Of every one stay home
and take care Of the babies and cook din
ner and scrub floors and darn stockings
and everything like that. Mamma ism I
that far gone yet; but. never mind.
you'll know all about II soon enough.
This was something Miss Bessie could
understand, and though mamma laugh
ed and said papa was only joking. and
THAT wasn't il at all" il seemed more
fun than just suffering and my lady de-
termined to try how she liked IL the very
next day. Accnrdingly< the following
morning she hurried over her little tasks
as quickly AS she could. and when
George had pored over the much abused
spelling book for the required length Of
time, she told him Of her new plan, and
got permission from mamma 10 play
bouse in the nursery instead Of going
down to lunch.
Then the pair marched 70 the kitchen
on an exploring tour and succeeded IN
capturing u few slices Of cold ham, q
lemon, bunch Of raisins, two apples,
some ginger snaps and various Jumps oi
sugar. on which 10 begin housekeeping.
After surveying the provisions for a
few minutes George seemed AS fully sat
isfied with the new plan as his sister had
been, and as they went to the playroom
both thought that ''woman's rights"
might be u very nice thing
"Now, Mister Doogan, said the
young lady. as she adjusted her mann
mas big red shawl in graceful train
behind and tied very foriorn little
bonnet, which had been rescued from
the ragbag, on her curly head, II don't
'spoct III be home before O'Clock. Sc
you get the children dressed and put the
things ON to cook, and don't let any one
in the house
"All right. ma am" replied her obe'
dent spouse. "I'll tend to everything.
and you just go down town and have
meeting and make some money, and you
can tell the Indians there is not going
TO be any war today, cause I've got to
stay home and take care Of the chill.
dren.
"In invite them to hear my sermon.
and then they can be converted. and
there needn't be any more wars ever,
said Mrs Doogan. "And don't you ea,
anything till i come home, George, "
she added as a parting injunction.
- cause if you do yon re awful mean,
and won't play.
IAN right. said George in subdued
tone. Then he called. "You better let
those Indians alone. cause they're verJ
savage and might cut your head of and
eat yonr up"
Mr.. Doogan went back to the house
| and obediently started to dress his Du-