The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-08-29
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or, and passed upstairs to her own


room.
AS young girls are not prone to lie
awake long to ponder vexed questions
over in their minds, Susan was soon
asleep. Not 80 her mother. The
father was proving that the sleep of
the laboring man was sweet, but the
sleep of the lab bring woman is longer
in coming and not sweet, when there
are vexed questions to solve. Not
withstanding the hard toll of the day
the mothers head did not rest easily
on her pillow, and all because of Su-
san.
'She isn't one bit as she used to be
before she went away. Father was
always talking about what comfort
she'd be when she got through
school, and came back to stay.
don't want to rifle father up none, but
Susan hasn't come back to stay; she
won't be contented here no more.
She's got far-away look in her eyes,
and she kept them turned Creighton
way tonight. She don't take no in
terest in things here as she used to.
don't know but we ought to expect
she'd sort of outgrow us, with all the
schooling we gave her. But l amt
sorry, and l know father amt, that
we raked and scraped to get the
money together to give her as good a
chance as we could. It came kind
of hard for him to sell the south
meadow lot, but after twas gone he
never made no words about it. Twas
different with me. l didn't have to
make much sacrifices. 1 never get
time to go anywhere, and l don't
need new clothes and fixin's. Folks
all know me at the meeting house,
and don't make much account of my
wearing them old-fashioned small
sleeves in my Sunday go-to- meeting
dress. Susan said I'd got to fix it
over, and put some big sleeves in.
and / s'pose I'll have to now she's
come home.
1--WE wanted her to take painting
and music, so she'd hold her own
with the best of 'em. Fathers Jest
as proud of them pictures that che
painted, that are hanging on the par
lor walls, as he can be. He's kept
the carpet muddied up all summer
taking men folks in to see them.
''Now father tells me to put her
right into the work, and let her learn
the arts as he calls 'em, of house
keeping But he don't know how
much store folks set by the hands,
nowadays. There war'n't no account
made of hands when I was young,
only to obey the command, 'Whatso-
ever thy hands find to do, do it with
thy might 'Twa'n't no disgrace for
folks to know by the look of your
hands you'd been using the rubbing
board, or the dye kettle. But things
are different these days, and young
folks must keep up with the times, 1
s'pose. But l do wish Susan didn't
want to change her name, and that
she seemed happier to get home
again"
Susan! Susan!" 1t was the ia
theirs voice calling the daughters
name at daybreak, and dispelling the
illusion of beautiful dream.
II don't know what's the matter of
of mother. I never saw her like
she is this morning. The hot
weather or something has wilted her
clear down. tried to have her get
one of those O'Donnell girls, living
down in the boiler, this spring, but
she would't heart to it. She said hired
help was more bother than they were
worth. I'm so glad you've come
home to help her. I'm going to hitch
up as quick as l can, and go for DIR.
Simmonds."
The awful possibilities How they
forced themselves upon the daugh-
ter's thoughts, as she hurriedly put
her clothes on and went down to see
her mother. There are times in our
lives when the high lights fall on our
hearts with such power of radiancy
that blessings we had seen hereto,
fore, as it were, through glass
darkly, are suddenly thrown out with
an illumination of beauty that shows
us their inestimable value.
AS the daughter went to her mo-
theirs bedside, the sufferer said, II
didn't expect this to come, child. I'm
Almost burnt up with fever. s'pose
it was the fever that made me have
that dreadful dream last night.
thought we'd lost you, and father and
l was hunting all over. We seemed
to be in some city, way off somewhere.
All at once we spied Won settino nm