, 1897-10-02
year after the breaking up. She stay.
ed three weeks.

GU UuIet WSeAS.
-. night she came back she had a
plain talk with her husband.
John" she said in answer to his in
qu:ries. mother 10 dying OF homesick>
ness! She never makes a complaint, but
she is just as unhappy as she can be-
l know she is"
why. Lizzie" John Bascom raised a
shocked face. You don't mean tina,
Sally isn't good to mother?"
Sally is just as good to mother as
4:ie can be; that is. she is as good to
her as she knows how to be. But. John
Sally has no more understanding Of old
peurle's feelings than l nave of-French
art. 1t is like th.s: Sally wants mo-h,
er 10 have an easy time; so she takes
her u Of an active country life, full OF
cares for other people. and puts her in
her own PARKWAY city home. where
there is not a familiar object. and where
she has absolutely nothing to do.
Then she expects her to be happy.
hilu IL OIL l ihAil alulS ~ DC-dl lChoI
it isn't in old peoples nature.
Il wish you could see mother room.
elegant rugs and a folding bed. And
elegant rugs and a folding bed. And
mother Is horribly afraid OF that
thinks she is going to he folded up in
1t some night. She wanted Sally to give
her a bedstead, but Sally said this
matched the SCI and was perfectly safe.
So poor mother goes to bed in fear and
trembling every might.
Then, OF course, i; has a Mattress;
and mother says that she gets so cold
in the night that her bones just ache,
and she lies there and thinks how good
it would feel 10 have the feathers come
UP around her back. Isn't tina: pitHfui,
John? You know, she always Slept on
feathers. | spoke TO Sally about it, and
told her l would get you to send her
feather bed right down. BUT Sally was
quite stiff about it-said she didn't think
/; best Tor mother to sleep on feathers
it was o healthy.
And then the next day she went
down town and bought a down quill.
for mothers bed-paid $50 for 1t. Was,
mt that more Ike her? Sally wants
mother to be happy. but she wants he,
10 be happy in her way"
John Bascom got up excitedly.
TIN send that feather bed to mother
tomorrow he said. "and write to Sally
to get her a decent Christian bedstead
20 match her set. and I'll pay for it."
"Oh, no. you won't, John. Mother
wouldn't have you do 1t for the world.
But she misses her things. l know. We
were on the street one day and passed
by a secondhand store. | noticed that
mother had stopped and I ven back.
She was standing there looking at the
sheet-iron stove. and the tears were rum
ming down her cheeks. oh. Lizzie she
said, this is just like my old Evening
STAR"
John Bascom blew his nose vigorous,
ly.
But, John" continued his wife, cit
isn't just the home things that mother
misses-it Is the home feeling. Wfthou,
meaning to do it. Sally never lets her
lose sight OF the fact ina; she Is living
in her house. Old people like to potter
around and feel that they are OF use.
Sally never will let mother do a thing.
She says the servants are there to do
the work. and she wants her to resi-.
And so she rests till she is tired to
death. She says she just longs some
times to get hold Of a dishpan full OF
dishes.
Sally had told me before about
mothers putting on a bingham apron
and going into the kitchen the first Mon
day morning to do the dishes and let
the girl go at the washing, and how she
had to tell her plainly that she never
let anybody interfere with the servants
work. Think Of making her feel that
she was interfering, when she wanted
to help.
One day l was sewing in her room.
She began cutting the scraps into car
pet rags-from sheer force OF habit, /
could see. I've been doing this all my
lffe.' she said, when l laughed. and |
forgot. 1t Is second nature. I suppose.
and l love to do 1t. I have a nice lot
OK white rags that I can't bear to throw
away, because they would make some
body such good carpet rags Get them
out l said, and sew them for my car
pet. They are just what l need
John. you ought to have seen how
interested she was. In 10 minutes we
YER in the midst OF pillows OF rags and
IN animated discussion OF dyes. Just
then Sally walked in.
why. mother she said. what IN
the world are you doing?'
I'm just making come carpet rags
for Lizzie, daughter mother said. de,
precatingly.
"I think I wouldn't do that sort OF
work here she said. The fuzz gets
in the carpet 30. and Lizzie doesn't real,
ly want them. l know.
you ought to have seen mothers
face change-every bit Of interest faded
out Of it. l felt SO provoked at Sally.
| She put the rag away and said: :
won't do 1t II you think ID better not.
daughter. l hadn't anything else to do
And, John, Sally went down the
next day and got a t%ablecover. and some