Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-07-10

place of honor in the dairy"
Inwardly quaking the farmer follow
ed her. "It will be all up with me and
the crock when she sees the garlic, he
told himself "Why was I so silly as
not to fling it away? If only Marina
were like this always, how happy we
would be. "
"Why, somebody has played a trick
on you. Look at this mess of garlic
Silas, Dame Hopkins said as she lifted
the lid "It is my fault it is there
she went on. "The idle fellows about
know | do not like it and thought to
make me scold you They will laugh OH
the other side of their mouths when
they see this garlic growing green in
our garden. We will make the bed for
it tomorrow. Meantime l shall leave
the crock full of good lye 50 there shall
be no trace of any smell in it when it is
ready for the milk.
"You must make it ready soon,
dame" " Peter, the herd boy, said, stick
ing his head inside the door, "Ihere
are three fine new calves i'll the pasture.
Tidy and Spot and May Blossom all
have come to the pail, and the grass is
simply jumping My gran'sir says lie
never saw it grow SO fast in all his
eighty odd years. "
"Here's some bread and cheese for
you, Peter. Come by the kitchen when
your work is done. | shall have some
thing ready for gran Sir" the dame
said, smiling so pleasantly Peter almost
choked over the bread and cheese. AL
ways she had fed him we'll and treated
him fairly i'll the matter of tasks, but
this was the first kindly speech he had
ever heard from her lips He looked
sheepishly across at the farmer, who
answered his glance in kind. Then the
two of them went off to the pasture,
leaving the dame to work her will of
the crock.
81 don't know why, but feel like l
could sing" she said to herself as she
kncaded and pounded the seedcake.
When she had set the most of it to rise
in the big pan, she put down little
one and said IL little wistfully: Il hope
Jenny and little Silas will come home
by time that is done. My dear children,
they are hungry after the lessons, and
to think how often | have scOlded if
they asked but for bread and butterr'
Mother, mother, what makes you so
pretty?' little Silas cried an hour later,
running to fling his arms around her
neck. Jenny, tall and shy and fifteen,
stood doubtfully back. She, too, wanted
to kiss her mother, not so much for her
looks as that she had heard her singing
as they came through the gate, but she
had been 1epulsed often, and her mem
ory was lens thening with her frocks.
81 must be pretty to have boy and
girl both so pretty" Dame Hopkins
said, giving little Silas hearty hug.
Then she looked at Jenny, and the girl
darted to her, clinging close and bury
ing her face in her mothers lap. Then,
when the two of them had eaten the lit
tie cake to the last crumb, the dame
pointed out to them her new crock, say
ing, 81 would not part with it for the
world.
"Ouf! 1t is ugly" little Silas said.
"But like its ugliness, - said Jenny.
''And your father brought it to me, !"
the mother added gently. 81 have been
happy thinking of that ever since it
came home. y
eff this lasts, would you want to go
to heaven?" little Silas asked, nodding
backward at his mother as he started
with Jenny to see the new calves and
fetch their father in to supper. Jenny
looked serious. She was old and wise
for her years. II don't understand it,
not the least" she SAID. "But if we are
to have a real mother No, 1 don't
want to go to heaven if have to leave
her "
Dame Hopkins heard what her chill
dren said, although it was spoken well
out of earshot. The words came out of
the crock lip. Turning to face it and
listen, she saw a faint, merry face shape
itself in air and peer over the brim. 1t
gave her soft, twinkling smile, and
when she put her hand to her heart with
listening to Jenny it grew compassion
ate, as though seeking to comfort her.
Then all at once it rose up out of the
crock, and there, on the floor at her feet,
was the prettiest fairy she had ever
dreamed about
"Good day, dame! 1 have come to
stay with you if you are willing" it
said, with an enchanting smile.
'Of course will let you. How could
1 keep you away?" the dame asked,
smiling back at the fairy.
ooh, by not letting me help you!
You must know l am the fairy Good
Nature. L lived for long with Mother
Arkwright. You may recall that every
body loved her. She gave me this crock,
and can tell you | felt myself i'll a fine
pickle when your husband bought it.
had heard of the things you said to
him. Mother Arkwright did not gossip,
but she could not always check her Wis
itors. If you had scolded when | was
brought into your house, should have
been forced to run away. That would
have been unpleasant l like my crock
house Most times wear fern seed;
so sit invisible in the lip am never
in the wa, 90 matter what use you
make of it. We fairies, you lAlow, can
roll oursel es into less space than IA
grain of mustard seed, But that ia