The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23

can bel know she is"
why, Lizzie!" John Bascom raised
a shocked face. You don't mean that
Sally isn't good to mother!"
Sally is just as good to mother as
she 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
peoples feelings than have of-French
art! It's like this: Sally wants mother
to have an easy time; so she takes her
out of an active country life, full Of
cares for other people, and puts her in
her own PARKWAY city home, where
there is not q familiar object, and where
she has absolutely nothing to do.
Then she expects her to be happy.
And it isn't in human nature to beat
least it isn't in old peoples nature.
81 wish you could see mothers
room, John-Brussels carpet, lace
curtains, elegant rugs and a folding
bed. And mother is horribly afraid Of
that bed-thinks she is going to be
folded up in it some night. She
wanted Sally to give her bedstead, but
Sally said this matched the set and was
perfectIy safe. So moor mother roes 10
bed in fear and trembling every night.
"Then. of course. il has n mattress.
and mother saws She gets so cold in the
night that her bones Just ache, and she
lies there and thinks how good it would
feel to have the feathers come nm around
her bacl, Isn't that nitifuI Jobn .
You know she ALWAYS silent on feathers.
I smoke ia Sally about II and told her 7
would oct Won to send her feather he'd
right down. But Sally was ouite stiff
abou+ it-said she didn't tbinl, il hest
for mother to s1eep on featbers-i+ was
NOT healthy
.,And then the newt dov she went
doyvn+o,vn and hourb+ , down ouiI+ for
rnotber's bed-naid 500 for ~ Wasn't
that more like berq Sallv wants mother
to be bapDv. but she wants her IN he
happv in her way.
John Rascom blew his nose vioor-
ouslv
"Ru+ John" continued bis y,ifa "i+
isn't inst the home tbinos that mother
misses-i+ is the home feeling Without
meaning 70 do if SaIIv never let's her
lose SIGHT Of the fact that she is livino
in her house. Old neonle like to not+e7,
around and feel that +bev are of nee
SoIIv never will let mother do . +binr
She saws the servants are there 10 do tho
work. and she wants her TO rest. And
so she rests fin she is tired IN death
She saws she lust longs sometimes to
ret hold of a disbnan fuII Of dishes
Zone day I was sewing in her room.
She began cutting the scrans into car
pet rags-from sheer force of habit. 7
could see. I've been doing this all nv
life she said, when T LAUGHED and 7
forget. It's second nature. I suppose.
and T love- r. do Il Tbave oioe lo+ Of
white RAGS that 7 can't hear to throw
ayvav because they would make some
BODY such good CARPET rags Get them
out | said. and sew them for nv car
net They are inst what need
"Jobn Won ouob+ 70 have seen how in
terested she was. In ten minutes we
were in the midst of pillows of rags and
an animated discussion of DIVES. Just
then Sally walked in.
"'Why. mother she said. what in the
world are YOU doing?'
I'm lust making some carpet RAGS
for Lizzie, daughter mother said. dep
recatingly.
81 think 1 wouldn't do that sort Of
work here she said sTbe fuzz oa+s in
the carpet so. and Lizzie doesn't really
want them. l know
you ought to have seen mothers
face change-every bit of interest faded
out of it. | felt so provoked at Sally.
She put the rags away, and said: L
won't do it if you think I'd better not.
daughter. l hadn't anything else to
do
And, John, Sally went down the
next day and got table cover, and
some rope silks and filoselle, and don't
know what all, and gave them to
mother, and told her she thought she
would find that much nicer than sewing
rags. And so poor mother, whose
hands are trained to knitting and darn
ing, and mending, is laboring now with
hloselle, and Yearnlng for carpet rags"
And John Bascom's heart was yearn-
ing for his mother.
Lizzie, he said, with mans help
leSSnpSS, what can we 0OoH