The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-01-09


evening that he feared nothing. Now
that his mother was going to live with
Hannah and know how good she was
she could no longer keep her strange
suspicious fancies and jealous ways
of speaking. The horses had double
supper, the cattle had been MIXED
earlier by the hired man, and turned
out again to pasture, Jakey had taken
himself off to leave the little house
hold to itself for the great occasion.
When Dan came in from the barn
the evening meal was ready, and they
all sat down. Ann Parish had with
ostentatious meekness given up her
own place, but the daughter in law
had affectionately reinstated her at
the head of the table. Hannah praised
the short biscuit, the preserved
peaches, the cup of tea, and paid
everything highest tribute of eager
appetite. They were almost merry
together, and the mother delighted
her son by joining in the cheerfulness
of the feast. Traces of the lost beau
ty of her girlhood came out in her
face, and the son was touched to see
how carefully she hal dressed her
self in her best, and made his we'd
ding supper ready. Afterward he
took his mother in his arms and held
her, and kissed her over and over
again, as if it had been Hannah her
self. He had not kissed her since he
was boy-they were of stern New
England stuff. you've been the
best mother a man ever had, !" he said,
brokenly. I've got you a good
daughter to help you now, and you'll
have it easier;" but the poor little
woman only burst into tears. Hannah
had put on a clean calico apron over
her turned up wedding dress, and
was beginning to clear away the sup
per.
"We haven't left a great sight of
anything" she said. II never shall
forget how good the peach was. You
must be tired out mother, so you set
right there and rest, and if l don't do
things right you can show me to-mor-
row."
But at the word mother fresh tears
began to flow.
Poor Eliza! ii she had only lived
all the girl | had," said the des
pondent woman.
| For one moment all the joy of Han
nah Parish's wedding-day faded out
/ of her heart, and weight of appre
hension took it's place. Dams mother
might have remembered Dan and his
happiness. Then TIE sound of Dams
| joyful whistle came to her ears, as he
went about his evening work out of
doors. "I'll hurry with these dishes
and get time to have little walk with
him up top of the hill" thought Han
nah. "There, there's crook in every
lot, and expect poor Mother Parish's
got to be mine."
II.
It is impossible to tell just what
the common words of everyday
speech mean to other people. They
have but relative meaning; associa-
ton and experience, and especially
the depth and clearness of oul
thought, determine the significance
of words and phrases. The elder
Mrs. Parish had been a teacher for
a year or two before her marriage:
this had great effect upon her
whole career, and gave her spirit
of conviction rather than suggestion
toward other people, and at times a
vast responsibility for their converse
ton. She had occasion to correct
her son often, and now it was evident
that his wifi, had very slipshod
way of expressing her thoughts
Those mistakes, of which Mrs. Parish
was conscious, gave her great annoy
ance, and one day she was so for dis
turbed as to compare such delinquen-
cies, with the beautiful way in which
Eliza had always spoken. 1t was one
of the trying things of everyday
life, that the elder woman took pains
to pronounce again in different,
snappish way, certain words with
which her sons wife had been care
less. But she was limited in her own
knowledge of polite speech; and once
Hannah gently reminded her that
the minister pronounced the adjec-
tive in question after her own fashion.
He had used it several times in the
long prayer that morning.
They were washing the supper
dishes together most amicably, but
at this difference of opinion and fall
of pride, Dams mother gave Hannah
a reproachful look, turned away,
took a faltering step or two toward