The Van Buren press., 1897-10-09

cut of an active country life, full of
cares for other people, and puts her in
her own far-away city home, where
there is not 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
perfectly safe. So poor mother goes to
bed In fear and trembling every night,
"Then, of course. it has a mattress;
and mother says 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 up around
her back. Isn't that pitiful, John
You know she always slept on feathers.
| spoke TO Sally about it and told her
would get you to send her feather bed
right down. But Sally was quite stiff
about it-said she didn't think it best
for mother to sleep on feathers-it was
not healthy.
"And then the next day she went
downtown and bought down quilt for
mothers bed-paid 500 for ii! Wasn't
that more like her? Sally wants mother
to be happy, but she wants her to be
happy in her way.
John Bascom got up eXeitedly.
"I'll send that feather bed to mother
tomorrow" he said "and write to Sally
to get her decent Christian bedstead
to match her set, and I'll pay for it,
"Oh, no, you won't, John. Mother
wouldn't have you do it for the world.
But she misses her things, know. We
were on the street one day, and passed
by a secondhand store. | noticed that
mother had stopped. and | went back.
She was standing there looking at a
sheet-iron stove, and the tears were
running down her cheeks. "Oh, Lizzie" !"
she said, this is just like my old Even
ing Star.
John Bascom blew his nose vigor-
ously.
"But, John,' continued his wife, "it
misses-it is the home feeling. Without
meaning to do it, Sally never lets her
lose sight of the fact that 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 thing.
She says the servants are there to do the
Wcrl, and she wants her TO rest. And
so she rests till she is tired to death.
She says she just longs sometimes to
get hold of dishpan full of dishes.
"Sally had told me before about
mothers putting on ginghdm apron
ard 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 her serv-
ants work. Think of making her feel
that she was interfering when she
wanted 10 help!
Zone day | was sewing in her room.
She began cutting the scraps into car
pet rags-from sheer force of habit,
could sec. I've been doing this all my
life,' she said. when laughed, and
forget It's second nature, suppose.
and | love to do it. have a nice lot of /
white rags that | can't bear to throw |
away, because they would make some I
body such good carpet rags Get them |
out | said, and sew them for my car
pet. They are just what need
John you ought to have seen how in
terested she was In ten minutes we
were in the midst of bllows of rags and |
an animated discussion of dyes. Just
then Sally walked in.
why, mother she said what in the
world are you doing?'
I'm just making some carpet rags |
for Lizzie, daughter mother said, dep |
recatingly.
~ think l wouldn't do that sort of |
work here she said. The fuzz gets in |
the carpet so, and Lizzie doesn't really !
want them, ! know
You ought 10 have seen mothers
face change-every bit of interest faded
out of it. l 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. I hadn't anything else to
do
"And, John, Sally went down the
next day and got table cover, and
seme rope silks and floselle, 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
tiloselle, and yearning for carpet rags!"
And John Bascom's heart was yearn-
ing for his mother
Lizzie" he said, with a mans help
lessness, what can we do?"
I've thought il all out, John"
John frightened. He had great con-
tidence in his wife's resources.
wen write and ask mother TO come
and spend the winter with us. l ar
ranged that before | left And then if
il is as | think, and mother is happier
here than there, We'll just keep her
and Sally can't help herself. In that
way it will all be pleasantly settled and
nobody will have any feeling"
How easy and natural it seemed!
IN go down and get her myself"
John said. 81 am going to jefferson
City next week, anyway"
And so ii was settled
y few hours later, as Mrs. Bascom was
sinking into slumber, his wife. wide