St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-08-20
penny Vas rision, miracle. NO earth.

Mrs. Jameson, anxiously; Il don't like
him to look SO heavy about the eyes"
Yes, and don't you remember he
looked like that just before he had the
measles?" added Caroline.
Hes been SO quiet all the morn
ing" said the maid, Its not like him. >
''Gi-gi!" cried the child.
AT this point Mr.. Jameson entered,
and attention was diverted toward
dinner. This was of the usua! wash
day order-a discomfortable spread of
remnants, eaten haphazard to q scent
of soap suds. The hungry man glanced
impa tiently around, a slight shade of
annoyance passing across his features.
The male mind cannot readily grasp
the inwardness of wash day, and Mr..
Jameson was no exception. "Why can
not these things be altered somehow"
he thought. Never mind; one of these
days!"
The dream frightened his face once
again. He bent affectionately and
kissed his wife.
Sister. Caroline, poor. ugly, helpful
old sister. looked on and sighed quiet
~. She, too, had had her dream.
After dinner the busy wash still con-
tinued, but by now its back was well
broken. and signs of its eventual sub
sidence were in the air. The white
linen was all out on the line, drying
as fast as a steady breeze and fair sun
could manage; the ..coloreds'-that
He r0Scfnl offordr;bIlo IF aSh 1ay =
tide-were well ON to completion; the
traAesmen were less frequent, and,
surest sign Of all, there were hints OF
potato cake for tea. Even wash day
can find compensation in potato cake.
And the little mamie shall have a
wee brown cake all to himself"
crooned Mrs. Jameson, imparting to
baby's dumpy body an affectionate
wriggle only known Of mothers!
'Gi-gi!" The clustering eyes still
held the dazzle Of that sometime glory
they had caught.
"rm sure he Is sickening for some
thing" said Mrs. Jameson; Il don't like
this flush on his poor little cheeks"
The child moved restlessly. His head
ached and there was hot sense of dis
comfort about his eyes. All day he had
felt ill, but not being able to correctly
sort out his little sensations he had re-
lapsed into that pathetic abstraction
which seems to be the refuge of baby
hood uSder such circumstances. Then
had come the glittering CONAN incar-
nate thing of desire, giving point and
form to his distress; and now, amid the
feverish restlessress that was growing
upon him, it still shone ont in
determinately upon his imagina-
tion as the thing hoped for, the
dream goal, the resolution OF
his suffering. Child epitome OF
grown mankind, he little guessed his
kinship with every woman that bore
babe, every poet that ever sang from
breaking heart, every weary worker.
man and woman, that ever lived, and
desired and struggled and seemed to
lose; nay, he did not know that Mt the
portals Of his tiny heart were beating
the strong wings of the Son of God
Himself.
Presently the woeful wash subsidized;
all the clothes were gathered in from
the drying, ready for the mangle; the
kitchen, freshly cleaned and sanded
became cheerful once again. and the
long looked for tea time arrived-po-
tato cakes and all.
But baby by now was i'll indeed. and
the doctor had been sent for. 1t was
not q very serious ailment, only one
OF the timer tragedies of babyhood
which mean few days hectic cheeks
q cough, a tired mothers sleepless
nights-little things, yet these little
things press sorely upon the heart.
..Gi-gi." Still the pIaintiye cry.
It was q short time after this that
Mrs. Jameson, having occasion to &c
once more to the small box Of change
In the cupboard, brought out the very
half penny Of the child's desire. In the
lamplight it shone like a star. Raby
had refused every other Offering in
| sensled to divert him; with motherly
| craft Mrs. Jameson made one other
venture.
.See, baby" she said, holding up the
Rl6UsQlnK lTCuSuIcY bCcs . pretty h0Al
penny"
| The child turned a slow, large eye
upon the brightness; lifting up his
hand he took it feebly; for moment
| he seemed to waver between desire
/ and weariness. then, with q petulan'
gesture, he put it away from him.
| .sNa-na!" he said.
The evening drew on. The hurry
scurry of wash day was over, and the
household had sunk to rest, bu,
through the long hush Of night an anx
ious mother sat watching over rest
less child. The Arclight flicker hal
ilumined the room, showing AROUND
the cot wherein tossed the tiny SUI
ferer, a few scattered toys and pic
fure books, whilst in their midst, un
touched. unsalued, no longer desired
lay . pathetic little coin.-Londor
Weekly Sun.
Somewhat Fishy.