The Republican journal., 1898-12-01
THE GOOD OLD TIMES.


farmhouse. solidly built of brick, lifted
its grey head like some grand old castle
from the midst of empowering foliage,
while hele and there clusters ot
lottier trees scattered over the spacious
lawn, whispered ot cuoluess and quiet
undel theiI shadows. Mrs. Banner herself
as sweet and pleasant as the scene around
her, was sitting in heI easy chair on the
deep velauda. pulling some pieces of
velvet and silk out of a little bag,
yellow with age, and spreading them on
her lap.
II you must have some work, Jeanne, y"
she was saying, you may piece these up
tor cushion They We're mothers, and
here they We been in this bag for years and
years, Just as she left them. I've always
meant to piece them up myself, but never
Seem TO Get at it.
Jeanne was sitting on the steps, her
looks divided between the bright colOred
silks on one side. and all the lovely world
sp1ead out on the other; the long, sloping
lawn, the yellow drive winding under the
uees, the meadows, spreading beyond,
from which the voices OF the woIkmen
iioated family back the soft blue hills,
melting away in the distance: and over
all. the yellow sunlight. She knew what
Mis-. Banner was SAYING, but her eyes
were wandering away over the dreamy
landscape they fingered mostly in the
middle distance. where workman with a
broad brimmed siIaw hat was driving the
mower She was tie poor school teacher
boarding around, and only staying here
oyel Saturday and Sunday on the kind
invitation Of the mlstrcss.
Its So like heaven here" she was
thinking, while Mrs. Banner went on as
She smoothed cut the pieces On her lap:
This is q piece If my grandmother 5
wedding dress; and that pink brocade
was aunt BoXys. and this sky blue
was mother when she was young.
Just see how thick and heavy they are
not much like the 1ijiney stuff you get
now a. days. Things we've made upon
honor in those old times, but now-a- days
folks are SO anxious to get rich, there S
cheating and deception in everything
they make. / don know what the
world 5 coming to. If it keeps on So
1t does seem real dishearteniug- folk 5
SO grasping and greedy; and then they
ny TO be SO stylish and particular, too
1t didn' use to be 50 when | was young
Forty years ago That's about the time
| commenced keeping house. Here
Mrs. Banner shut her eyes aid sighed
deeply. "Ah, me- and Jeanne sighed
too; but it was suppressed sigh,
away down in the inner chamber of
her heart, where she was thinking, If
| oould live all the time as Mrs Banner
does, IL this pleasant home, with-well,
the Gne who wears the straw hat off
there -ther she called herself fool and
came out OF the inner chamber and
dreaded her needle and put ON her Thin
bic, ana was so glad that nobody could
know what you We're thinking about.
Poor Jeanne was winsome and sweet.
but her life had been so busy and SO hard
that She had never thought about her
sweetness and WinsomenesS. 1t seemed
so strange to her that Mrs. Banner should
be looking back with regret, when she
had such home, and such a son as John,
belonging to her. This was the one who
wore the straw hat aud he was twenty
i've years old.
But now Johns mother having covered
herself and Jeanne with several thick
nesSes of silk heaged aHothe. deep sigh,
auo Went on
AL. we'll, 1t was SO pleasant in
those oid times. HE county was all
uew, and we all lived in log houses, and
one was just as good as another, and
nobody ~ as jealous tor fear somebody else
would have something better; and folks
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= "li0 10. ti VI ses' Jeanne,
49,, ~ ioiil9s'Neo great uedi
sll,-,+i,,ol lii1n tiiey 10 no"
'1ihO0 ! O'il he! wishing lhdl 1
~. 49, ~ &C., ""oh III lne WooaS again,
;',e+ s .o5 i'ou''' "iIU lungs around
.i;ff,,. u9eU " put '4en lolks are
l,Ii', W. .'O"' ny ooinh9 uoh l
P"! - 60, 1'oi1 " 'he g"ls, he
s"' n'1 so i'ii u poohS upstairs, ana
N ~ 1piie9 ~ iloi' "olh, up He goes.