The Advocate and news., 1899-01-18


times when 1 was young. remember
once in church, especially, when ]
laughed so thought I'd hurt myself.
Sadie almost gasped. She, for one, felt
no desire to laugh. Her color came and
went At one moment she was covered
with modification; at the next she be-
lleVed her mother to have lost her rea-
son. Then, filled with hot anger at the
unkiHdness Of 1t all, she gazed reprOach-
fully at Mrs. Mead, only TO be thrown
back upon herself by that lady's sweet
Inconsistencies.
But through and over all ran the sense
OF shame at the knowledge that PrOfes-
sor Hamill's high opinion of them all
was rapidly being brought to nothing.
Mrs. Mead, meanwhile, talked almost
constantly, and scarcely uttered the
shortest sentence without using some bit
Of slang.
She remarked on this thing or the
other that made her wrists ache; she
spoke Of book she had been reading
which wasn't half bad" and another
that was immense" She lamented the
fact that certain person was "a little
off, and mentioned another who, she
said, was Strictly in it," Once she even
answered something the professor. said
with, Nov you're shouting! That's ex-
actly what I think"
The she turned to Sadie. ....
why, my dear" she said, "yOu
aren't eating little bit. Try some of
your cake-the chocolate Is the best--it's
out of slght!"
Sadie had never felt anything like the
horror it gave her to have those express
sions of her own come tripping from her
mothers careful tongue. She was thank
ful when her father finally suggested
that it was growing rather late.
That's what" said Mrs. Mead, rising
from the table. wen have to get
hustle on us IL we mean to be on time
at the lecture. Come, Sadie" ,.s
Sadie fingered, and Mrs. Mead let her
husband and the professor pass into the
other room without her. Then, Come,
Sadie," she said again.
Sadie's face was buried in her hand
kerchief. ..-
20 Mamma Mead" she sobbed. "How
could you do it--oh! how could your"
THAT is what feel like saying every
day to you, Sadie"
"Oh-but at such time! What did
he-could he think? 1t disgraced us
it just disgraced us!" .-....t
"And that is what often feel like say
ing to you"
But, mamma, If you knew how coarse
1t sounded"
81 do knoW--you have shown me"
ooh, but | don't care for myself! If
| had done it! But to have any one
think that you talk so-tbats the. part
| can't endured"
"And that, too, is what have felt like
saying to you, over and over again, my
child"
mo, mamma, no! I know it's horri-
Bile in me, but it sounds so much worse
in you-in any one of your age! I'm
sure it does"
But unless you stop, dear child, you
will be talking that way at my age, your
self"
Sadie was silent for a little while.
Then she suddenly lifted up her tear
stained face.
I'm done with slang, forever" she
resolved.
Mrs. Mead bent down and kissed her.
She felt sure the promise would be kept,
this time.
Later, when Sadie knew about the lit
tie plot, and how the professor had been
warned of what was coming, she only
said, IT'S all right, anyway. I'm glad
they didit! never knew what dread
full thing slang was, until that night. 1t
was a perfect eye-opener--I mean reve-
latiOn--tO me!"-Grace Ethelwyn Cody,
in Youths Companion"