The record-union., 1899-10-15

claimed. There's Caroline. You not
know my Caroline? She SO pretty. l
get her white dress to-day and some
blue ribbons. She always want me
bring her something pretty. Maybe |
get her ring, too. / don't know; see
if money enough" and she pointed to
the baskets of eggs
And do you not get something for
your other daughter?" / asked
She looked at me blankly: She no
see,'' she said. What the use? She
just sit in the hall all day and some
times she cry. She not pretty like
Caroline"
One morning upon turning to answer
the well-knoWn query, | beheld two fig
ures in the doorway. Towering a full
head or more above the old lady was
large, coarse-looking girl with very
fat, rosy cheeks and shining eyes. She
was dressed in white and wore blue
ribbons around her waist and in her
hair. 1t did not need her mother s
This is Caroline to tell me who she
was. There was something almost pa
thetic in the look of love and pride
she bestowed upon the girl as she pre-
sented her, While in me she awakened
almost a feeling Of disgust as l noted
the coarse fnery and many rings that
covered her large, red hands, and the
plainly evident pride she felt in her
imagined beauty. 1t was for this
creature the mother toiled and slaved.
She poured out the treasures of her
mother-love upon her and the poor
blind girl sitting in the hall was for
gotten. She was not beautiful like
Caroline.
Their home was situated near beau
tiful lake some two miles from the viii
lage, and later in the season / often
went there with the landlady's daugh-
ter to bring fresh butter and eggs for
the table. It was delightful, after d
long, weary day in the office, to row
over the clear waters Of the lake. The
wild rose and tangled creeper that
grew in profusion along the bank cast
their waVering shadows upon the deep
waters with little riffs of moonlight
dancing between. We rested idly meath
the deep shadow of some stately oak
and feasted our eyes on the beautiful
around From among the bank
grasses came the small voices of the
night, drowned by an occasional croak
of some great frog lifting his voice in
serenade to his lady love.
We were later than usual one evening
having fingered longer upon the lake
and there seemed a strange quiet pre-
vailing as we neared the old brick farm
house We passed around to the rear
where usually the voices of Caroline
and her mother could be heard in pleas
ant chatter but tonight there was no
sound save the faint rattle of milk
buckets which we found Caroline wash.
ing. In the dim shadow of the trees
we did not notice what afterward be-
came apparent, that the girl had been
crying.
Where is your mother this even
ing?" we inquired.
Mas sick,'' was the rather short re-
ply.
'Sick!'' we both exclaimed in a
breath. What is the matter with
her?'
At first she seemed a little disinclin
ed to enter into any particulars regard
ing her mothers illness, but a few
questions on our part soon brought out
the whole sad story. A few nights be-
fore they were sitting at the supper
table out under the trees in the yard
when the subject of Caroline's attend
ing a dance the coming Saturday even
ing at a rather questionable place in
the village came under discussion. The
mother, always anxious for the girls
pleasure and happiness, favored her go
ms; the father decidedly objected.
There were many heated words and at
last goaded to desperation he caught
up his cup and threw it with all his
force striking the old lady on the fore
head, infiicting a deep cut 1t was not
considered serious at first, but now
erysipelas had set in and the doctor
said she could not live until morning.
After seeing the result of his hasty
act her father fed upstairs and had
not since been down to her knowledge.
Horrified at this tale of domestic
tragedy, we turned sadly away, after
trying to say a few comforting words
to the seemingly heartbroken girl who
was the innocent cause of the trouble.
From the sick room light streamed
through the half closed shutters, NOV
ing shadows passed to and fro. She
was surrounded by her friends and we
felt we could do nothing. The night
had lost it's brightness, and we rowed
down the stream in silence, saddened
by the tale we had heard. The fol-
lowing morning brought news of the
old lady's death, and he who caused
it stole down from his hiding place,
wound wide band of Grape around his
hat and appeared as. chief mourner at
the funeral.
A few weeks later as I stood looking
out through my window a buggy came
into view. There We're two occupants
and as it came nearer I was surprised
to see they were Caroline and her
father. She wore the white dress and
her blue ribbons f1uttered out behind
as they passed. They We're laughing
and chatting, evidently in the happiest
mood, while the wrinkled hands that
had toiled SO patiently and the dear old
heart that had beat so lovingly were
forgotten.
But / could see in the old hall at
home a lonely girl with sightless eyes
weeping sadly in her grief The mother
was still remembered there
Cause for Surprise.
He-I am writing for the magazines
now.