Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1901-07-13

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her correctly.
One day when the conversation
was becoming somewhat strained,
and l began to be afraid of outstay-
ing my welcome in her three-stery
back room, / asked Cornelia how she
came by her name.
Though it had become corrupted
to Conn and Nell, it still retained a
flavor foreign to her surroundings.
"Well," she answered, "my mother
took it out of story in the Fire Fly
Sparkler. The gal that made all the
trouble had the name of Cornelia,
and ma vowed she'd tack it onto the
next gal kid that come to make her
trouble, and was it."
] had my doubts about ma having
been able to read even the Fire Fly
Sparkler. At least, she had not
transmitted her knowledge to her
offspring, though Cornelia declared
that she was fonder of poetry than
of beer.
She certainly consumed more of
the latter.
Then l told her the story of that
other Cornelia, who lived so long
ago, and whose name through all
time had stood synonym for noble
and self-sacrificing motherhood.
How she had forgotten herself day
by day and thought only of the good
of her children. How, when she
died, the Romans erected a statue to
her with the inscription, "Cornelia,
Mother of the Gracchi."
"They must have been long on
statoos in them days" was the mod
ern Cornelia's only comment when
had finished.
After a moment she asked, "What
was Cornelia' 3 last name? And why
didn't they put it on the statuer
Because she had earned the name
of Mother, and that was finer than
any they could give her.
Oracle had fallen asleep on my lap
AS talked, her chubby hand warm
in mine, her round little cheek
against my breast. AS Cornelia took
the little child from me her eyes met
mine with n long look of defiant des-
pair. Maybe there's Others" she
said sullenly, "as would do as much
for their kids as she did for hers it
they had the chancst."
The next time visited her told
her quite casually about a home up
town where no children had ever
come. A home rich in every COM
fort except that one, and man and
a woman living in it, their hearts
big with unused parenthood going
to waste.
"Then why don't they 'dopt one?''
she asked shortly. "Plenty of young
ones going to waste, too
"Well," l answered cautiously,
"they havn't happened to find one
they could quite fancy"
"Oh, particular, be they?'
"Yes, rather"
She gave quick glance of pride at
Oracle standing in her glowing
young beauty, like spot OF sunshine
in the darkness and squalor.
"Spose their child would he learnt
to read and writep
"Undoubtedly."
"And pr'aps to play on the
pianner?'
The last question was put timidly
as il it might be put to show excess
of vain desires.
l thought that any child these
people might take would be given a
chance at the piano, and took my
leave.
l staid away many, many days
not casually, but of set purpose.
When l finally did go, then again
Cornelia turned white drawn face
to mine and began to tell me how
Oracle was learning to swear awful
And, indeed, the child, interrupted
at her play, did pour fourth stream
of CHASTITY oaths from her rosy lips
her very Inconsistencies of their
meaning making them more CHASTITY
by contrast,
Cornelia snatched the child uI
from the floor, gave her one fierce
kiss and thrust her toward me.
"Take her, if you can do better by
her than me.