Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-05-10
BY BARRY PAIN.

Age had quieted the whole house.
| There was not a restless fashion in 1t
anywhere. The love of things as they
were linked itself with a gentle and
| far from bitter disregard for things rs
they are. The room was beautiful, but
| not because anybody had tried TO be ar
| tistic in the Tottenham Court road. Its
sweet and rather quaint simplicity had
grown up unconsciously.
The mistress of the house sat in a
straight backed chair by the fire. She
was a beautiful and serene old lady,
with an abundance of white hair.
YES" she said to her guest, 1.-THE
roads are very bad this winter, and the
cold is severe. and yet you drove over
to say n kind word to n lonely old wo-
man on her birthday. 1t was good of
you. Agatha"
The guest was also an old lady, but
pinched and withered, with a queru-
lous note in her voice and the manner
of one who is accustomed to give or
derS sharply.
Purely selfish" she said; Il want to
see you, my dear. You are just the
person, Alice, that people who are out
of temper ought TO come and see. Il
sacked three of 'em this mornlng) The
birthday was an excuse. We can't
wish each other many happy returns
any more, you know"
mo" said Alice placidly. I'VE can
Just hope we may last out another
year. And it's very pleasant to live,
to have a nice house and to be able TO
go about IL and see TO things. Then
there are Tommy and the Quakeress.
l want to enjoy my grandchildren as
long as / can. The Quakeress is really
the primmest and quaintest baby you
ever saw in your life. l keep note in
book of the things that she says.
Life is very enjoyable as long as one
is healthy"
Glad TO hear it," said Agatha rather
snappIshly. "Still. would you have en-
joyed fiat mOnotony when you We're a
girl of 2O?'
zone cannot have grandchildren
when one 20" said Alice thoughtful
ly. Luckily the temperament changes
with the years. At 20 l loved changes
and movement and excitement. and 1
could have them. Now l only want
things TO be the way that l have got
used to them l love my old servants.
and n new tea service-I do believe
that il would break my heart; II would
certainly keep me awake at night
"Ah," said Agatha. you've got the
secret of il, and I've not, and ii is my
belief that the women over 30 who
have not got il ought TO be taken out
and shot. My dear, II l had not been
a believing Christian / should have
taken my own life long before this"
please do not say that"
You're quite right. One ought not
to say these things. and, at the same
time, one cannot help thinking them.
I've no enjoyments left except the rare
pleasure of seeing old friends"
But one makes ones enjoyments.
They may mostly consist of sympathet-
ic interest in the enjoyments of others.
but what does that matter? At our
time of life one must expect to become
Il spectator"
i've heard it all before. In the IL
brary at home I've got books about old
age. They must have been written by
people who were very young. / hate |
consultations; they never console. And |
how on earth am to make my enjoy !
ments?'
There are so many old people about |
who are much less fortunate than we |
are. If one helps them n little
lone is always treated with ingrati- |
tude"
Now, do you know" said the serene |
old lady, II don't think that that mat |
tiers much TO the enjoyment \ little |
Imagination is all that Is wanted. You |
put yourself in their place, and think |
how you would feel il you were in |
want of proper food or a cup of good |
tea and somebody gave you II. They |
are just awkward in expressing things. |
With n little Imagination you can do |
the gratitude yourself and never trou-
BILE them"
what a marvel you arei / do be- |
lieve that If somebody kicked you you |
would hunt up some reason or other |
to prove that you deserved it and in |
any case would say that the sensation
was far from unpleasant. 1 know /
you, Alice"
Il always valued things for making |
me happy without asking questions. |