The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-23


perhaps you may be able to judge of the
thoroughness of the particular form of pun
ishment. In the most trivial particulars my
mother was what you might call conscien-
tiously systematic" The toiler paused TO
hold up fresh sock for critical examna-
ton as to its state of integrity. exhibiting
frankly at the same time nice long rip in
the sleeve of her old shirtwaist. She was
just as she is now at eighty-four. Every
thing in that house goes by clockwork-
positively to the minute. You think me neat,
Lizzy-but you should see the ordering of
my mothers household
Mary" corrected the other you mean
thought you neat"
The toier laughed comfortably. "Oh, you
don't worry a mite, Lizzy," she said.
You just won't understand, you see. am
as neat-habitually-as ever. You run in to-
morrow. You will see me as usual, and my
surroundings as usual Lizzy," she laughed,
you have never found out how downright
comfortable it is to be real slovenly once in
while. To just let things so. and pile up
over one another if they want to.
"Of course. such a thing isn't to be
thought of with the children around. Things
will be as slick as a whistle by night, when
the youngsters come home from their Sun
day-school picnic. 1 am conscientious. 1 am
bringing my children UP to a T, on my moth
er's line. There's not question on earth but
that it's the wisest. A place for everything,
you know, and everything in its place.
Only" she went on tenderly, as she held
up small black stocking, punctured at the
knees with long rents that nothing saving
the nails the back fence could account
for, and bitten deeply at the toes by a
scuffiing little foot, "only, Lizzy," she said,
half to herself, Il feel so sorry for the poor
little souls. Sometimes it almost seems as if
I couldn't take mothers view of it. 1t is
such a downright punishment after hard
day at play, to pick UP all these diabolical
little cuttings from paper dolls. and to go
into all the corners after the stray blocks
and the runaway marbles. But they must
do it. They must 1t means only the saving
of few steps for me now. but they're the
prototype of heaps of trouble after awhile "
She laid down the stocking to pin up a
snake-like twist of hair that came sliding
down over one ear just then.
why, Lizzy, just look at Mrs. Van
Easy's children. 1 never could understand
how woman could be so easy, so self-ef-
facing-exactly though she expected to
reap credit for it in some mysterious future.
Actually, Lizzy, that woman thinks it's her
mothers duty to make perambulating
martyr of herself for those sassy-excuse
the word-spoiled children of hers. The re-
result is, naturally, that they do too.
Instead of asking quietly if they may do
the thing the spirit of the moment moves
| them to do, if they happen to think Of it
they stop long enough on the way to yell
the information at her that they intend do
ing that particular thing Immediately. If
she tries to govern then-and it makes me
think Of a sweet little Jenny wren with a
brood of ramping bluejay babies, the poor
little thing does--if she bristles up her dun
feathers and tries to be firm with them,
they flare right up to her face and say,
impudently, that they'll go. and ask papa!'
Lizzy, d'you think / would stand that?'
Indignation sat radiance upon the face
of the woman by the window, as she bit
with a see-saw motion through the hori-
zontal yard or two of black yarn held before
her face. mot much! Td-Pd-well, I'd
bluejay them to a finish.'
The little lady in white threw back her
head and laughed one Of her bubbling, ir-
| what mixed, metaphor Of the other was
funny.
The red lips Of the other were drawn in
| firmly. You may laugh, Lizzy, but actually
| that woman, well as the youngsters,
thinks it's her place to pick up after them.
| to take steps for their comfort. Theirs, mind
you! The older ones strew papers and the
younger ones piece all over the house, and
she trots around after them with a carpet
sweeper without a word of reproach. She
puts their clothes tidy at night, and keeps
| track of their books, belongings, playthings
through the day.
''Lizzy"-she looked up earnestly-'do you
see where the moral of all this comes in ?
Well, it's here! Fifteen years from now,
| when gentle little Mrs. Van Easy comes
into a room after the family is home she
| will find coats hung neatly all over the
chairbacks. she will find hats and damp um-
brellas disposed over the library table, and
overshoes and shoes distributed indiscrimi-
nately over the floor.
"And here'-she punctuated her point with
a wildly agitated sock-"is right where
mothers training counts great big inning
| for mel My dear, will find those coats and
in the stand and the overshoes in the clos
cts. Why? Why, my dear. because they'v We
been allowed nowhere else. So you see the
advantage of being firm now. even il II
does seem rather hard at times"
The visitor nodded pretty hat energetic
ally. The other went on triumphantly:
II am good housekeeper. / know it just
as well as you do. Everything that comes
| into my precincts is assigned place. then
is expected 10 be kept in Ii. / defy you TO
| show me heater, better behaved children.
| The greatest pleasure, as the natural results
| Of my own training, is To instill 'neatness.
| and see ii being lived up to-
But Lizzy,' the speakers brown eyes
| wandered 10 the gay little lanterns across
| the way, sometimes. Lizzy. there comes a
| time-what is it. i wonder? A sort OF alta
! vism sometimes think-when 1t all gets on