The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-06-10

some place for me-the poorhouse, If
nowhere else."
Grandma! You are hurting me
dreadfully!" Tears had rushed to Ell
lies eyes. and the old woman saw
them and sat down again, wiping her
own eyes. 1t was a great change. She
no longer had Ellie to herself, peace
full and happy in the little old cottage,
and with no one. to interfere Ellie
felt it all in a flash, and somehow, too,
she felt the bruised heart of that other
woman who had been all-in-all to her
son for nearly thirty years, and now
Ellie had come and she was not all
in-all to him any more. Ellie went
and fell on her knees beside her, and
tried to hug her unbending waist.
"Mother!" she CREDIT was the first
time she had found courage to call her
by that name; Mother, | cont want
the keys-youve had them so long
and am too young and inexperienced
for SO much responsibility. But you'll
teach me, won't you? I'd be SO glad 70
learn"
"You needn't run yourself down that
way. Ellie" cried grandma, sharply,
ready to fight for the child she loved.
You know as much about housekeep-
in as anybody, | should hope"
The storm was about To break again,
but Ellie still tried to smile.
Il could keep house n a cottage.
grandma-and | did do it nicely, didn't
[? But mother will show me how TO
manage this big house-won't you,
mother"
look of pain about the lips which
comes from hurt at the heart
You can soon learn it, she said
turning away Il suppose l can man
age to busy myself about something
when my work is taken out of my
hands"
Ellie started up and hurried to her
room A flush of Indignation and of
despair had come over her. Surely she
had been patient and sweet tempered.
Surely she had done hec very best to
please Johns mother and to reconcile
her to the new condition of things!
And here, already, everything had
broken up in wrangling and discord.
Ellie threw herself down upon the bed
and buried her face in the pillow. She
and John might have been so happy
but for this. She wept hot, resentfu'
tears Truly, it was best, as she had
always heard, for young married -eo-
I pie to have a little home of their own,
with no third party near to SOW the
seeds of trouble This was her first day
in her new home-and perhaps she had
years and years of life before her-and
she did love John so, and might nave
made him so happy, If it had not been
for this
| And if she loved John, did not his
mother love him, too? And how sne
must love him-that quiet, undemon-
strative woman, whose feelings ran
deep And there was grandma. whose
life was torn up by the roots in her OLD
age-and it is so hard for old roots TO
set themselves in new soil. And-Why.
that was what had happened to John s
mother, too-her life had been torn up
| by the rootsi
When Ellie arose she had forgotten
herself and her griefs. She was think
| ing of two lonely old women down.
stairs, the width of the dining room
| between them, each breeding over her
own sorrow
Never mind about me-" Ellie was
saying to herself, as she bathed away
the tears from her eyes, 81 will try to
make them happy"
When she came down. after little,
she was Juggling a. large white SACK,
stuffed to bursting.
Look what | found in the closet III
my room, grandma" she cried, cheer
lily "All this sack Of ccraps!"
''Those are for the rag-man, said
Johns mother, briefly Perhaps she
had been thinking, too, for her voice
had lost a little of it's coldness.
| Grandma was already lingering the
scraps wistfully.
They'd make mighty pretty quilt V
she said II used to make quilts all
the time-scraps of the children S
clothes, from their baby-clothes on up.
Ellie don't know anything about It.
That was before her day. They've sort
O. gone out of fashion now"
She had spoken rather at than to
Johns mother, as though with timld
little desire to cOnciliate fer.
GLOW I'd like to have one OF those
old uuilts!" cried Ellie, with tender In
terest. made with scraps OF my Ola
dresses, grandma-and maybe some OF
Johns baby dresses, Inother-ano a
piece of my wedding dress right in the
middle. That would be something
John and I could keep always"
"These 'ud make mighty nice nine
piece" said grandma refiectively. She
| was still regarding the odds and enas