The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-09-22
MOTHERS
KEEPSAKE
Copyright, by Joseph 3. Bowles)
BY HAROLD AVERY

De round in nearly every home-house-
! hold pensioners which have done their
+ work, and, being replaced by some
, thlng more modern and up to date, are
put away in a corner to be kept clean
, and looked at. The bureau has long
, been on the retired list, but in the days
, OF active scryice-days when the hand
that rocked the cradle, rather than the
hand that thumped the tub, was sup
posed to rule the word-the mother of
the family always used this oid-fash-
Toned ccntrivance as her desk
1t was al the bureau that she always
sat to write to us when one by one we
left hone and went away TO school;
ana there 1t is that ! think see her
tonight, with The light falling on her
face from the little oil lamp that the
servants would grumble at now II it
were given them TO use in the kitchen
The top drawer was especially hers
and remains exactly as she left It,
though in the eyes of a stranger the
contents would appear but double
handful Of rubbish. TO her, however,
every trifie WAS a precious treasure,
and as we turn them over il seems as
though, instead of the bureau drawer.
her own dear heart lies open before us
with all its loving secrets revealed to
our gaze.
Here is a bundle of photographs.
taken in the DAYS of head-rests and
studied positions, when gentlemen
stood with one arm akimbo and the
/ other resting on table or marble coll
umn, while the right leg was accurate
! ly crossed in front of the left and
when the moment which preceded the
taking off OF the cap was solemn
enough to render it well-nigh impossi-
bic to put on that pleasant expression
which the artist yainly impored one |
TO assume
But these pictures are all of chill |
dren; some frowninE, some smiling,
others with q look of patient endur-
ance, while on the faces Of a few APP
pears an expression of interested OK
pectation, which shows that they were
still the victims Of a meaning
fraud, and believed in the tabled bird.
which, If they watched closely, would
he seen to fly out of the lens
What an immense amount of time
and trouble she and Mary Jane must
have taken in arranging those bows
and sashes and in producing those as
tonishine curls and top-knots, The
photographs OF that era were subject
10 attacks of iaundice and measles. in
course of time they grew yellow and
spotted, and some of these have suf-
fered in the manner described, but
they were treasured up in the bureau
drawer and have remained there to
this day in the same old coth-ined en-
yelope frayed and crumpled from fire. {
1uent handling. 5
On this silver rattle, with a handle '
IF red coral, | verify believe that the q
whole family in turn cut the greater
number of their first teeth Whether i
he rattle was in any responsible for {
he articles thus produced do not
inow; If so it can hardly be regarded S
IS family treasure, for we all were p
martyrs TO face-ache She used. with "A
,reat deal of coaXing and persuasion. O
o inspire us with sufficient courage 10
company her 70 the dentists. We r,
tarted with a vast amount of swagger n
nd then kicked and screamed for p
uarter Of an hovr before we could be
Induced 10 sit back ia the fatal chair
nd open our mouths. On returning h,
ONE she always said we had behaved b,
Ike heroes. and told such an exagger- al
ted story Of the size Of the tooth and m
ne courageous manner i'm which we W
ad borne the extraction that for my IL
wn part ! felt inclined. had such a @,
hing been possible TO have fallen on OF
~ own neck and wept ~ the recital a
my suferings. and the fortitude is
18th which they had been endured. ito
She was immensely proud of us. and fo
fought that in the future we should III
] distinguish ourselves and do great
ings, though what should have given co
se to this belief # would be difficult Of
say, for we were very ordinary chill fro
en-. Here however. under the photo m.
apis are some Of the works OF art n
lich were, ri an events in her eyes. in
full Of promise. A water-col.r Of,
NIB representing a brown monstrosi-
with yellow spots, which. from the
'rd Polly appearing beneath it. I
'ognize as a horse; a gaudy scrap Of Ad
'ol work left half unGnished by little wa
nds that soon grew weary Of the
rk. and rough. lopsided paper- ma
ite. carved cur of bit Of cherry chi
cd. and with an eiee 50 blunt and tina
even that II would he perfect butch inc
30 use n on the uncut leaves Of any \
lk or magazine tho
70 We pass from one relic IN another yer
il. ia the same envelope which con wit
ms small paper book. un each leaf fms
which is lock Of hair. kept in posi-
b with a stitch 81 silk. and care
y named and dated. we End a little
,uro. That was the eirl who died q
D another corner of the drawer j. q 81
j. parcel containing knife.
stnut on q string and broken I n
cil-case. those were The bows. ehe III
IS them ont Of the pocket of his Is
set after b. had wrrn O. for the last 3
2. wrapped ihem no aud remem-
sd. 30 years afterwards where the a
ket vas, and what il contained.
was on the gnuirers7zu ,,f HE n