The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-10-19

| I'd have to take her place l. seit-cc-
rrnce-no more Matilda Baaastan5 in
tAls h.rse! ! wish l were just like
Gertrude
Gertrude" said Bailey, looking up
suddenly from the corks, needles ana
bottles with which he was experiment.
ing, with his young aunts interested
assistance, If | couldn't see you, Ia
believe you were another fifteen-ysar'
old boy. You're Just like boy.
That's it," breathed Claudlle into
her glove. That's the secret. Cert
rude talks like a man with father,
shes lust a girl with me, and when
she's with Bettina she's just dear
little tot of five. And which ever one
of us she is. she's a complete dear
But if things went smoothly for
the rest OF the SelsraNe5, 1t is not
certain that there were no rough
places for Gertrude She seemed p
do things easily-so easily, indeed,
that no one realized that she was Oh
liaed to be ever alert and Watchful
in order to meet the various needs OF
the different members OF her family.
Besides. it was no light task, even
with enthusiasts ic helpers and com
Portable income to keep a large mouse
in order, to keep five growing Young
persons properly clad, to plan three
wholesome meals a day at regular
hours. Yet Gertrude did all this, and
added in many ingenious ways besides
to the pleasures Of her little flock.
u don't want them to miss any
thing" she wrote to her cousin, that
their own mother would have given
them"
OF course, with so much else on
her hands, Gertrude had little time
for outside interests, yet she had halt
laughingly, half-earnestly joined the
Mothers Club when Mrs. NeWcomo
had suggested it.
IF anybody needs to 60 to such
meetings" said Gertrude, modestly, i
do. because it is certainly harder to
begin with family of five than it is
with just one solitary infant | sup
pose | had escaped all teethilg trou-
bles, but dear me. Here is Bettina
losing her first teeth, Donald getting
twelfth-year molars, Kittie having to
be reminded every night to brush her
teeth, Bailey roaring three nights out
of five with tocthache, Claudine with
a lump on her gum that she thinks is
Northumberland John breaking
out occasionally with liberated grind
ers"
The human race" returned Mrs.
Newcomb, never gets over teethins.
Then you'll join the club"
YES, indeed! I'm troubled this min
ute about the length OF Claudine's
skirts and whether or not Bettina
should eat pickles"
The meetings were decidedly pleas
ant. The mothers and Gertrude car
ried their work, drank tea, and talked
about their children. That is, the
real mothers talked, while the arti-
fetal one, as she called herself, list
ened. Some of them did fancy-work
Gertrude either made garments for
Bettina or darned stockings for DON
aid.
At first she enjoyed meeting the
real mothers very much indeed, and
they seemed to enjoy seeing her.
But when the substitute had moth
cred her brothers flock for a little
more than a year, she became con-
scious that things were not as they
had been. The change was almos-
imperceptible at first. Then it grew
more and more noticeable.
: The week after Washington's birth
day there was no longer any doubt
about it. The Mothers Club had turn
ed cold. Mrs Darwin no longer greet
ed Gertrude effusively Mrs. Bacon
no longer called h.f you dear little
mouse!" Mrs Boswell, always mod
erately chilly person, was now posi-
lively frosty Gertrude racked her
conscience FOR possible misdeeds.
Il can't think of thing" she said
to herself. that I've left undone; yet
l suppose I've failed somewhere in
something that real mother would
have known about But what? Donald
is too fat, Kittie's hair is just at the
unmanageahle length, and | can't let
out tucks fast enough to keep up with
Claudine's inches: but surely they
must seek that I'm doing the best l
CAN"
And now Mrs. Gaskell, whose wit
was ever razorlike, was speaking sar-
castically, yet with evident feeling.
She was laying great stress on the
trials Of real mothers, with the real
very much emphasized The other wo-
men seemed to Understand and APP
nrove: but the unreal mother was al,