The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-12-08
THE ETERNAL
FEMININE


Suddenly the front screen door
opened with q crash and shut with a
bang. Above these sounds rose a bel
low like that Of a wounded bull.
Mother, mother. mother!" The bel
low resolved itself into words as the
believer stumbled up the stairs, tum'
bling down at every other step and
had to pick himself up again before he,
could proceed.
Mrs. Burton rushed from her room
and halfway down the stairs. There
she sat upon a step and pulled Jimmy
into her lap, anxiously examining the
round face and feeling the soft fat
body for possible broken bones.
"Oh, my darling!" she cried. "TeIl
mother what's the matter, my precious.
Did you fall? Where are you hurt?"
Renewed bellows threatened to
raise the roof. "I'm not hurt-any'
where-outside. lists my feel
ngsl" The last words were nearly
lost In a yell, which tapered down
eventually into a mournful sniff.
De. "She said-she said"
what did she say, dear?" urger
Mrs. Burton. "And who said it?"
"she said-she said-it was Helen'a
"She said-she said-it was Helen
mother. She said-oh mother-she
said she didn't-she didn't love me
any more"
Mrs. Burton buried her head on her
sons heaving shoulder and shook with
suppressed laughter. Then she rose
to her feet and took his hot, damp lit.
tie hand in hers and led him up to
her W room, where she sat down in
the big rocker and cuddled him in
her lap, rocking back and forth and
patting the forlorn, crumpled little
back. Presently the little boy sat up
on her knees and she wiped the tears
from the red cheeks.
"She didn't mean it, precious" she
said, trying to console him.
"Oh. yes, mother. she did," he in.
sisted choking with another sob. "She
said 1t and I know she meant it."
did she say why she didn't love
you? Maybe you did something to
hurt her feelings"
A little gulp followed quickly on
the heels Of a small, pathetic snort.
mo, mother, I didn't, not a thing. I
was just as nice to her as I could be.
We were playing house and we had
Just had supper. Helen's mother gave
Us some cookies and we had some lit
tie bread and butter slices and I let
her have half Of one of my cookies,
and; it was lovely, and then right in
the middle she jumped up and said she
wouldn't play, and when I asqked her
why she said she didn't love M any
more. Oh, mother, mother, you don't
know how It hurt my %feelings!"
Perhaps Helen was tired, Jimmy,
DEAR" suggested his mother. "After
lunch you can 90 and ask her to
come over here and play and"
"Oh, no, mol" walled the fearful
voice. "She said she didn't want me
ever to come again. She said she was
sick and tired of me. She said she
didn't v er want to see me again. Oh,
mother, how could she say that, when
I love her so? Why, all summer I've
gone into the deepest grass every day
where the snakes are, to get flowers
for her. I've done everything to make
her love me and she always told me
she did, and now she says she doesn't
love me-"
poor little mani" said his mother.
'You have yet to learn that the alb.
ject lover is eve the most success
tul one. But 1 don't think she really
meant it."
"Well, then, I wish-I wish she had
not said It," Jimmy quavered, "be.
cause I love her and I want her to love
me-"
Directly after luncheon the doorbell
rang. When Mrs. Burton opened the
door she found q crisp little damsel
with a huge hair bow, an extremely
clean, fluffy white dress, and a gen
eral atmosphere of sanctimoniousnesa
snveloping her.
us Jimmy at homer" she inquired
politely. II wanted to ask him If he
didn't want to come over to my house
and play. I guess he didn't have a
very nice time this morning. He came
home right in the middle of the tea
party<we were having"
Helen sat down primly upon the
front steps and. waited while Jimmy
underwent the inevitable scrubbina
process. When he was thoroughly
polished and ready to start, he threw
his arms around his mothers mech
Il guess Helen does love me after
all, mother, or she wouldn't want me
and whispered:
to come and play with her. but aren't