The midland journal., 1910-01-28


You have got to read books all day"
oh, no; oh, Tom. we oughtn't to
talk like this and laugh, for she's
mothers very kind She is indeed.
She sees in a moment If I'm tired"
Shed need to- said Tom; tbut
don't suppose girls mind. You
come out now and have game. VIII
she let you? If she won't, just steal
away
"Oh, Tom," said Janet again, chow
can you speak of mother so? She
never stops ny fun, now when
there is any, the girl added after q
pause.
Lady Car was at the other end Of
the room, seated in the recess of a
broad window which looked on the
wide landscape. She had been wait
ing for Janet, who had asked her
assistance in some work she was
doing-trumpery work such as dis
turbed all Carry's prejudices. Janet
was painting flowers upon some little
three-legged stools for bazaar, and
though she only copied the pat
terms" she required in the execu-
tion some hints from her mother, who
had once made considerable progress
in the study of art. Janet was en-
tirely unaware that Lady Cars
dreamy landscapes, which were full
of distance and suggestion If nothing
else, were in any way superior to
her patterns" and had made her
call for aid with the frankest conf
dence thatswhat she was doing was
excellent art. And Carry had pre-
pared the stool from which the dah-
lias and red geraniums were to be
painted, with as much care as If it
were to be used by Raphael. When
she saw the two suddenly disappear,
perhaps she was not altogether sorry.
1t is possible that the, painting OF
the stools was ''sop" to the mother
also. She smiled at them with a
little wave of her hand and shake
of her head as they passed the wins
dow, in mild allusion to the aban-
doned work, but perhaps she was as
much relieved as Janet was. She laid
back her head upon the dim-colored
satin of her chair, and watched the
two young creatures with their rack
cts, Janet carrying in her apron a
supply of balls for their game. Sew
enteen and half - fifteen and a
half-in the bloom which was half
infantile, half grown-up, all fresh
about them, nothing as yet to bring
In back ears They were not hand
some, but Tom had sturdy manli-
ness and strength about him, and
Janet, her mother thought, looked
everything that was simple and trust
worthy--a good girl, not clear, but
very good-natured and kind; and
Tom was not at all bad boy-rough
a little, but that was mere high spir-
its and boyish exuberance. They
were neither of them clever, she said
to herself with faint smile. How
silly she had been! How she had
worshiped talent - no, not talent,
genius-and had hoped that they
would surely have had some gleam of
1.-THE two whom she had brought
into the world. They had been SUR
rounded with beautiful things all
their lives. When other people read
foolish nursery stories to their chill
dren she had nourished them upon
the very best-fables and legends
which were literature as well as
story; yet Janet liked the patterns
for her stool better than all the prints
and pictures, and Tom never opened
book if he could help it. And what
matter? she said to herself, with that
faint smile of self-ridicule. The chill
iren were none the worse for that.
Her fantastic expectations, her fam
tastic disappointment, what did they
matter! She was altogether most
fantastic everybody had said
it all her life. and she recognized
fully the truth of the accusation now.
Who should be so happy as she? Her
husband so kind, always with her,
thinking of everything that would
make her happy. Her children so
good Greatly so good!), wise, we'll
conditioned-Tom so manly, Janet
all that a girl should be, very, very
different indeed from Carry as girl.
But what good thing that was!
Janet would have no silly ideal, would
desire no god to come from the skies,
would not torment. herself and every
one about with fantastic aspirations.
She would love some good. honest
young fellow when her time came,
and would live the common life, the
common, happy life. as the family at
Easton were doing now. Edward,
gone over to Cordelton to the county
.lub-the natural resource of man
in the country; the brother and sis
ter playing tennis on the lawn-the
boy expecting to get into the boats,
the girl delighted. with new pattern
for her stools. And no cloud any.
where. no trouble about starting them
In life, no embarrassment about
money or anything else. How happy
q family! Everything right and
Dleasanf and comfortable Al Carry