Middletown transcript., 1910-07-02
THE THIRD GENERATION
BY LEILA NJ. CHURCH

NEA ukG AC4CSpVsA Se4S -
ed and eager face Of the mother
as she stood back, head at one
side, to view her last addition to
the room-the making Of the bed
It stood in the corner by one
dormer.window, through which
one might see enhancing pic
lures Of swaying elm tops, blue
sky, and far away the line OF tht
hills. The bed itself, a resurrec
ton, was the mothers pride. Its
four slender posts we're draped
with a wonderfully clever imita'
ton Of that which had dressed il
seventy-fve years earlier. AND
the valance, with quaint little
knotted fringe that the mother
had searched the city over tt
find, and the sheet and pillow
cases beautifully embroidered
with the daughters monogram
all standing waiting and ready.
Isn't itall just too lovely : said
the mother, delightedly. Anc
then, witha q little anxious note in
her voice, Do you think she viii
like IL?
The father stood In the door
way, looking on.
Why, yes; how can she help i'll
he answered, hopefully. Being
q man, he was optimistic.
The next day the daughter
would return from her long ab
sence from home, a visit Of q few
weeks with cousins in a distant
town. Together now the mother
and father stood, to examine and
to appreciate all the details of the
great surprise.
The room had always been the
daughters since she had been
old enough to discover how fas-
cinating a third.hoor room is,
with four dormer. windows, but
the mother had found the pos
sibilities. With all the ardor of a
girl planning her long dreamed
ideal of q room, she had bought,
selected, sorted and banished,
till now it was perfected, the last
thing was done.
It was father who had the fire.
place fitted in, with its high,
colonial mantel, and he also con.
tributed the andirons.
The mother selected the paper,
with its riot Of roses and buds
over walls and sloping ceiling
alike, and she had covered the
high.backed rockers a1d low
chair herself with the aoWered
cretonne exactly like the paper.
The mirror was great-grand-
mothers brakes, and the candle
sticks at each end of the mantel;
but the dressing.table-not even
father knew how much she had
paid for that from her own allow.
snce. The old dresser had been
in the room before, but it looked
quite different in its new cover,
and little new bedroom slippers
peeped from beneath the valance
Of the bed.
With appreciatiye eyes they
both studied the room. Over
the msnfel was a dark old por-
trait of Grandfather Drake as a
yonng man, in high collar and
satin stock, with sloping should
ers and fancy waistcoat. The
oval frame was dull gilt and
effective. The mother was doubt
ful about it-she feared it was
hung too high-then she wonder
cd If the daughter would care
for it, although she had always
been such a great admirer Of
Grandfather Drake.
Once the daughter had. said
she wished she might have GER
tain old photographs of her faith
or and mother. On each side of
the mirror, and directly over
the candlesticks on the dressing.
table, was a small, oval frame
like that Of Grandfather Drake's
picture, only in one Of these was
. demure little maid, with parted
hair and low.necked, short sleev-
ed gown showing dimpled arms
and shoulders, and in the other
the dearest, pndgiest,s round.
faced and wondrously killed
little father.
Weren't you the dearest thing?
cried the mother, giving him a
sndden little hug.
I don't know, be answered,
smiling, but / am quite sure you
were.
DO yon think she will like it ?
abe repeated again, after a pause
in which she took in every de.
tail, the result Of weeks Of plan
ming and hard work and anxious
effort to please. It is just the
sort Of room I should have liked
fTNR = III