The Washington herald., 1912-05-26
A LITTLE TALE
OR MOTHERHOOD
Children Are Mirrors, Rejecting
Their Closest Association.
b JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

By JULIA CHANDLER MANI.
An that / an or ever hops 70 Be-. ose to NJ
u5thef.-AhTsham Lincoln.
Let's play lady" suggested Marjorie
10 The-Little- GirI-From-A -Across-Th Way
who had come over to spend the morn
ing with her.
Lets pretend Daddy's carriage is q
house, and I'll be my mother, and
you'n be your mother. and 'well dress
up IKE ladies, and you'll have Daddy-s
carriage for your house and IN take
the side porch" she went on to plan,
while The-LIttle-Glrl-F The
Way nodded her approval.
Now the father OF Marjorie Brown Is
q physician 10 human bodies, with an
aim to keep them in good health, and
the mother OF the little six-year-old girl
Is physician to her child's mind and
heart and body, supposed to keep them
an healthy and clean AS to this We
shah see. Certain It is she is an, always
willing mother when It comes to the
question Of promoting the child's pleas
ure so that Marjorie and The-Little-
Girl-From-Across-The- had no DIFF
hculty in securing the necessary grown
up clothes 20 impersonate their mothers.
Began the Game.
And when they were ready the game
began. Marjorie took possession OF the
side porch and le-Glrl- From
Across-The-Way began making her home
IN the doctors spacious buggy.
Nov" called Marjorie, when she had
set the tea table on the side porch. tits
time for you to come on over"
So. The-Little-Gfrl-From
Way gathered up her trailing gown.
mimicked the walk Of her mother, and
came to the side porch for visit TO
the small impersonator of Mrs. Brown,
who offered her tea and crackers with
all her mothers genial manner.
And, while they slipped the beverage
furnished by Marjorie's mother they
drew their chairs close in order that
they might carry their imitation Of the
keepers Of their little lives out In every
detail
Il saw from the paper that Richeson
didn't behave half as cowardly as folks
thought he would when the time came
for him to be killed for numbering that
girl" remarked the little hostess with
gl the seriousness Of her mother, and
the doctors wife who was busy about
the dining-room stopped TO listen.
I was disappointed that he con-
fesseJ," said The Little : Girl From
Across-The-Way at wasn't half as
exciting as the Beatty trial. she sighed
regretfully, and little Marjorie took up
the cue and went through the incidents
Of the notorious murder Of the Rich
mond girl and the effort made by her
young husband to make the world be-
neve him guiltiess Of her death.
From Murders to Gossip.
From this discussion the little girls
went, to talking about their various
grown2Up neighbors.
you know the wilson's fight like cats
and dogs. He's q perfect brute. She
left him once and everybody says she
was q fool to come back to him again
know / wouldn't live with a man
who wasn't good to me-" announced
Marjorie, who was deep in the imper-
sonation Of her mother, pursuing her
usual topics Of conversation with her
neighbor across the way that she did
not see the doctors wife stricken dumb |
by the game Of Playing Lady"
Nor did the woman who watched and
listened interrupt the little girls until |
they had quite finished repeating to
each other the gossip Of their mothers.
oh" exclaimed From |
Across-The-Way, finally, Il don't know |
that I like Playing Lady 80 very
much, do you?'
Marjorie confessed that she thought
they had Played Lady quite long
enough, and they both adjourned to the |
child's room to play the little girl game
OF dolls.
chair by the window in the dining-room |
It seemed to her that she never would |
move from the spot again. And as 4
she sat the spring sunlight flooded over
her and with It came thoughts OF all |
the wonderful, beautiful things there /
are in life. She thought Of the woods:
the flowers there; the little green leaves 4
and brook that winds its way by the
feet Of the old oak where she had 1
played when she was a child.
She thought Of the days in the long
ago yesteryear when she too had
Played Lady" and had mimicked her
own dear mother, with her sweet and
gentle manner, and her charitable tongue
that gossiped none, nor recounted the /
grewsome details OF hideous murders in J
the presence Of her little daughter.
Mirrors Rejecting Mothers.
Little children are just a mirror re-
hecting the words and thoughts Of their
mothers" she had once heard her say
in reproving q friend for gossiping in
the presence Of child
Think and talk OF fne and noble
things in the presence Of young children
and they VIII become a part Of their
character-malling. again she heard her
mother tell her father In the days of heri
own childhood. and the memory of the
things OF which she had
talked to her neighbor across the way
in the presence OF her six-year-old
surged in her mind. for IN the
play OF the two little girls she saw
herself
90. I am ashamed" she murmured as
she brushed away q tear that splashed
down on her hand and rose to find the
dear little tot who had revealed herr
mother TO herself.
Because gossip and discussions Of
crime were a habit only, and not yet
3 part OF the woman's deeper character,
and because God gives It to mothers TO
know what 20 do. the doctors wife gath
cred her little girl into her arms, and
began very gently her work Of undoing
the harmful influence Of ignoble con-
And her reproof OF the little girl lay
only in her own confession to the child
Of q habit which she promised should
be broken then and there for all time
And she kept her word
-= Il