The Washington herald., 1913-09-07

mOtner-HpS III tone SO lHulSudnt dS
to make the small hands lose their
hold on the white frock, sending the
modest little harbingers of summer
over the floor at the mothers feet.
Into the wide blue eyes of the little
girl there came an expression of dis
trust in the goodness of the world. She
stood stock still struggling to keep her
quivering lips still because she had been
taught that it is not the proper thing
to give vent to ones emotions in the
presence of company, but the struggle
was of small avail, for the quiver
WOULD come, and tears WOULD
mist her eyes.
And as she stood there looking from
the violets to her mother the mother
voice again dominated the room.
Now. you'll just stay home from
Mary's party because of your disobedi-
ence. | told you to be careful of your
dress and you have soiled it with all
this nonsense of stopping by the way
to pick flowers | do think you arc
the most careless child l ever sawp
1t will not be hard for you to i'm
agine that Doris was very glad, indeed,
when she was sent from my presence
10 her own room.
Look of Infinite RcprOnch.
As she reached the first landing of
the winding stairs in the house that
gives her shelter she paused. Her
mothers back was turned to her, for
which | was sorry, for it is Just barely
possible that the eyes of her under
standing might have been opened by
the long, lingering look of infinite re-
proach the girl gave her before she
went on her way of punishment. 1t
might have awakened some apprecia-
ton of the dear, unselfsh impulse
which had caused the child to consider
her mothers wish for the spring vio-
lets BEFORE HER OWN DESIRE
TO BE EARLY AT MARY'S PAR
TY. 1t might have whispered to the
mother-heart that if she felt she must
punish the little girl for the act OF
disobedience concerning the frilly little
frOck. she might at least rob it of
little of its bitter sting by some little
word of appreciation of the motive
which prompted the action.
was sure when, a few moments
later, left the house, that none of the
resentment and pain which / knew to
be surging i'll the young heart would
you" for the flowers, because THE
MOTHER OF LITTLE DORIS IS
TOO MUCH CONCERNED ABOUT
KEEPING WHITE FROCKS CLEAN
TO HAVE A MOMENT TO SPARE
FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF
MOTIVES.
Yet it is from motives that char
acter grows and character is the one
thing which counts when the little
earth body for which mother spends
so much time in making frocks shall
have crumbled into dust and its sub
stance absorbed by the trees and
flowers.
And this isn't all.
Calls Herself a Christian.
The mother of Doris calls herself
Christian. She sings very loud in the
church choir, is very regular in her
attendance at the Guild meetings, and
has much to tell Of her good deeds at
the Daughters of the King.
l wonder what she would do some
fine afternoon when she was called on
by the president of her chapter to give
an account of stewardship; if, right in
the midst of her telling how many
times she had ministered unto sick
Mrs. Jones, or given a lift to little
Mrs. Brown, or made money for char
ity, somebody would get up and say
that all this might be true enough, but
that she was so lacking in true mother
hood, that when her own little daughter
had brought her a gift of flowers for
which she has expressed a wish (laying
aside her own pleasure in so doing)
the mother had seen no deeper than
the stains of dirt on a little white
frock.
Yes. 1 wonder just what she would
do.
l would like to try it and see, not
only for the sake of dear little Doris,
but for the thousands of other pretty
impulsive children whose motives are
never considered in the punishment
meted out to them by mothers who sing
just as loudly in church as does the
mother of Doris.