The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-03-13
MOTHER,

oFerfioWing workhasket in a despair
ing sort of way that was not usual
to her. She felt strange WEAKNESS
and lassitude-it had been creeping
over her for some weeks now. She
felt that she was on the verge of
breakdown. The busy housewife who
rose early and went to bed last had
reached the end OF her tether. With
out change of some. kind she. would
not be able to continue. her duties.
She had reached that period that
often,: alasi comes to a tender, I'M
selfish mother. The children: she had
shaved for and seen grown. away from
her: they did not consider hers a
necessary. element in, Their. lives.
They had other varied interests. and
friends. Mother was always there,
of course, when they wanted her.. but
she did4not enter into. their schemes
of amiisements. She was just mother
indispensable at times, but just a
little different from the fashionable
mothers. of their friends. i'll
Her husband, absorbed in his bust
ness, had grown Indifferent to the
claims of his wife for companionship
and love, He would have been in
dignant had it been suggested that he
was. careless husband. He would
have repudiated it. warmly Even her
youngest born, Tommy, thought the
dignity of thirteen years was disturbed
by such things as kisses and caresses
from his mother. t$s
Her eldest girl, a pretty, rather
vain young creature of twenty, was
engaged to be married to young
bank clerk, and the opinions and do
ings of her future relatives had more
weight with her than those at home.
And vet Mrs. Heriot had been a
beauty in her girlhood. She had been
1.-the idolZed darling of an aristocratie
irhome, but. she had thrown aside
everything at the bidding of love-
given up. riches and ease for strug-
Cling existence Of trying to make two
ends meet, and she had never. re-
GREETED it. But now she longed for
some of the love she had given SO
lavishly, and she found herself put
on one side. as old-fashioned.
She raised her eyes to the little mir
ror over the mantelpiece. Her cheeks
were delicately followed; there were
lines and care on her brow. She was
only forty-five. Many a. woman was
fquite youthful at that age, with all
1.-THE advantages of dress to help her.
But her old brown gown, though, lit
| fitted her slender figure with GER
Etain grace of its own, was unbeconl-
fling to- her She looked almost an
old woman. 1t was true what Mary
/ had said to her yesterday morning,
Though at that time eit had cut her
like knife.
+ Her cousin, Mrs. Graham, wife oil
one of New York's foremost bankers
was the only one of her relatives who
had kept up any connection with her
! The tired woman, sitting there with
busy fingers, was formulating some
| thing in her brain that had been sug
gested, to her a few days before by hel
il cousin. !. 81, .519- a
/ Come and stay With me for month
Barbara. You look as though yot
wanted a little patting and Acoddling
: Come and let me dress you as yot
ought to be dressed; show people that
j you are as beautiful at forty-five as
II when you were. eighteen. Your hus
J band and children want yoH. lie
] them They will valde you all The
more when you return.
i She had refused then, but the words
had fingered in her mind, and tha
afternoon, as the mirror reflected hel
tired face where all its beauty seemed
; to beawiped out, the words had made
her come to a sudden decision.
Il A holiday in the real sense Of The
word had never been hers since hel
marriage. The holidays of the famil!
had meant increased work for her
But now she would take one. For ont
that HAD been hers when she was {
girl.
~ There was a little astonished silence
lWfen she mentioned her plans the mex
morning at breakfast There was al
! l:outcry Of protest that made her hest
a tate for an instant and look from ON
+ tfaee to the other. Then she went OF
: quietly:
Il am, badly in need of a rest
away from the cares of housekeeping
l I shall be; away a month"
hi "a rest? My dear, Barbara sail
Eher husband .irritably, what have yol
2 Fbutf rest in this quiet, comfortabl,
2 Ehouse all day long? You experience
= none of the wear and tear and rusl
that 1 have to endure from mornin'
2 till night. But do you ever hear mi
? calling out for a rest? Wait till An
gust, and then we can take the chill
dren to the country
HI THAT wouldn't give me the rest
e Irequire. OF course, shall go with TIL
g children as usual, but want the mex
r Emonth all, to myself"
n Upon my word, l thought it was
Q woman's greatest happiness to be wit
d her children
I'll Her eyes met his tranquility.
81 .,'tT have always thought so, David" !.
I'll s'eAnd nowp-he was gradually work
II ing himself up into bad temper, nes
i or very difficult to do at any time
gi '.the fact is that cousin of yours l11a
y been coming and putting silly notion
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