News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1922-11-22


I'm sorry about the pink dress,
dear. / knew you wanted it. But it
was not suitable at all for you-not
until you're older, dear. Mother will
have to look out that her little daugh-
ter isn't getting to be vain, and too
fond of dress"
| knew then, of course, that it was
| just some more Of that self-discipline
! business.
| But Mother never used to say any
| thing about self-discipline.
Is she getting to be like Aunt Janef
! ONE WEEK LATER
She is.
l know she Is now.
! Pm learning to cookie cook And
: It's Mother that says / must. She told
f; Aunt Hattie-I heard her-that she
thought every girl should know how to
| cook and keep house; and that If she
had learned those things when she
| was girl, her life would have been
, quite different, she was sure.
I am learning at domestic science
school, and Mother is going with me.
| didn't mind so much when she said
she'd go, too. And, really, it is quite
lot of fun-really it is. But it Is
queer-Mother and 1 going to school
together to learn how to make bread
and cake and boil potatoes! And, Of
course, Aunt Hattie laughs at us. But
| don't mind. And Mother doesn't,
either. But, oh, how Aunt Jane would
love it, If she only knew!
MAY
What do you suppose 1 am learning
now? You'd never guess. Stars. Yes,
stars And that is for Father, too.
Mother came into my room one day
I, with book Of Grandfather's under
her arm. She said it was a very won
derful work on astronomy, and she
was sure 1 would find it interesting.
She said she was going to read it
aloud to me an hour a day. And then,
when l got to Andersonville and
Father talked to me, I'd know some
thing. And he'd be pleased.
She said she thought we owed it to
Father, after he'd been so good and
kind as to let me stay here almost
three whole months of his six, so I
could keep on with my school. And
that she was very sure this would
please him and make him happy.
And SO, for most a week now, Moth
er has read to be an hour a day out
of that astronomy book. Then we talk
about it. And it is interesting. Moth
er says it is, too. She says she wishes
she'd known something about astrono-
my when she was a girl; that she's
sure it would have made things
whole lot easier and happier all
around, when she married Father; for
then she would have known some-
thing about something he was inter-
ested In. She said she couldn't help
that now, of course but she could see
that l knew something about such
things.
1t seems so funny to hear her talk
such lot about Father as she does,
when before she never used to men,
ton him-only to say how afraid she
was that l would love him better than
l did her, and to make me say over
and over again that I didn't. And 1
said so one day to her-I mean, I said
thought it was funny, the way she
talked now.
She colored up and bit her lip, and
gave a queer little laugh. Then she
grew very sober and grave, and said:
81 know, dear. Perhaps l am talk
ing more than / used to. But, you see,
I've been thinking quite a lot, and
I've learned some things. Pm trying
to make you forget what said-about
your loving me more than him. That
wasn't right, dear. Mother was wrong.
She shouldn't try to influence you
against your father. He is a good
man; and there are none too many
good men In the world-No, no, won't
say that" she broke off.
But she'd already said it. and, Of
course, knew she was thinking of the
I'm no child.
She went ON more after that, quite
a lot more, And she said again that
must love Father and try to please
him in every way and she cried a lit
lie and talked lot about how hard it
was in my position, and that she was
afraid she'd only been making it
harder, through her selfishness, and
must forgive her, and try to forget IL.
And she was sure she'd do better now.
And she said that, after all, life
wasn't in just being happy yourself.
It was in how much happiness you
could give to others.
Oh, it was lovely And ! cried, and
she cried some more, and we kissed
zach other, and 1 promised. And after
the went away Lfelt all upraised and
holy, like you do when you've been
o a beautiful church service with soft
music and colored windows, and
kneeling. And | felt as II
d never be naughty or thoughtless
gain. And that I'd never mind being