The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-04-06
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
RH.UVTNGSTONE.
ICopyrisht by ELEANOR H. PORTER)

so busy. An he kissed her an patted
her. But he always began right away
to talk Of the comet; an ten to one
he didn't disappear into the observa-
tory within the next five minutes. Then
your ma would look so grieved an sor-
~ an 60 off an cry, an maybe not
come down to dinner, at all.
swell then, one day things got so
bad your grandma took hand. She
was up an around the house, though
she kept mostly to her own rooms.
But Of course she, saw how things was
goin'. Besides, told her-some.
Twas no more than my duty, as I
looked at 1t. She just worshiped your
pa, an naturally she'd want things
right for him. SO one day she told me
to tell her sons wife to come to her
in her room.
"An' I did, an she came. Poor lit
tie thing! I couldn't help bein' sor-
ry for her. She didn't know a thing
Of what was wanted Of her, an she
was so glad an happy to come. You
see, she was lonesome, suppose.
"'Me? Want me?-Mother Ander-
son? she cried. oh, I'm so glad!
Then she made it worse by runnin' up
the stairs an bouncin' into the room
like a rubber ball, an cryin': Now,
what shall I do, read to you, or sing
to you, or shall we play games? I'd
love to do any of them! Just like
that, she said 1t. I heard her. Then
went out, of course, an left them.
But I heard most everything that
was said, just the same, for was
right in the next room dustin and
the door wasn't quite shut.
"First your grandmother said real
pehte-she was always polite-but In
a cold little voice that made even me
shiver in the other room, that she did
not desire to be read to or sung to,
and that she did not wish to play
games. She had called her daughter
in-law in to have serious talk with
her! Then she told her, still very
polite, that she was noisy an child
ish, an undignifed, an that 1t was
not only silly, but very wrong for her
to expect to have her husbands entire
attention; that he had his own work,
an it was a very important one. BE
was going to be president Of the col
lege some day, like his father before
him; an it was her place to help him
In every way she could-help him to
be popular an welLliked by all the
college people an students; an he
couldn't be that If she insisted all the
time on keepin' him to herself, or look
in sour an cross If she couldn't have
him.
'Of course that aln't all she said;
but I remember this part particular
on account of what happened after
ward. You see-your ma-she felt
awful bad. She cried little, an
sighed a lot, an said she'd try, she
really would try to help her husband
in every way she could; an she
wouldn't ask him another once, not
once, to stay with her. An she
wouldn't look sour an cross, either.
She'd promise she wouldn't. An she'd
try, she'd try, oh, so hard, to be proper
an dignified.
"She got up then an went out OF
the room so quiet an still you wouldn't
know she was movin'. But heard her
up in her room cryin' half an hour
later, when stopped minute at her
door to see If she was there. An
she was.
"But she wasn't cryin' by night.
Not much she was! She'd washed her
face an dressed herself up as pretty
as could be, an she never so much
as looked as if she wanted her hus-
band to stay with her, when he said
right after supper that he guessed
he'd 20 out to the observatory. An
twas that way right along after that:
I know, cause I watched. You see,
knew what she'd said she'd do. Well,
she did it.
.'Then, pretty quick after that she
began to get acquainted in the town.
Folks called, an there was parties an
receptie1s where she met folks, an
they began to come here to the house.
specially them students, an two or
three of them young, unmarried pro-
fessors. An she began to go out a
let with them-skatin' an sleighr1dln
an snowshoein'.
like it? OF course she liked 1t!
Who wouldn't? Why, child, you never
saw such a fuss as they made over
your ma in them days. She was all
the rage; an of course she liked IT..
What woman wouldn't, that was gay
an lively an young, an had been SO
lonesome like your ma had? But some
other folks didn't like it. An your
pa was one of them. This time twas
him that made the trouble. know,
cause heard what ne said one DAY
to her In the library.
yes, I guess I was in the next rQom
that day, too-er1dustin', proDaDly.