The Washington herald., 1922-01-29
HER MOTHER

THoUGA seven years ..-. passeu. Mrs.
Andrew Mitchell remembered every -
tail Of her daughter Muriel's wedding photo
graphically.
She remembered what a pahs It gave her
that II was the hand of Muriel's old nurse,
Norsh Fagan, and not her own hand, that
bestowed the last Strengthening out tvitch
to MEsiel's white satin train as it rippled
from the vestibule into the aisle to the we'd
ding march from "Lohengrins'
She remembered how strangely solemn
Muriel's father looked as he stood by the
bride and gave her away to Henry Anderson.
IL was fathers hand and not mothers.
Outwardly the picture Of all that the
mother Of bride should be, Mrs. Mitchell,
through the service that spelt unspeakable
tragedy for her, carried an insurgent heart
and q mind Of mutiny. When the minister
uttered those dreadful words, ''If any man
can show Just cause why they may not law
fully Be Joined together, let him now speak,
o. else hereafter hold his peace" she felt
like uytng out from the turmoil Of re-
bslifon IN her soul that q monstrous robbery
was going on under the sanction Of the
Church and the eyes Of minister and con-
gresaton. For her to be reconcled was to
compound a felony.
What has a mother to do with her daush-
tsr's wedding except to pr,psre the victim
fr the sacrifice? She never can make
Lady Der own mind for the event.
To others who looked on 1t was a mar
riAss after abs long eseahkIhed order, but to
the mother 1t was like a funeral. The
rest might stsrt and smile; crane, murmur
and be cuIiops: whisper behind their hand,
snd make their supercilious comparisons.
20 them 1t was an impersonal affair. But
tee rlothsr, through a blur of tears, saw
IG daugftec going out of her life almost
ss though the Angel Of Death said, Come -
He- daughter in the final hours had clunr
to ner and petted her as much as the dress
maker. With pins In her mouth, would per-
uir; had cried and promised; was fond and
kept repeating the assurance that she would
never, never 60 far away or be absent a
long tine; but she took the promise warm on
her lips to the erasure Of a husband.
kisses, and mother and daughter were to
meet thereafter with the first love Of tn.
oeusnter 'iyen quite out Of her mothers
ssepinE to the man who took her for
Frsrteh; v,o claimed in a moment what q
nethsr had been loving and living for all
the years. And yet, after the be-
reNVins ceremony, Mrs. Mitchell had To
SAna ct the reception like soldier on the
Wig hne, though weak As one who AFTER
hSe&s learns to walk again; and she had
MAKE her face smile and her lips form
words and her hands 20 through the motions
f fleeting As the world and his wife fled
pcG and variously saluted the bride. her
laughter, and then, waved By the vhits
ho-e OF a majestic Negro waiter, Glove a
path to the croquettes and the ice cream in
As dining room.
ALL THAT wa, seven yesr, .,o. But,.
mothers years are different To GOD
SRI to mother years are as a day
MurfeFs father died soon after tn. v,dd;nx
snd Mrs. Mitchell was more and more COM
9anioned with her memories Often through
!sose memories the little Muriel leaped and
flashed and laughed like a fountain, climb
leg into her lap to be comforted with kiss.,
or to be told story old as the hills and
new as the evening star. 1t seemed no
turning OF time backward to the PRAYER OF
a-tiny, sleepy figure that squirmed in canton
flannel against her knee and mum tled.
Now l lay me-" and asked God pleas.
to bless by name, with mothers promnt-
ing, the long, long list Of those that Mu.isl
loved. Mother had kept some Of the things
fond mothers have way Of keeping: she
had photographs Of Muriel at every aEe
that she could not bear to take out and could
not bear to put away again. She had saved
pink worsted sock, and when she touch.d
1t she thrilled again to the soft fat pinkness
of the chubby little leg it had encased. Their.
was chestnut brown snippet of the curls
and the pang It had been when the barber
clipped them was a faint forecast Of the
pain OF tse severance on Muriel's weddtnz
day.
She had but the handful Of the treasures
she was shy to tell of them; and
though she was alone when she fingered
them, it was then that sh. felt least soli-
tsry.
WHEN Muriel brought her children
w Teddy. aged six, ard Betty, aged two
to see gamma" a matter of sixty
nsiles and two hours by train, 1t would have
done your heart good to see how gam
ma" expanding fowerwise, found the
warmth and the Hght again because th.
children, lyrical as music, buoyant as soap
bubbles and toy balloons, made her take hold
sfresh On life. 1t lad been so since Teddy
and Betty came for tie first time.
Yes, they might tell gamma" about
the other grandchildren, but there never
were on earth the like of Teddy and Betty
She didn't say this because they were her
Erandchildren-she said it because It was
true. She repeated their quaint sayings
when any one would listen, ind when there
was none to listen she said them over To