The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-08-02


.what do you think, mother
It's Mrs. Bright's birthday
and what do you s'pose she said ?"
something sensible. whatever
it was, I'm sure. But people do
think she is odd sometimes. What
was it?"
'This morning when / stopped
to get Butch to go fishing she
was talking to him in the hall.
Butch's father had given him half
a dollar to buy bait and stuff like
that. But here Mrs. Bright was
saying to Butch, oliver, expect
you to buy me a birthday present.
You have enough money there to
get me two nice handkerchiefs or
a box of paper. But I'd rather be
surprised than to know about 1t.
I'd rather you chose It yourself.
"Well, Butch was gulpin'
around and lookin' kinda funny
and gee. / didn't know what to
say. / couldn't help thinking,
MY goodness, my mother would
MT do such a selfish thing as
that. She'd want me to go and
have a good time and not expect
me to spend money that was my
own all on a present when 1t was
the only money I had in all the
| world
"What happened?"
Gum Drops for Mother
"Well, Butch went and spent
| twenty cents on can of gum
drops and told the grocery boy
to take 1t over with the order.
| We had to hurry. But think Mrs.
Bright must be crazy. She sent
| it back. And when Butch came
home she said she had some talk
ing to do with him.
''She wasn't mad, but she look
ed awfully set about something.
Honest, I think she'd been crying.
| What difference did it make
whether she didn't like gum drops
or not? Anyway, I just thought
| about you. I never give you any
thing on your birthday and you
never say a word. Dad always
gives you something and that
does for me-. too"
/ The boys mother was silent for
a moment and then she said,
Robert, there is more to this
than you think. Mrs. Bright Is
trying to put an idea into her
sons head, and / admire her for
1t. Size is trying to make him UNI
| derstand that she counts, that she
must be thought of and remem-
bered. She knows he loves her
| just as you love me, but younS
people get out of the habit os
thinking their parents are impor-
tant or must have thought and
a little sacrifice spent on them.
Scientific Works Both Waws
| IL know that she has given up
hundreds of things to make Oliver
happy, and now he thinks she can
just go on doing it forever with
out the least effort on his part to
consider her. 1t is hard to ex-
| plain to you, my dear, but consid-
| Grafton of others has to be set by
habit sometimes.
| "Once Oliver gets the habit of
thinking of her, and Of his father.
he will grow in 1t and after a
while he will be glad. He'll see
that 1t took some or the Selflsh-
ness on: of him and turned his
Thoughts to somebody else. The
day will come when he will thank
her. He was very rude about
sending the candy home with the
delivery boy. She did the right
thing, exactly.
"All of you young people must
be made q little more thoughtful.
After this I want you to remem-
Der my birthday. too. And stop
taking 1t for granted your father
will substitute for you. Tell me.
do you think I am as important
as Miss Trent? You gave her a
book when she left school"
Robert stared at her "a second
and then said huskily, Gee, nom,
I guess I've been thinking of
everybody else first but you. And
Butch-just you wait. I'm goin'
over and give him thunder. Can
of gum drops! Bah, the lousy
lizzard!'
Copyright. 1895, NEA Service, Inc.
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