Year: 1864




and interesting, and always feel deficient
? the things pertaining to the real happiness
life after being with them. But then my m
: ther always took pains to teach me to lo'


and respect old age. She always told me tbs
my elders were my superiors that should b
careful never by my rudeness to wound th
: feelings of any one older than myself Sh
. taught me never to set and see an aged perso
= standing never to whisper and laugh 10 Ii,


presence of an aged person, lest that persol
. should think that he or she was the object Q
my laughter and for this kind teaching
: bless her. bless her, for love to mingle viii
older society [ love TO talk with the middl
aged metron; L love to look at the old lady
in cap and glasses and look with fondness
: upon the gray-haird old man. 1 could stand
for hours and look at the silver locks without


getting tired and for all this bless ami


thank my dear mother, for believe il was her
early training that has made me love to miDgle


with those who are more advanced in years.


And now, ladies and gentlemen, in conclusion, y
she said with emile which showed how en-
thusiastic she had been ia her fine little speech
g for all this l say again, give my mother


the credit, for I believe l am as prone to
fault as any one, and believe had my mother
not taken all the pains she did to teach
me wherein we young giddy things err,
should feel as Jennie does, that all the mar
ried folks are a nuisance"


propose three cheers for Miss Gray
said Mr.. Newman, who had listened very at
tentively to this little speech. and was evident
ly highly delighted with it. " Who joins me
in three cheers for Miss Gray ?''


No one," said Jennie Saunders. We
do not care TO have those old ladies running in
from the other room to see what the mat ter
/ is, ii Alice Gray does love them so dearly !;
and if we were to give three cheers they
would bei shocked to death and run in to re-
proaeh US for being so noisy"


" Why Jennie, dear, what is the matter
with you to-Dight2" said Alice, who seemed
to be the only one to take up the converse
tion except Mr.. Newman. 81 am sorry to
hear you express yourself 10 this way, for I
think were We all to mipge in older society
more, we would get through life better, enjoy
ing life more, and be more useful members of
society when we grow older ourselves, for re-
member we too will be old some day if we
live long enough"


-" Pshow p said Jennie, " l never want to
be very old. For my part hope shall not
live to be over twenty-eight or thirty, and if
do 1 never mean to be old, am never going
to go with old ladies or gentlemen. am al
ways going to be young, gay and happy, if I
live to be eighty. And now if you and Mr..
Newman wish TO 60 to the pnrlor with the
old folks, Alice, L will conduct you across the
hall; but please excuse me from staying there
with you. For tell you once for all, I am
not going to coop myself up with lot Of old
ladies"


"Oh Alice cried several Of the young la
dies, as Jennie finished the last sentence
" Don't go in there come stay and play a
game with us and Immediately they started
game, which put stop to further couversa-
tion at that time.


The evening was now far advanced, and
Alice having grown tired of the game went
into the parlor to see whether her mother
was ready to return home. O how bright and
fairy like she seemed, as she gIided into that
room with a bright smile and graceful nod
for all, as she passed on to where her mother
sat talking to an old lady of sixty-eight sum-
mers. How beautifully she looked as she sat
down after shaking hands with this dear old
lady to have few moments conversation.
With what tender love her mother watched
her as she sat there and oh how Mrs. Saun-
ders envy her friend her treasure! She sat
and looked on with bleeding heart for her
heart had been deeply wounded this night as
it had been many times before by her thought
less daughter. She thought she would have
given worlds if Jennie had acted as Alice
was then acting. What would 1 give, she
whispered within her own sorroWful hear, i'll
Jennie would come in for few moments
will go and tell her to come in the ROOM
Aud thinking thus, she started to tell Jennie TO
follow Alice's example. She approached the
room door just as the young folks we're having
lively game, aud when she opened the door
they all stopped and looked at each other as
if to say the game is blocked !" and Jennie
taking the lead, cried out in petulant voice
'' Oh mother, do go out you are spelling our
game" And so poor Mrs. Saunders, not dar-
ing to use her authority before all those gay
young ladies, returned more heart-broken than |
ever TO the parlor, just as Alice and her moth
er were about to leave; and Mr.. Newman,
who had heretofore paid all his attentions to
Miss Saunders, to Jennie's great surprise beg |
ged leave to accompany Alice and her mother |
home.


The game went on for an hour after Alice |
left; but Jennie did not enter into it as she |
did when Mr.. Newman was there. She be-
gan to think she had displayed her disposition |
little too far. She had always liked Mr.. |
Newman, and was just making up her mind |
that she would be the lady of his choice !; but |
tonight she felt that hope was fallen one, /
and therefore she was not so gay after be left,
and was perfectly wretched after they had all |
gone and she was left alone with her own !
thoughts. She sat 10 the room long time |
after the family had retired to their rooms
She finally concluded to go up stairs to her
room, and passing her mothers room-door she |
heard a voice within, aud by listening mo- /
ment she found that her mother was praying
and she was the subject of her prayers. She
stood there in the dark haIl and listened to
that tender prayer with hard cold heart, and /
turned away before the prayer was concluded.
The last words she heard as she left the room |
door came back in after years and brought |
with them bitter tears of repentance. They
did not weigh very heavy then but oh, in !
after years, when she sat alone thinking of
her early life, she almost imagined she heard |
those words breathed out in as pure earnest
ness as they had been that night: "Oh faith
er, forbid that she should ever have to bear
from child of hers what she in her thought
lessness has caused me to bear this night for
bid that she should ever reap that which she is
now sowing"


A few days after this Jennie Saunders
went to visit an older sister of hers, and spent
many months from home. When she return
ed home ii was to prepare for her marriage.
| She lad iI,., -.,c