Year: 1879

and still we sat, silent and grim as ghosts,


solemnly stitching away at the endless rents.
Cad" said Kate at last, jerking out


he words as If she hated them, I" how do


you like it 2"


"Like what 2" asked in astonishment


"This life of slavery. This humdrum


everlasting stick-to-it, unsatisfactory exist


ence' With not speck of spice in the way


oil variety about it.. Just over and over,


round and round, until we seek our rest low


in the ground"


"Oh, Kate !" | exclaimed almost shocked.


not so bad as that; not nearly SO bad as


that"


eyes, worse than that with many, very


many, Cad Rouncewell. My plain opinion,


very plainly expressed, is that women are


''Why Kate"


"Don't why Kate me. Just look at the


mending basket. 1t has been filled and


emptied year after year; filled by our


carelessness and emptied by our mothers


slavish toll, and we, great healthy, over


grown girls, sat calmly by and saw her do it,


And she, weak, unselfsh woman that she is


hadn't snap about her TO rap us over the
head for our ugliness."


opened my mouth to say something, but
she made dab at me with her needle and
desisted


"Don't expostulate !" she exclaimed, "T
hate it. Look at yourself as you are, and as
| you have been ever since you was born,
little, useless bit Of furniture and see if you
don't look ugly. | have been taking Just
such view of myself ever since we've found
ourselves trying to fill mothers place and
found we couldn't, and I've got so full of
Indignation at myself for being so blind, and
at mother for being so foolish, that I shall
burst if | don't out with it,


"But we can't help it now, Kate" ven
| tured to demonstrate.


"No, of course we can't, you goose
| The past isn't ours, but the present is, and
| the future may be- That's what I'm com
ing at, exactly. We must not let mother
and father die yet awhile"
Die !" ] exclaimed, shocked beyond ex.
preston.


Yes, Caddy, | didn't notice it any more
than you have until the past two weeks;
but 1t seems to me now, that could count
every furrow in fathers careworn brow, and
every thread of mothers whitening hair.
They are old beyond their years, Caddy.
They have been worked to death, and be-
cause they loved us so well as to bear it all
patiently, we never saw it,"


kate's voice was all of tremble, and /
burst into tears.


Mother is an intellectual woman" she
went on in moment, with mind capable
OF rare development. But how much time
do you suppose she has had for reading and
reflection beyond the wants and necessities
OF her large family? And don't you know,
Cad, how often we have excused ourselves
from reading aloud to her, letting her sit
digging away into this very basket, solitary
and alone through the long evening hours. /
fairly hate myself when | think of it,


did too, by this time and / said so.
But, Katie" | added, " isn't there bright
side to it somewhere ?"


I'VE can make one," she answered de.
cisively. " have been thinking of that, and
how would it do to work and get the house
cleaning all done before she gets home? 1t
Will be vacation next week, and Rose and
Nellie will be here to help us"


To this plan gladly consented, and then
we went to bed. When we arose next morn
ing it was with very different views of life
and its stern realities from what we had
ever cherished before. But we were deter
mined to enter into the conflict armed with
strength higher than our own, and through
that to conquer. Aud we did. Two weeks
more and the house wore new aspect from
garret to cellar; everything was as fresh and
clean as could be- and well repaid we felt
Tor all our toll. One spot in the house was
an especial attraction, and that was mothers
and fathers room hitherto bare, sparsely
furnished apartment, with the same stamp
of self-denial upon it, there had always been
upon everything that was individually their
own, bat now the most CHEEKY tastefully ar
ranged OF any room in the house. We girlo
had plae4ned the renovation, and John, dear,
f,11 Ill l.. Il. o.. 4
bills And now, with all in readiness for
her coming, with a well cooked meal upon
the table, with an air of thrift and neatness
upon everything, which gave us the utmost
we looked for our mother home.
But when she came-when we saw the dear
face looking eagerly out of the hack window
to catch a glimpse of home and its treasured
revulsion of tears was too much
for us, and we ran behind the door to hide
our tears Such foolish thing, but we did
not stay there long She called us as she came
in, and we came out of our hiding place all
as we were and greeted her. And
such time as we had taking her over the
house and witnessing her delight and surprise,
mingled with little soft-hearted rebukes for
our working so hard while she was gone.
But when she came upon her own room,
and her eyes fell upon the bright new carpet,
tnt beu Wltu llS SNOWY Spredu ana ruined
pillow, the easy chair and dressingtable
with all its little appointments, it was really
to hear her exclaim over the ex-
travagance we had been guilty of, and all
for the sake of woman who was fast grow
ing old. But oh, when we told her we had
done it all that she might dwell in perpetual
youth, when we whispered in her ear the
lesson we had learned by putting ourselves
in her place, when we told her what we pro-
posed to do in the future, that she might
live, not as slave, but as a queen among
her children, how her heart melted into
tears, and with what manifest love she
clung to u.s.


Aud as the years still come and go we are
reaping a blessed recompense The rich
reward of our struggle with idleness and
we see before us in the faces
of our loved and loving parents, where sits
a sweet content and beams look of youth
once more. They share with us our pleas.
ures and our entertainments, we share with
them the otherwise solitary hours, and in
the interchange of thought and feeling find
wisdom we could have gained from no other
source. Rejoicing in the knowledge that we
are smoothing for them the rugged pathway
Of mortality, we feel our recompense TO be
incorruptible being assured that it is as gold
laid up in the treasure-house of God, and
bringing forth an dred-fold-Household.





HumorsOme Waits.


IT is singular thing that no railroad


tl.A