Year: 1874

solid flnd or experience slnce lhch 10 "n
expert in curing beef or conducting
Dorcas societies, OF can chatter OF Darwin
or the comet learnedly; but the
men who used to flock about her turn In
differently away now that she has something
to say worth hearing, and if this poor, super
annuated Polly should happen to be
still rose tinted, saucy and gay, feeling
herself not day older than SIX
teen, they regard her through half-closed,
supcrcious eyes, and pronounce her "a fine
woman, and well preserved" with an IN
dulyence that brings the indignant blood to
her heart and the tears to her eyes. AS 1or
P0lly-nobody loves the child as she does, OF
course. 1t was only year or two ago that
she lost her sleep every night with her cole
and Group. The little girl has not had the
measles yet, and is shockingy behindhand
with her tables and arithmetic, but she is
almost broken of hcr habit OF giggling 30
the mother cackles on, as hen over the egg
which she means shall bring forth little
motherly hen just like herself she does not
see the bird of paradise that has chIpped


the shell and become the delight OF the world
for a day. There is nothing paradisiacal to
her in Polly she is the plumpeSt OF ller girls
not half so steady or intelligent as Jane,
thinks more of her mutton chops and waflles
than any of the others, and is, unfortunately,
more given to fibbing. Her mother is delighted
when from the kitchen door she sees Lawyer
Pratt rein up at the cow-yard to talk to the
girl at her milking; across the drawlng-room
of the Newport cottage finds her surrounded


by gray-headed judges and Congressman, as


well as beardlcss boys but she is amazed too


What can the giddy child find to say 7 She


goes nearer to listen and help her, that she
NAV not disgrace herself by too great SILL


ness. Phil and Bob she recognizes as men,


and cedes their place to them when newly
breeched but Polly is never grown up to her
| mother The mother will shake her head


over Polly's children some day, and wonder
why Providence should give babies TO imbecle
young people.


If Polly's mother belong to the hard-worl1-


ing classes, she will quietly submit to give up
all the good cheer and frolc and ease of life
to her girls and their young men," and turn


into harder work until old age give to her as


to the old mare in the shafts a right to rest
for the end of her days and to certain
kindly consideration. There is no class i'll this
country driven to such hard persistent, wear
in, work "a the raw-bOncd, hgh-shoudered,


midile-agcd women. In the Eastern Middle,
and Western States, they form an admirable
orthodox phaanx, perpetual in well-doing, OF
ad-baking, bacOn-frying, and potato-peei-
ing, irreproachable in virtue, and of an aspect


which sets the teeth on edge to look upon.


In the South, since the war, the same class
takes part of the field-work; you shall see


them in their one garment of hOmespun wool,
their gray haIr knotted in wisp behind,
blowing side by side with the lazy negro or


staring with him with vacant, lightish eyes
over the fence at the passer-by. All the
scrimping and niggardliness of woman'5 nte
in the middle class in this country sets IN, as
one may say, between the ages of twenty and
sixty. The boys are to he educated, Polly
dressed or perhaps poor Polly comes back
penniless widow with her children. The
mother stints her own dress first. She goes
about shabby and patched. Rather and the


"boysr are ashamed of it at first then


they grow used to it, satisfied it should be
so She thinks they will think of what
sn,, has done, and thank her for it when she
ia dead p:t love is toll which it is safer
to take all along the road.


In higher classes Polly's mother IS apt to
resent her neglect by society. She is fond of
telling us it is not SO IN Europe; that Amer1-
can society is rendered vap;d and loud by the
domination of young people, etc, etc. In the
South she usually has such succession OF
infantle Polles coming yearly on the scene
that she has no time to plan any course of
action. She has no middle age. To-day she
is going to her cousins on visit with the
last baby, and cOlored nurse, and bottle OF
milk, and tomorrow she is an old woman.
But in the long inteTegnum of middle 9ge i'll
the North Polly's mother has too often time
TO harden and make durable for life the
weaknesses and whims which were so vague
and charming in her as Il long-agO Polly. She
sits in the background at ball or opera, and de-
cides "who's who" with that sharp, corrosive
slang of genhity which belongs to every
wonld-be exclusive circle, or she runs from
friend to dressmaker chattering the
year round of pOlOnaises, and laces, and
stone canoes, OF she takes some lit
tie creed of some little church and calls
that religion, and shutting herself and her
fellow believers into its irOn-barred heaven
together, stands at the gate barking like an
amIable Cerberus at all the world outside.
But ignore her as society may, she wields a
steady hourly influence to which Pollys charm
is as the aroma of the rose compared to the
necessary daily air. Be it well or i'll done, it
is she who makes home for husband and sons
aud in the countless majority of cases her
work is good and durable. We have not in
this country the brilliant French OF Italian
salon or the modelling influence of English
aristocraic drawing rooms, but there is no
nnrer. stronger social force at work in the