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Show J OUR BOYS AND GIRLS f WHEN GRANDMA COMES TO OUR HOUSE. (S. E. Kiser.) When grandma come? to our house I ni always awful glad, Because she always- takes my part Whcm I've done something bad She asks my- papa pleaso to not Begin and punish me, And then she shames him when she says How bad he used to be. When I was slidin' yisterday And tore- my trousers so She said: "Now. James, don't whip him, for You did those things, you know." And then he sneaked away, upstairs, And grandma looked at me And paid I'm just the kind of boy My papa used to be. And, one day, when' I runned away And stayed till nearly night, And then come homo without my hat And was an awful sight. My paint stormed, and I'm afraid That he'd 'a' punshed me If grandma hadn't told him then How bad her used to be. I'm awful glad when; grandma comes, ' 1 wisht sne'd always stay, 'Cause that's the time that I don't git A lickin' every day. And there's a look in papa's face That's verv nice to see When grandma says I'm just the kind Of boy he used to be. EMILY'S GRADUATION. "Yes, our class has decided to give the graduating class a fine send-off this year." Emily glanced a little questioningly at her mother, who waited to hear more. "It is going to be rather expensive the junior class being smaller than usual this year," added Emily. "I don't hold with the principle of girls and boys in school giving ex pensive entertainments. "But what are you going to do, mother?" Emily spoke a little impatiently. impa-tiently. "It's the thing nowadays for juniors to eive a party to the graduates. gradu-ates. If I had my own say so in the matter, of course I wouldn't have it so. But I'm only one among- many, and all the others are agreed on it. We have to rent a hall and hire a band and other things. Then there will be my dress now, mother, don't look so doleful." dole-ful." "I am wondering where the money 13 to come from for your share of all this." said mother, gently. "Dear me I'm tired always hearing about that. Whatever I want to do it's money money." Emily spoke with the fretfulness belonging with the underlying un-derlying feeling that her mother was right and she wrong. . "I find too much re'ason for rejoicing in the abundant opportunities placed before young people in the'se days for obtaining a good' education to leave room for complaint about money pressure," pres-sure," said mother. "There is plenty for all reasonable things." I knew you'd look at it that way. "And. there not being enough to cover things which come under the other head, there is nothing for it but to decide on. what among the things must be cut off. It must make a change in our summer plans." Emily left the room with an uneasy feeling as to what that change must be. Mother had been looking ill of late careworn and run down, as even her young daughters could easily see. There had been a plan forming for her to take an outing this summer, to consist con-sist of a long visit to a sister who lived in a distant state. Mother had protected pro-tected against the expense, but Emily and Janet had o.uietly borne it in mind Now this new prospect of expense had arisen. , ., "But we'll manage it somehow, said Emily 'to herself, resolutely putting aside the unwelcome thought of their i plans for mother being changed. Hall, lighting, band, floral decorationsand decora-tionsand the refreshments must be in keeping with such grandeur. It had not yet been ascertained exactly what the expense would be. but very well Emily could guess that the quota to each one of the junior class would be large. Up to this time mother had made her dresses, aim had the girls come to the sight of her natient face bending over the sewing machine as to think little of the burden it must be to her. Xow Emily had made up her mind that her dre?3 must be made by a regular dressmaker. "I'm getting too old for home-made doings. And for such a grand affair as that is going to be!" A day or two later she was called on by a friend. . "I came to ask you if you and your mother would go with me to the funeral fu-neral of Mrs. Mayne," she said. We didn't know her at all, said E"Nor I." said her friend, "but my mother did. She's the mother of those Mayne boys, one in the graduating class and the other in ours. They haven't been here very long, ana mother thinks they may not be many at the funeral." . , Emily, with her mother, assemea, and soon found themselves entering the house of mourning. In the darkened room in which lay the mother of the household were three boys whose hearts seemed breaking as they bent over the coffin fo rthe long, sad farewell. Emily stood near an open window and in a pause in the services could hear low-voiced low-voiced words of some who were talking talk-ing on the porch outside. "No they'll never know it, those buys, 'and, of course, it's better they shouldn't know." '. ' , ... ... . .. ..' ,.... "But you can't expect much in the way of thought fulness of boys." "Well, I don't know. Seems to me even boys ought to have a little consideration consid-eration for their mother. It's more than I can account for that they should have seen their mother slaving for them day in and day out. She was ambitious for them and would have worked her very heart out, rather than that they should I ever go without anything that other boys had." "That's about what she's done" "Yes. They've never noticed how she's grown thinner and paler. If there had been anybody to have picked her up and seen to it, that she stopped working her life away, she might have stayed with them for years yet just in the time of their lives when they need a mother most." "If it had been girls 'twould have been different" The talk came to an end as the coffin, was borne from the room. As three boys from whose home the light and comfort had gone out slowly followed it, Emily glanced at her mother, who had been given a seat in another part of the room. It might have been the sad influences of the occasion which had given an added seriousness to her face, but what she saw there fixed Emily's gaze. As her mother leaned back in the large chair there was a look of weaxiness on the patient face-and in the folded hands which her daughter had never before noticed. With- eyes sharpened by suggestions sug-gestions contained in what she had just heard she keenly scanned her mother's face. Surely she was deepening and gray hairs multiplying on the temples. "If it had been girls." A hot wave arose to Emily's face as she realized the words. Were girls really more considerate consid-erate of their mothers than boys? In the few hours following the young in her life. "There's a meeting of the committee after study hours. We have to decide on everything, and appoint committees to order things." So Emiily was told one day soon after the funeral. Her heart sank as she heard the words. "Xow I must do it. But how can I? It will be the hardest thing I ever did in my life." And, seated in one of the smaller class rooms with the other members of the committee of arrangements for the party to be given, by the graduating clags, she more and more keenly felt the hardnes sof what she had svt herself her-self to do. During a good deal of preliminary pre-liminary talk she was silent. Plans were discussed, and with the discus- i sum me impetus towards extravag-ant outlay seemed to decrease. "O dear!" Emily communed with her perturbed self. "What can I do against all the ethers? I might just as well let matters take their course" But mother's face arose before her, and she braved herself to her resolution. resolu-tion. "I can put it that things have arisen to stand in the way of my taking part in their undertaking. Or that other things which I wish to do forbid my spending the money. But nonsense. Haven't I enough resolution to speak right out the straight, honest truth, and no beating around.it?" There was a little choking in her" throat as. appealed to fer her opinion on some important point, she felt that her time had come. ' "I ought to tell you." she began, "that I do net see my way clear to join with you in all this. I think it all delightful, and I should enjoy it more than I can, tell. I den't want you to think I mean any criticism, but of course it's all right for the rest of you. but it wouldn't be right for me. because I cannot afford to spend so much money." Her voice had begun with a falter, but grew firm as she closed. There was a little husih. during which Emily was divided between relief in having saiid what it was hard to sav. and speculation specu-lation as to how her friends miffht t?.l:e it. "I feel exactly as you do about it, Emily," at length one of her friends t illU, minims tji"in--T . ts from Emily. "Well, I'm willing to say I do, too." said another. "I've felt it all along, but I hadn't the bravery to sav so." "My father says,", began another, "that it is all wrong for the pupils of a school to get up things that may be burdensome to some of their number. He says that while eome can do it as well as not, there must always be those to whom it comes hard. I can't say it as he did, but you all know what I mean." "I'm ready to say." spoke up one with energy, "that plenty of the lass will be glad and thankful to give it up. They've felt just that way about it, only no one has had the courage to say it before." "But must it all be given up? Can't we have something on a more moderate scale?" "I move that we invite the graduat ing class to meet wun us m tne ecnooi assembly hall. We to furnish the music ourselves. To be no decoration, except what we can- do ourselves. To have good but simple refreshments." The proposition was discussed, and finally enthusiastically adopted. There were a few discontented murmurs, but it was easy to see that a load had been lifted from the majority. "Xow, Xett," Emily carried the news to her sister, "you're not to say one word to a single soul in the house about this." "Xot to mother?" "Not to mother. I am goiing to uiv her to understand that our plans have, bfero changed, that we arf going t' take things more mod.-rately than was at first thought of just to ease her dear heart of most of the burden; but O Xett. Xett. 1 have- sm lv a wonderful scheme in my head, it's not to be whis- pered into the- ears' of sib r.ee only t- father an 1 Aunt Margar.-t, and anyone. j. we have t let in t, help along-. Now, j remember whenever mother offers) me ; any money to pay tho.se school (liter- tainment bills, I take it without a, j word." 5 "But I thought" bgan J;unet. "Never mind what you thought. Just I listen, and keep mum." So Emily told her plan, and from that I time the two carried on a gentle- con- s. spiracy against mother. When she in- I eidentally soke of ' herself needing-nothing needing-nothing in th way of new clothing that summer, she having decided that it was best to defer her journey, it was quietly quiet-ly aequiescetl in. and made a reason for putting- her present wardroKe in the-bes.t the-bes.t possible order, and to this the girls- settled with energy as soon as the school year came to a close. And as the-hot the-hot days wore on there came a time when a trunk was brought from the attic down to mother's room. As Emily bent over it, giving orders to Jan.'t, who was opening and shutting mother's drawers and: closet, mother put her hand on her shoulders and gave her a little shake. "Sit down," she said, half laughing, half soberly, "sit down, Janet, and explain ex-plain to me. both of you. ail that has y been going on just a. little beyond my knowledge. I haven't seen very mu-h, but something has been in the air." The girls exchanged glances. "Mother, dear, what do vou mean? What has been in the air?" "Things which have puzzleit me. You are keeping something from m dears. I haven't quite understood, and it has hurt me just a little. I must confess. con-fess. Emily is all eagerness about getting get-ting money, for bills, she says, but I have always before known what bills;. You have had mail matter of which knew nothing. You spend hours and hours in your rooms doing things I don't know of." "Oh, motner, moiner janec laughed, but the tears were in Emilv's; eyes. "Xett, go and bring the lace ties and the ruffles and fixings that we have, spent such hours and hours about. It is time, anyway, that they were going into the till of that trunk." f Janet brought a pile of dainty dress f accessories, made over with infinite. painstaking from things belongine; to f the three. "And you might as well bring that j. box that came this morning. That's j another thing we've hidden from you, mother. And here are the letter one your ticket, mother, for you are to. be. gin your journey the day after tomor- row. Xo. you needn't protest. We j have watched all the corners, and we know there isn't a single thing for . i which you would wish any delay. We've got your black silk fixed witn a, new lilac front. You are to take my new skirt handy that we are both, of a size. Your new bonnet will come home-tonight, home-tonight, and here is your suit what a. time I did have that day taking your measurement you making such a fuss as drove me into all sorts of subterfuges subter-fuges to get out of telling you what I was about. Isn't it a beauty, mother ; dear, and just the color you like. that cool-looking dark gray." Mother sat down with a face so full ; of amazement that Emily now cried in, good earnest. "Oh. mother, darling it isn't a bit complimentary to us that you take it as such a wonder when we try to. do things for you. It just shows what , selfish, ur.dutiful creatures we hav bet-n. You have always spent every , thing on us and done everything for us. 1 and we have let you. But we are feeling feel-ing a little differently of late, and have made up our minds that it Is full time that mother should have a chance." |