Newspaper Page Text
22 T
The Family
THE HOME DAYS.
By Margaret E. Sangster.
When the goldenrod has withered,
And the maple-leaves are red;
When the robin's nest is empty,
And the cricket's prayers are said;
In the silence and the shadow
Of the swiftly hastening fall,
Come the dear and happy home days,
Days we love the best of all.
Then the household gathers early,
And the firelight leaps and glows
Till the old hearth in its brightness
Wears the glory of the rose;
Then the grandsire thinks of stories,
And the children cluster sweet,
And the floor is just a keyboard
For the baby's pattering feet.
****
Oh, ihe dear face of the mother,
As she tucks the laddies in;
Oh, the big voice of the father,
Heard o'er all the merry din;
Home, and happy, homely loved ones,
How they weave their spells around
Heart and life and creed and memory,
in me mrinsieaa s iiuiy gruuiiu:
When the goldenrod has faded,
When the maple leaves are red.
When the empty nest Is clinging
To the branches overhead,
In the silence and the shadow
Of the hurrying later fall
Come the dear days, come the home days,
In the year the best of all.
CROWDED OUT? OR AN OPPORTUNITY?
By Mrs. W. W. Hayden.
"Auntie, dear, I've just dropped In for
a minute on my way home. I could not
pass you by," and Mrs. Hart threw off her
iurs ana Kisseu lovingly uie ueai uiu
lady in the arm chair.
"That's right, dear?draw up your little
cha r as usual and tell me all you have
been doing. I take my activities nowadays
through you?I'm a useless old
body?" but the words were cut short by
the pressure of a white hand on her lips.
"You shall not say such a thing, dearest,"
said AJice Hart, resting her arm
lightly on her friend's knee. "What
would I and many others be without
your advice and help? All I ever do is
owing io your influence. wouia 1 ever
have gone to our woman's society and
worked as I do if you had not suggested
is? I never thought of doing such things
before I knew you. Now shall I tell you
about our box we are sending to the missionary
in South Dakota? I regard all I
do as just your work."
Without waiting for an answer Mrs.
j-^art went on. "It's a fine box?the best
we ever sent, rlenty of warm necessities
and some luxuries as well. I like the getting
of them best of all. They can't have
many; and don't we all like to get what
we don't need sometimes?"
"Yes," said Aunt Hope, "I never forget
that, and at Christmas I give my poor
friends Just something that I think they
I f
I
HE PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOU*]
Y
don't need. They will get stockings and
mittens somehow?I'll see to that; but
the little unnecessary pleasure is the one
I try to give them at Christmas time.
But the box; what family has the mis
sionary?"
"Just the right kind to work for, a girl
of ten, a boy of seven and twin girls of
four. It has been such fun to sew for the
?the twins; and we imagine them the
prettiest darlings. I sometimes wonder?"
she broke off with a little laugh,
"if distance does not lend enchantment.
It may be easier to be enthusiastic in
working for people who are far away.
Suppose the twins were ugly, cross-eyed
nine tilings! Auntie. I'm afraid I would
not care to work for them so much."
Aunt Hope joined in the laugh and
stroked lovingly the soft hand she held.
"I've never* tried working for people
near at hand, and I very much doubt if
even all your influence cculd render my
neighbor very attractive to me if she was
ugiy, and perhaps not very clean. But,
Auntie, speaking of neighbors reminds
me (to change the subject), do you know
we are talking of moving?"
Aunt Hope uttered an exclamation ot
surprise.
"Of moving, my dear! Is it possible
your husband can be willing to leave the
home where four generations of his family
have livedSuch a heritage does not
often fall to a man in our country, and
though the house is old-fashioned, 1
thought you appreciated its associations
and real old beauty too much to mind
that."
"I don't mind that one bit," said Alice,
"and I am almost as fond and proud of
the old place as Jack is. You don't often
see such spacious rooms! But the truth
is we are simply being crowded out. The
neighborhood has changed so utterly, and
the houses around us are just turning
into tenempnt hnnsoo .1 " -
mwwwvw. A ??v. pwi aiJU lUC
working classes are taking possession of
the neighborhood. We are being crowded
out," she repeated emphatically, "and 1
think we'll have to go. Is it not a
shame?"
There was no reply from the quiet listener
in the arm chair, and Alice pres1
ently grew impatient. She was not quite
1 at ease in the matter, for it had only been
her insistence that had caused her husband
even to consider the idea of giving
up the ancestral home which was dearer
to him than any material possession, and
the young wife wanted the approbation
or tbis valued friend to sustain her in
her half-formed purpose.
"What do you think about it, Auntie?
Jack told me to ask you. Don't you think
we are being crowded out and should
go?"
"I was th'nking something so different,
dear child," was the old lady's reply, and
her smile was very sweet and tender as
she met the flushed young face looking
up into hers. "Not that you are being
'crowded out*?no, I was thinking?what
a great privilege and opportunity brought
to your very door."
"Auntie," was the indignant protest, "I
don't know what you mean. If you ran
up against such people every time you
went out your door, would you call it a
privilege?"
"Yes, dear," smiled the old lady steadily?,
"a privilege and an opportunity."
Alice was silent, really hurt at her
rH. January 27, 1909.
friend's failure to enter Into her point of
view.
"It's so much ampler," went on Aunt
Hope, "you don't have to reach out to
South Dakota; some one must, but you
need not, nor even go about the city
hunting your work. I like to have my
work put right down by me. It is easier
to be sure you're doing your own. And
you know 'it is when we give up doing
the work He gives us that trouble begins.'
Yes it's so simple and such an
opportunity."
"I dont see it," said Alice discontentedly,
"I don't see anything for me to do
there, and I do feel we are being crowded
out. But I know It will half kill Jack to
leave that house."
Aunt Hope made no reply in words. She
was a wise old woman, and she knew
Alice well.
Only when she came for her good-bye
kiss she took her in her arms with unusual
tenderness and said softly, "Goodbye,
dearie. Come soon again, and go on
being busy for me, for I have to sit with
folded hands."
It was a week before Alice came again,
and after the loving greetings between
them were over, she drew the low seat
beside the arm chair.
With rather a heightened color she
spoke. "You won't let me he idle and a
cumberer of the ground any more in
peace, iuu Keep stirring me up even
when I'm away from you. Confess now
you have been praying and planning me
into all kinds of things this past week!
You look guilty! Call yourself useless!
Well, you won't let anyone else be, that
is sure."
"What have I been doing now?" asked
Aunt Hope meekly, but there was a light
in her eyes. "Are you and Jack going
to move?"
"Going to move! You wicked Auntie!
I believe Jack would have done it to
please me?"
"Of course," put in Aunt Hope.
"But you know you would not let me,
and he does look awfully happy now I've
given it up. Now do you want to hear
what is suggested as your latest activity?
You will rival our president if you
keep on."
"Do tell me," was the eager reply.
"I'm always so glad of new work."
"I'll tell you." There was a touch of
irony in the soft tones. "Miss Stone, the
VlOQ/1 A# A r" ' * ~
uvou ui Luc AUDiui oireei settlement.
Is a dear friend of ours, and she took
dinner with us one night this week. Jack
had to go out afterwards, and we had
a long talk alone. I told her my plan
for moving, or rather my troubles in regard
to the old place. I thought, as
she knew how trying it was to live
among such people, she would sympathize
with me. I told her what you had .
said, and will you believe she took Just
your view of the matter? She was enthusiastic
about it. "Why had I never
thought of it before?' With my big
house and nothing to do. etc. Sh? an.
tually congratulated me and asked what
I had in mind to do. I meekly replied,
with a sarcastic smile which was lost
on her, that I had not quite decided, and
what would she suggest? And will you
believe, the creature had a plan at the
tip of Jier tongue. My 'gift' of sowing is
to be used, also my 'musical and social
gifts,' and the treasures of art of the