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a visitin' with all their young ones end I did pity the professer's dear little lambs from the bottom of my heart. I know what it is to have some of your relations' spoiled darlin's swarmin' over your place for a fortnight or so, end you got to smile and pretend it's awful cute when they romp all over your plush furniture, and spill bread and molasses on your states carpet. Landy! Haven't I been through it! I tell you I begun to feel sorry for Mrs. Professer.

At last we heard a woman a scoldin' to the top of her voice to git ahead of the racket. She was jest a givin' it to 'em like she was well nigh drove beside herself.

In the breathin' spell what followed we knocked, louder than ever, end then at last when we was pretty nigh tuckered out, we heard footsteps a comin'.

The door was opened and Mary Ellen was sayin':

"Mrs. Professer, how do you do? This is my mother that I have brought to see you," before I had time to recollect where I was.

I couldn't help starin' at the lady what stood before us. She looked like she might be naterally the nicest kind of a little woman, only she was jest too tired to care to remember it. There was deep worryin' wrinkles all over the face, and although her mouth smiled in a mechanical sort of way, her eyes looked as if she wished we was somewhere else all the time. And when she said, "Oh, how do you do, Mrs. Graham, I am so delighted to meet you," I knowed it was the same voice what hed been a scoldin' so dredful jest a minute ago though you wouldn't have thought it was in her, she looked that droopin'.

Well, the room was in a terrible muss, but I didn't mind that, because I remembered when my two gals was little and how I used to say as you couldn't keep things

straight with sech little mischievous hands and feet around if you killed yourself a tryin'. And I told the lady so, sayin' especially as I knowed she had other children for company. And she smiled in right earnest as she says:

"I have no children here as company. These three and my big son are all that are here and they are all ours." And then she says kind'er proud like: "My husband doesn't believe it is wise to restrain children in the natural and healthful development of their muscles and minds."

Then she called to a little dirty towselhead with bright eyes to come and bring us some chairs. But towselhead just stood and took us in and went on with his play quite unconcerned.

Just as we come in, I caught sight of a young man with a book a slinkin' out of the other door, and the one look that he gave us out of the corner of his eyes said as plain as day, that we was a nuisance and that old women ought to know enough to stay to-home.

Well, we got to talkin' and exchangin' polite questions and homely experiences and we was beginnin' to have a right good time, when a murderous yell arose from the other corner of the room. One little feller and his sister had got to quarrelin' about a ball and both were grabbin' it and holdin' on to it fer dear life and yellin' and kickin' at each other like little animals. And Mrs. Professer again forgot that she was a nice little lady and she yelled too fer 'em to stop. However, she recollected herself right quick and begun a talkin' to 'em and reasonin' with 'em. until bimeby she got 'em agreed agen. But she says, all fagged out:

"Oh, dear! I don't know why my children will quarrel so. It's so strange, but it is so hard to make them mind and act respectful and they will hollow at each other in spite of all my talking."

Well, up to this time I had been starin'-I hope it wasn't with my mouth open-but now I was beginnin' to have some private thoughts.

Pretty soon the Professer came end he was awful nice and pleasant end he asked us to stay end have supper.

Now, I was real sorry, for I could see that his wife was that tired that every extra step was a imposition, But land! he couldn't see such trifln' things, I guess, for those awful learned thoughts in his mind and he jest couldn't take no fer an answer. "Mrs. Professer, where is your daughter Ella now?" all to once asked Mary Ellen, meanin' to hint, I guess, that she might get the sup

per.

But I wished she hadn't, fer I could see that a clowd flit over the lady's face, though she says cheerful enough, as near as I remember:

"Our home nest was gettin' too narrow for Ella's growin' ambitions, and she was chafin' under it, so we let her go to my sister in New York, where she has oppertunities to fit herself for a larger spere of activity."

That was what she says, and thinks I to myself:

"Land! And you a slavin' your life out. When I was young the gals used to think it spere enough to ease up on their mothers by takin' some of the wear and tear on their own strappin' shoulders. But then, thinks I, p'raps I'm narrer minded."

And then she went out in the kitchen to git the supper and I heard her say to some one out there:

"James, there is no water nor kindlin' in."

But there wasn't any sort of reply, and then pretty soon I seen her crossin' the yard with a bucket and a armful of kindlin' herself.

When the supper things was cleared away, the Professer took us

upstairs to show us some curios what he kept in his study there.

He was that thoughtful and polite that he took hold of my arm and helped me to climb them steps as easy as fun. But when I got to the landin', I looked back, and there was Mrs. Professer draggin' herself up them steps, with a sleepin' baby in her arms, by herself, but law! he never saw that.

Bimeby it was time to say good bye, and I must own they treated us fine, but as fer the children, well, I guess mebby I've been spoiled by the old ways, so I wasn't a fit person to judge, but when Mary Ellen asked me to go to the next licture of the parents' club, I refused-flat.

While they was gone to it, I took a walk all by myself in the park jest to pass the time pleasant, and, behold, there, aways in front of me, who should be walkin' but our friend, the Professer. So, thinks I, I ain't done with you yet, it appears. I wonder ef you have got any more lessons for me.

And he hed, sure enough, though 'twasn't the kind he meant to give.

The students kept passin' one way and t'other, and there wasn't one but what he nodded to or shook hands with. It was almos' eddifyin' to see, in one so learned.

Presently I saw his son, the young feller what we had seen keepin' out o' the way at his house, a comin' along. Well, sir! Would you believe it? His father never spared him one look as they passed and the boy went by him without as much as "hello, pa!"

And thinks I to myself, sakes alive! Think of my two gals apassin' me without speakin'; why, it 'ud break my heart even ef I hed seen 'em but a half hour ago to home. But then, I'd no more think of passin' them without a word and a motherly sort of smile, to let 'em know I wasn't ashamed to own 'em, any

more then I'd think of keelin' a settin' and eatin' it down's fast as sommerset here in the park.

Well, I went home, end ef I didn't do a double stint of thinkin', my name ain't Nancy Graham.

Then there was another family that I wanted to tell about if 'tain't makin' you too tired to listen.

Their name was Mason. Well, the Masons are so rich they got fairly money to burn, and Mrs. Mason, she is a leader in society. You jest 'd ought to see her fine dresses end jewelry end carriage!

she could eat, end she never as as much's asked her little brothers and sisters to have some. The littlest feller, the baby, kind'er cuddled up to her, coaxin' like, but he never said nothin', only I could see the great big wish in his brown baby eyes. I guess he'd learned better'n to tease.

When she'd eat all she could, end there was jest You jest there was jest a few shabby hard pieces left, she gave 'em to the rest of 'em, end they jest about fought over 'em, each grabbin' fer the biggest piece.

She came over to call on Mary Ellen and me, and a nicer lady to talk to I never want to see. We got to talkin' about children and Mary Ellen asked her to let hers come over some time, seein' that they lived jest across the street. But Mrs. Mason says, "Oh, Mrs. McVicker, I never take my children out, I daren't, they are such perfect little savages. I don't know why it is, she says, for I tell them by the hour how to act, but they will be rude and behave till I'm ashamed to own them."

Of course I thought she was jest gassin', but in the cool of that evenin' I made some observations.

I was standin' at Mary Ellen's gate fer a few minnits to watch the fine carriages a passin', and I saw the Mason children sittin' by the ditch bank under the big shade trees in front of our house. They was jest as clean and fashionable dressed as could be a real picture to look at fer they was a pritty set of children.

But I soon saw that there was something wrong with their peace and happiness. The biggest galI jedged her to be eleven or twelve -was a-eatin' somethin' and enjoyin' it mighty, ef I could judge by looks; and the rest was a watchin' her, awful wishful like, and sayin', Oh, Luey, give me some. Pritty soon I learned from what they was savin' that their pa had give the big gal a dime to get her some candy with.

Well, she'd got the candy end was

Then I went in the house end I says to Mary Ellen:

"I guess what Mrs. Mason said about her children ain't no dream." And I told her what I'd seen end I says, "I can't understand it at all. I never saw a nicer lady thin Mrs. Mason, how can she have such greedy children?"

But Mary Ellen jest kinder smiled in a provokin' way she has that sayplain as day that she knows something you don't. Bimeby she says:

"Mother, let me tell you something. I went over to the Masons not long ago. Mrs. Mason hed been out shoppin' and callin' all day end havin' a good time end the children had been to home takin' care of themselves as best they could with the help of the hired girl. When she come they climbed around her, glad she was home, but she got cros and she says:

"Goodness me!

Can't I come into the house end sit down a minute but what you swarm all over me? Go away and play now, mamma's tired.”

Pretty soon her eldest daughter what's a young lady comes and say:

"Mamma, can I go to the concert with Bertie tonight?"

End Mrs. Mason flies up and says:

"No, indeed, you can't. You've got to stay end look after these children, because pa end I are goin'."

Soon after, Mr. Mason came home in his buggy, end he brought a love ly big watermelon. Well, he cut the melon, end after helpin' me because I was company, he took a whole quarter to himself end his wife scooped the rich, red meat out of the other part, end the children had the rest. "Mother, dear," she says, "do you wonder that they quarreled over it?" "Of course, they don't do that in company, they've got their good manners on then."

Then I sat down and reflected all to myself:

"Now, how is this? Here's ed jercated folks and well intentioned folks and rich folks used to fine society ways; they do a deal of talkin' and preachin' end teachin' end yettheir children ain't no better then common folkses."

Then there came into my mind the Jimson famly what used to be neighbors to us fer ten years right here in Willer Creek.

They was common workin' folks with no book learnin' worth mentionin'. Mr. Jimson he was a carpenter by trade end a good carpenter at that, so they was pritty well to do, end Mrs. Jimson was from the old country where she hed been a ladies' maid to some real gentle folks, be

fore she married Jimson. She'd

been with 'em so long she'd kinder growed into their gentle lady-like

ways.

Well, they raised a family of six children, end I can't recollect of ever hearin' a cross word in that home the hull of the time, leastways not to speak of.

Mr. Jimson was always even tempered, end good end considerin' to his wife end the children in his unpretendin', plain way. Land! you could see the love shine right out end beautifyin' his plain face, for all of his red hair end awkward ways. His daughter stayed en old maid,they say, to this day, because, she says,

she could see no man she could love as much as her pa.

Mrs. Jimson, too, never let a disrespectful word fall concernin' her husband, end there was nothin' too good fer "pa" anywhere. Not, I guess, but what they hed tempers end faults, like other folks, but they hed sense enough not to let on before their children.

I used to say, it was like a sermon to go into their house, to them that had ears to hear end hearts to interpret, for all that they never preached a word. The place was jest full of the spirit of kindness and unselfishness end the little souls of children breathed it with their daily air end it made 'em gentle end kind end manageable too. They never heerd anything much about ettiket, but there wasn't much need, I reken.

when they hed the very root end marrer of it, that's real goodness of

heart.

Land, they never knowed any different end they knowed least of all that they was different from most people, even ef they was less preached to end corrected then any other children in the place.

And when once in a while they'd bring in the tone end ways of the children what they'd played with, why then, one straight word from "pa" was that unusual that it made a lastin' impression, for unpretendin' as they was, both Mr. and Mrs. Jimson would hold their own with their

children.

I tell you, I philoserfised a good while on this, end turned it over in my mind in lively shape end at last I put it down to myself like this:

The spirit and tone of the home is to the children what soil end climate is to the flower. There's no need of standin' end tellin' 'em "you shall grow this way or that," or when to bud or when to put out shoots. will come all as beautiful end nateral as ef you stood end fussed over 'em all day, ef the soil end the air is all right. And ef it ain't, well, then,

It

all your fussin' and prunin' end worryin' won't make 'em much betterit's all artificial like end can't hold a candle against nature.

I ain't got nothin' to say against child study, end parents' clubs, end the likes, not a smigen; the more a gardener knows about the nature of his flowers, I take it, the better he can fix the soil to suit 'em, or give

'em sunshine or shade or a little trimmin' as they need, but land a mercy me! While we are studyin' and reachin' out one way, don't let's let go of the little natural horse-sense that the good Lord fitted us out with when He told us to come down here end be fathers end mothers to the spirit what He was gittin' ready to send!

STORYETTES.

[From English Classes in Brigham Young Academy.]

A SURE CURE. Nellie H. Scofield.

"I wonder what that man will buy this time," said Aunt Hetty, as she watched her husband disappear

around the bend of the road. "Last time he bought some peruna, 'world's famous restorative,' and he wouldn't make a face when he took it—oh, no.

I firmly believe he has enough dys

pepsia tablets, catarrh remedies, nerve tonics, powders, lotions, and so forth to set up half a dozen second-hand

stores.

"But then, what can you expect

when a man never looks in the newspaper to see how many British have been killed in Africa, or how many divorce cases there are, but turns right to the advertisement of 'Drs. Shores and Shores, not brothers, no relation,' and 'Dr. C. W. Higgins, twenty-five years in Salt Lake,' twenty-five years! why, we have been married longer than that, and Tim won't take my word.

"But," she continued, as she put the pudding on to boil, "I shouldn't grumble. There isn't another thing that I have to find fault with in Tim; every man has his hobby, and some of them are lots worse than his. Think of those speculating men and bragging politicians and office seekers-well, all I have to say is, that

if all men was as good as Tim iswomen folks would have little need to complain."

ton was too easy-going; that she let The neighbors said that Mrs. BenTim have everything he wanted and

she took what was left; and that it was a pity she didn't have a child to spoil instead of him. But neighable people on earth, and the excepbors are not always the most charittion, in this case, of their not knowing everything, proved the rule that they usually know too much.

its mind to kick the lid off the ketJust as the pudding had made up tle, Uncle Tim came puffing round the corner of the house. Aunt Het

ty met him with the greeting: "Well, Tim, have you found a sure cure?"

But before he could answer she told him to wait until after supper and then she would listen to all he had to say. But excitement had stolen his appetite and supper did not taste nearly so good as usual.

He was one of the many who have every disease under the sun and who take every medicine that cures every disease. He did not believe that that which claims to cure everything, cures nothing, and so he was always finding and buying sure cures, for imaginary ills.

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