Helping or Hindering in an Emergency.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 889, 15 March 1889, Page 4

Helping or Hindering in an Emergency.

An old lady, the grandmother of, tho family, had suddenly heeri stricken with paralysis, and noon of the morning that had found her aotive and helpful in that home circle, saw her with the seal of death on pallid features and rigid limbs.

Startling and bad news fly swiftly, and. the wide farm house was soon filled with neighbours and friends arid, relatives, w s ho had dropped all work in hand, when they heard of grandma Bird’s death, and quickly, rallied at the house of bereavement, * ** ’ A tired-faced Tittle woman, a,son s, wife and mistress of the home, with a baby in arms and two timid, wondering little children clinging to her skirts, tearfully greeted all of grandma’s friends, and leading them to the white-draped bed in the darkened east room,

reverently folded back the sheet for them to see their old neighbour and friend lying in the strange sleep that comes but once. In the stir and bustle that such a death will cause in a quiet, country neighbourhood, the young wife had but little opportunity to set her house in order, and the dinner dishes still cluttered sink and table of the back kitchen, a big basket of rough dried clothes stood on the wash bench, a row of ragged, heeled stockings sagged from end to end of the long drying line behind the stove, and undusted furniture end untrimmed lamps, and tables littered with hurriedly thrown down papers and work, and floors with trackings of many feet, necessarily resulted in disorderly rooms.

Snrely, those drifty, keen-sighted house•wives, that by twos and threes silently and reverently crossed the threshold of grandma’s room and with honest tears looked down for a few moments on the placid face of the sleeper ; then gathered in the cool parlour, their awe-hushed whispers and low undertones giving place to the brisk, gossipy chatter of busy neighbours who seldom meet, must have taken note of the burden of work needing speedy doing in that house. Two or three of the snn-bonneted arrivals had said to the care-burdened young mistress as they passed her, hurrying with the kitchen work, on their way to grandma’s room—‘lf there is anything I can do to help, don’t be afraid to call on me,’ but do one had said, ‘I will help you with the work not until aunt Martha Piper came. She loved grandma, perhaps more than any other old neighbour who gathered that day by the sleeper’s whitesheeted couch, but her dimming eyes though blinded with tears, had readily seen what needed to be done, and at once Bet herself to do it. What need to ask in such a house of sudden calamity and confusion, ‘is there anything I can do to help ?’ when unwashed dishes, and unironed clothing and disorderly, littered shelves and floors were there, silently witnessing that the. one pair of tired, hindered hands for whom all waited, needed helpful lifts. ' A mountain of work and only one little woman to undertake it 1 This is all wrong !’ Aunt Martha said, coming back into the kitchen and softly latching the door of the east room.

She quietly donned a work-apron that hung on its nail, and had stirred the Are and put the irons heating and was washing the heaped sink-full of dishes, before Mercy, the young mistress of the house, had opportunity to give or deny permission to this ready helper.

Then the rough-dried clothes were dampened and folded, and two skilled, swift home-workers who had tip-toed out past grandma’s darkened bed-room, as though fearful of waking the sleeper, on their way to the kitchen in searoh of Aunt Martha, were promptly pressed into service by that thoughtful, energetic woman. With three skilful helpers, the work went on briskly. Dishes clattered, and smoothing irons thumped and broom and dusters went thoroughly whisking from room to room, till the anxious brow of the worried, weary young house-wife cleared, the way so unexpectedly and cheerily breaking through the avalanche of work that had threathened to overwhelm her.

The long line of unmended garments were heaped on Mercy’s work basket and needles flew swift and skilfully till the last needed stitch was set, while the workers in hushed, tear-filled voices spoke loving words in warm praise of her who had so long gone in and out of that home and had now entered into Eternal Rest.