The Family Circle

New Zealand Tablet, 27 October 1910, Page 1773

The Family Circle

WHEN MA’S AWAY Its awful lonesome when she’s gone It doesn’t seem the same As home, you’d know the place as well i By any other name; The clock ticks so much louder then— We don’t have much to say; It’s.awful lonesome at our house - When ma’s away! It’s awful lonesomewhy, the cat, It never comes around; And as for Towser, our old dog, He never can be found. I s’pose they miss her ’most as much As ever we do—say, It’s awful lonesome at our house When ma’s away! It’s awful lonesome round the house Nights ! 0, how the wind moans ! It makes me and Ned skeery-like Clear ’way down to our bones! But pap, he sleeps and snores, so he ; Ain’t lonesome then! .but, say, Us boys, somehow, we can’t sleep nights When ma’s away! It’s awful lonesome when she’s gone! i We always know, though, yes, ... She’s coming back again, and so We bear the lonesomeness But if some day she shouldn’t come, If God should keep hersay ! Could we, then, bear the lonesomeness With ma away? THE TESTING OF MARGARET Apparently Margaret Sunderland possessed everything that _ goes to make life exceedingly happy : good looks, a sweet disposition, a beautiful home, and a large circle of friends all contributed in making her life most enjoyable; jet her friends were often puzzled bv the careworn and sad expression which was frequently seen on her face. But the solution was very simple. Margaret’s mother died when she was a child, and about five years before our story opens her father had married, again. Margaret’s step-mother was a Protestant, while Margaret was a Catholic, and although the two were the most agreeable and closest companions, they patterned their lives after very different ideals. Mrs. Sunderland was a worldv-minded society woman, and at the present time her chief ambition was to find a wealthy and suitable husband for her pretty _ step-daughter, a match that would bring the Sunderland name into prominence in the society columns of the newspapers. . One afternoon Margaret was in the library reading, 'i r l \ r® rs .Sunderland came hurriedly in, excitement and delight plainly visible in her face. a ‘ Margaret she said, I’ve just been talking to Mrs. Ashton. She has invited us to a dinner party on Friday winch she is giving in honor of that delightful Mr. Flumps, the author about whom we have heard so much. She is especially anxious that you meet him; he is a young bachelor, and is reported to be immensely wealthy.’ ~ /Ifhe is the Mr. Phillips who wrote “Adventures in Spam, I should like to meet him,’ said Margaret, carelessly, . And, by the way, Margaret,’ said Mrs. Sunderland, moving toward the door, ‘ Mrs. Ashton says his ancestors came, over m the Mayflower, and his father was a Methodist minister so, for “ Phillips’ sake,” don’t mention you’re a Catholic, that sa. dear girl! I’m so anxious to have you make' a favorable impression ! ’ ‘Very well, I will remember,’ said Margaret quietly. Friday evening Margaret paid particular attention to her toilet, for she felt a curious desire to meet this author concerning whom she had heard so many interesting things’ Most of the guests had arrived when Mrs. Sunderland and she reached the Ashtons’ home, and in a few minutes Mrs. Ashton was introducing a tall, handsome young man to Margaret, and saving laughingly, ‘ Mr. Phillips, you are to take Miss Sunderland in to dinner, and Margaret, I want you to prove to Mr. Phillips that American girls are twice as nice as the Spanish “ senoritas ” he thinks are so charming.’ ' In a few minutes Margaret was chatting with Mr. Phillips as if they were old friends. He was in the midst of an. interesting account of one of his journeys through Italy when the signal was given to march to the diningroom. . Dinner was being served, and Margaret was just preparing to enjoy some delicious looking turkey, when a remark from across the table arrested her attention. ‘ Oh, no;’ the person across the table was saying 1 I never thought of to-day being Friday, the thirteenth, or £ would have cancelled the engagement!’

Margarets heart gave a bound; to-day was Friday, and she was just about to eat meat. She was quietly contenting herself with bread and salad, when Mr. Phillips’ UIC , eyes detected that she was eating scarcely anything. Miss Sunderland, he exclaimed in his clear, pleasant voice, which could be easily heard the entire length of the turkey ? ,y ° U iaVe not touched your meat! Don’t you like ‘ Why, Margaret,’ said Mrs. Ashton, in a surprised tone, I thought you were very fond of turkey! What is the .trouble with it? ■ ■ i V?/ Margaret, with the eyes of everyone centred upon her, felt the blood surging up into her face in great hot waves For one minute she felt tempted to make some trivial excuse; then, despising her weakness, she answered quietly, Nothing is the matter, Mrs. Ashton, but I am a Catholic, and do not eat meat on Friday.’ An embarrassed silence followed her reply, and then everyone resumed the conversation-without further comment. But Margaret, sitting there with burning cheeks, could feel the frowning disapproval on her step-mother’s face, and the absolute silence of. Mr. Phillips, while strangely enough this thought kept running through her mind • ‘ His ancestors came , over in the Mayflower.’ Finally the dinner came to an end, and for the rest of the evening Margaret did not once have an opportunity of speaking to Mr. Phillips. Keenly sensitive, she imagined that he purposely avoided her. . , lie yer dreamed that a man could be so narrowminded, she mused, bitterly grieved ‘ he has avoided me since the moment I said I was a Catholic!’ And pleading a headache, she made her excuse to the hostess and stole quietly away, hoping no one wop Id miss her. But as she Cl< l Se .?- nded K f au ’ K from the cloakroom, she saw Mr Phillips standing at the bottom waiting for her. Miss Sunderland,’ he said gravely, ‘I deeply . regret that my stupidity should have caused you any embarrassment this evening; yet I cannot refrain from telling you what edification you gave me. For a long time I have admired and studied the Catholic religion, and I am coming to the final conviction that it is the one true faith. Tonight you have strengthened • that conviction. May I be permitted to call on you to-morrow I look forward t*o a long talk.’ And Margaret, with a happy smile on her face, held out net baud to him, and said frankly, * I will be delighted to nave you come A GENTLE TONGUE Charity of speech is as divine a thing as charity of action. To judge no one harshly, to misconceive no man’s motives, to believe things are as they seem to be until they are proved otherwise, to temner judgment with mercy —surely this is quite as good as to build up churches, establish asylums, and found colleges. Unkind words do as much harm as unkind deeds. Many a heart has been stabbed to death by a few little words. There is a charity which consists in withholding words, in keeping back harsh judgments, in abstaining from speech, if to speak is to condemn. Such charity hears the tale of slander, but does not repeat it; listens in silence, but forbears comment en locks the unpleasant secret up in the very depths of the heart. Silence can still rumor. It is speech that keeps a story alive and lends it vigor. ONLY THE COMMON GARDEN VARIETY After he had waited outside for ten long minutes the door was opened on the chain, and a woman’s face appeared at the aperture. _ ‘ Good-morning, madam,’ began the street hawker in his suavest tones. ‘ I have here a little article of universal utility. It is called the Marvellous Mice Exterminator, and the price ’ ‘No use,’ interrupted the woman, firmly. ‘We have no marvellous mice in this house— only the ordinary kind.’ Then the door was snut, and the hawker was once more alone. - A DIPLOMATIST James’s wife had a rather hard time, as a rule, to coax money out of him for new clothes, although he always wanted to see her well groomed. She wanted a new dress, and she wanted it badly, so she resorted to diplomacy. At breakfast she said : ‘ James, I have decided to do without a new dress and with the money it. would cost I shall have mother here for a nice long visit.’ James turned on her excitedly. ‘ What— that old brown thing another season? 1 guess not!’ he exclaimed vehemently. ‘You go right down to your tailor’s to-day and order something handsome. Remember, please, that as my wife you have a certain position to maintain!’ The wife bowed her head in submission. On her lips played a peculiar smile. v CURRAN’S ADVICE A farmer attending a fair, with a hundred pounds in his pocket, took the precaution of depositing it in the' hands of the landlord of the pubhehouse at which he stayed

Next day he applied for the money, but the host affected to know nothing of the business. In this dilemma the farmer consulted Curran. ‘ Have patience, my friend,’ said the counsel; ‘speak to the landlord civilly, and tell him you are convinced you must have left your money with some other person. Take a friend with you, and lodge with him another hundred, and then come to me.’ The dupe doubted the advice; but, moved by the authority or rhetoric of the learned counsel, he at length followed it. And ROW’ sir, said he to Curran, ‘I don’t see as I am to be better off for this, if I get my second hundred • again; but how is that to be done?’ ‘Go and ask him for it when he is alone, said the counsel. ‘Ay, sir, but asking won’t do, Ize afraid, without my witness, at any rate.’ ‘ Never mind, take mv advice,’ said Curran j ( do as I bid you, and return to me.’ The farmer did so, and came back with his hundred, glad at any rate to find that safe again in his possession. ‘ Now, sir, I suppose I must be content; but I don t see as lam better off.’ ‘ Well, then,’ said the counsel, now take your friend with you, and ask the landlord for the hundred pounds your friend saw you leave with him. It need not be added that the wily landlord found that he had been taken off his guard, whilst the farmer returned exultingly to thank his counsel with both hundreds in his pocket. THE REASON WHY One day a wasp and a bee alighted on the same flower to sip honey. ‘l’m glad to see you, Friend Bee,’ said the Wasp. 1 want you to tell me, if you can, why people like you so much better than they like me. I’m much handsomer than you, even if I do say it myself. You go about all day m your plain working clothes, while I wear a beautiful black and yellow coat. lam fine enough to be seen at a kings table, yet whenever I come near people strike at me, and would kill me if they could.’ ‘ Shall I tell you ?’ interrupted the Bee. ‘ I——’ ‘I know all about you,’ continued the Wasp. ‘They are always glad to see you. They build big hives for you to live in near their farms. But whenever they find my home they destroy it and kill my babies. Why, 1 ask you why am I treated this way?’ y 5 ’ _ ‘Do you give men anything to make them like you?' Do you give them honey, as I do ?’ ‘No! "Why should Ido anything for them To besure, I catch insects that vex them, but that is because f like insects for rood.’ ; What else do you do?’ asked the Bee. t J 1 d ?n 3 i U f t a I please , and if they dare to molest me--1 sting, I 11 teach them to let me alone!’ Oh, ho! laughed the Bee. ‘No wonder men dislikeyou and are cross with you. You are cross to them. Men are my friends because I am their friend. If you want people to treat you with kindness, you- must be kind tothem. It was always so, and will remain so through theAN ACCOMMODATING CLERK She sailed into the telegraph office and rapped on the' counter. The clerk remembered that she had been there about ten minutes before as he came forward to meet her He wondered what she wanted this time. . Gh, she said, ‘ let me have that telegram I wrote’ just now; I forgot something very important. I wanted, to underscore perfectly lovely in acknowledging the receipt of that bracelet. Will it cost anything extra ?’ No, ma am,’ said the clerk, as he handed her the. message. The young lady drew two heavy lines beneath the words and said: i * awfully good of you to let me do that. It will please Charley so much.’ vi ‘Don’t mention it,’ said the clerk. ‘lf you would like it, 1 will put a few drops of violet extract on the telegram at the same rates.’ ‘Oh, thank you, sir. You don’t know how much I would appreciate it. I’m going, to send all my telegramsthrough this office, you are so obliging.’ FAMILY FUN When is a man incapable of performing a barefaced action ?—When he wears a heavy beard and moustache. , Why is a thief like a philosopher Because he is given to fits of abstraction. .. i^ h 'V s dlegal for a man to possess a short walkingstick?—Because it can never be-long to him. . ..Why is a person who asks questions the strangest of all individuals?— he is the querist. Why are the pages of a book like the days of a man?— Because they are numbered. Why is an egg like a colt? Because it is not fit for use until it is broken. ( ll) What is the longest letter in the alphabet?—An L (ell). What barrel is best fitted for a soldier’s helmet ?—Thecask (casque).