Page:Samantha on Children's Rights.djvu/147



Well, after breakfast Tamer and I wuz in the settin' room both on us sewin', for I had took a fine shirt of Josiah's to finish, and she wuz embroiderin' some lace ruffles to trim a skirt for Anna.

"Tamer, I should think such work would be hard on your basiler disease, whatever it is. Hain't it dretful hard to embroider that fine lace?"

"Yes, Josiah Alien's wife, it is hard, but you know I don't mind any labor or any care if I can advance my children's happiness, you know jest how I watch over their interests and am willing to spend and be spent in their service."

And she bent closter still over the fine complicated stitches of that wearisome lookin' embroidery, and I thought and couldn't help it, if you would spend half or a quarter of the time you spend in ornamentin' the bodies of your children, in lookin' out for their souls and hearts, and studyin' their welfare, you would come out better in the end.

And at this very minute little Jack come in lookin' bright as the mornin', which wuz very fair. He wuz dressed up slick and clean in a little blue suit, with a deep collar braided painfully by Tamer Ann in fine black braid, and all up and down the side of his little legs that fine embroidery run. And Tamer begun to charge him the minute he got into the room to not run