Page:Samantha on Children's Rights.djvu/327

 I never looked at 'em when they wuz in these moods (alternated on Jack's part by loud yellin' and kickin' up), I never see that dreamy, rapt look in their faces without bein' reminded of the verse about the children who always behold the face of the Father. And I believe they did see Him, not in the divine form mebby, but some mysterious afterglow of the divine brightness.

And they wuz believin' children, too, trustin' children naturally, though Jack, by hard experience, wuz learnin' to doubt, and how any one could look into their sweet, believin' eyes and tell 'em wrong stories, tryin' to fool 'em, jest as if their sweet, childish wisdom wuzn't milds beyend their poor earthly knowledge, wuz more than I could see.

But Hamen and his brother had got so in the habit of tellin' Jack every story they could think of, would tell the same things to Mary, and Celestine wuz too took up with her Art to notice. Truly her pictures seemed to be a necessity of life to her, when, as it seemed to me, she had more than enough for comfort, she wuz hurryin' to produce more. She offered to paint me a calendar, but I mildly rejected the overtoor. I sez to her that the days and weeks brought so many strange things as they went on that I guessed I had jest as soon take 'em plain. I wuz polite to her, but gin her to understand I wuzn't sufferin' for it.

But Tamer wuz enthusiastick about 'em, and Celestine painted her one with every week, showin' a new animal kinder sprawlin' round it, amongst some strange flowers and things, I couldn't have stood it myself to had it round, but Tamer liked it, and Celestine said she would paint one for the hull family. And, bein' so wrought up ornamentin' the days of the week on paper, she entirely