MOTHER'S LABOR DAY

New Zealand Tablet, 15 October 1908, Page 37

MOTHER'S LABOR DAY

Dorrykins jumped out of the swing and ran headlong to stop Jack on his way to the gate.

1 Jack ! Jack ! Wait a minute ! I want to ask you something. What docs Labor Day mean? I know about Christmas and Easter, but what's Labor Day for? '

1 Why, don't you know? It's to la,bor in — what should you suppose? L-a, la, b-o-r, bor — labor; to work hard. There you have it.'

Dorrykins stood in the middle of the walk where he left

I don't see,' she said in a puzzled voice. ' Everybody's going on a picnic or somewhere ,and there's going to be a p'rade — I should think folks didn't work as hard — '

' Come here, Dorry ! ' called Jean from behind the vines on the piazza. ' I'll tell you about it. Jack was only teasing you, dear. Labor D;iy is just a day when all the people who work hard the rest of the year to make things for us to eat and wear — '

' Mothers? ' asked Dorrykins, eagerly.

Jean laughed. ' Well, no, not mothers. Butchers and bakers and clerks and carpenters, I mean. Well, they all have a sort of celebration,"^ real good time, you know,, together.' ' I should think,' insisted Dorry, ' that mothers would want to be in it. They work hard as anybody^ an' they ought to have a good time and a celebratifJn. '

' So they have, Dorry,' Jean agreed, adding hastily in a relieved tone, ' There is Helen coming to play with you. Run and meet her.' Dorrykins' remarks were apt to get too personal at times.

Her words stayed behind her this' time after she had gone to her play. Certainly, if any one in their house belonged to the ranks of labor, it was the unselfish, patient little mother who kept the household wheels running so smoothly for them day after day.

' I suppose I ought to help her more,' Jean thought uncomfortably. ' But there is" always so much going on, and she likes me to go with the girls. , There isn't much time when I'm in" school.' ,

You're not in school now,' Conscience suggested. '-Well, 'there's only one more day, and that's Labor Day. I'll want to see the parade ; it's to be a big one^ and there's sure to be- a ride or something in the afternoon.' In the end Jean gave herself a vigorous mental shaking. Now, look here, Jean Westerly! You are going to try yOurv O ur hand .on Jack s .kind of Labor Day. You're going to. " work hard " for-once, and mother is going to have the- " celebration " So that settles it. Now go and tell Aunt Jessie that .mother is connng down to spend the day Monday, if she likes to have her.' Aunt Jessie was more than delighted. j; ' Send her along, bright and early, Jean,' she said • The parade goes right past here, you know. We will have a lovefy day. It will do us both good.' ' ' /' It took a good deal of coaxing before the little*mother could be persuaded. It was such an unheard-of thing^-ori a holiday !.

But Jean would have her way, and 9 o'clock Monday morning found her" mistress of the situation and of the house. With a gingham apron and tucked-up sleeyes, she Went to work energetically. SeftTng dinner was a work of time for unaccustomed hands, but they accomplished it after a fashion. They made H he -beds, too, and dusted the rooms, and when the house v was spick-and-span • arid the dishes washed and put away, they hunted out the mending basket and darned a pile of left over stockings that' had, accumulated there. Dorrykins helped— oh, yes! She trotted around after Jean, getting joyously in the way and saying every once .in a .while,.' I think Labor -Days are fun; don't you, Jean? I like to work hard.' When Mrs. Westerly came home in the early evening, a weary, happy young housekeeper sat rocking sleepy Dorry in her arms. ' My precious babies!' cried the. little mother, gathering them both in her arms. ' I've had such a good time ! And to think you were doing all my work for me!' .' It's my work, too, mummy dear, ' Jean declared; ' and I can tell you one thing : There's going to be a Labor Day in every one of my weeks after this. Only, it will have to be divided up into pieces of days while I'm in school, with a bigger piece for Saturdays. Then you will have gome pieces of days to rest and " celebrate " in. It's no more than fair, and I want to, besides. It will be a labor of love,' she finished whimsically. ''And I'm going to help,', said Dorry.