No wonder he has brought back such gloomy
impressions. I am sure that if he could have seen life under brighter
auspices he would not have the ideas he has."
"Very likely," said the mother, dryly. "Our experiences have a great deal
to do with forming our opinions. But I am not dissatisfied with my son's
ideas. I suppose Reuben got a good many of his ideas from his father: he's
his father all over again. My husband thought slavery was wrong, and he
went into the war to fight against it. He used to say when the war was
over that the negroes were emancipated, but slavery was not abolished
yet."
"What in the world did he mean by that?" demanded Mrs. Makely.
"Something you wouldn't understand as we do. I tried to carry on the farm
after he first went, and before Reuben was large enough to help me much
and ought to be in school, and I suppose I overdid. At any rate, that was
when I had my first shock of paralysis. I never was very strong, and I
presume my health was weakened by my teaching school so much, and
studying, before I was married. But that doesn't matter now, and hasn't
for many a year. The place was clear of debt then, but I had to get a
mortgage put on it.
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