A Little Mother to the Others | Page 5

away, mother?" interrupted Iris, turning very pale.
"Yes, dearest. Don't be troubled, darling; I can make it all seem quite
happy to you. But now, when I see it must be done, that I must
undertake this very long journey, I want to put things perfectly straight
between you and me, my little daughter."
"Things have been always straight between us, mother," said Iris. "I
don't quite understand."
"Do you remember the time when I went to Australia?"
"Are you going to Australia again?" asked Iris. "You were a whole year
away then. It was a very long time, and sometimes, mother, sometimes
Fortune was a little cross, and Miss Stevenson never seemed to suit
Apollo. I thought I would tell you about that."
"But Fortune means well, dearest. She has your true interest at heart,
and I think matters will be differently arranged, as far as Miss
Stevenson is concerned, in the future. It is not about her or Fortune I
want to speak now."
"And you are going back to Australia again?"
"I am going quite as far as Australia; but we need not talk of the
distance just now. I have not time for many words, nor very much
strength to speak. You know, Iris, the meaning of your names, don't
you?"
"Of course," answered Iris; "and, mother, I have often talked to the
others about our names. I have told Apollo how beautiful he must try to
be, not only in his face, but in his mind, mother, and how brave and
how clever. I have told him that he must try to have a beautiful soul;
and Orion must be very brave and strong, and Diana must be bright and

sparkling and noble. Yes, mother; we all know about our names."
"I am glad of that," said Mrs. Delaney. "I gave you the names for a
purpose. I wanted you to have names with meaning to them. I wanted
you to try to live up to them. Now, Iris, that I am really going away, I
am afraid you children will find a great many things altered. You have
hitherto lived a very sheltered life; you have just had the dear old
garden and the run of the house, and you have seen your father or me
every day. But afterwards, when I have gone, you will doubtless have
to go into the world; and, my darling, my darling, the cold world does
not always understand the meaning of names like yours, the meaning of
strength and beauty and nobleness, and of bright, sparkling, and high
ideas. In short, my little girl, if you four children are to be worthy of
your names and to fulfill the dreams, the longings, the hopes I have
centered round you, there is nothing whatever for you to do but to
begin to fight your battles."
Iris was silent. She had very earnest eyes, something like her mother's
in expression. They were fixed now on Mrs. Delaney's face.
"I will not explain exactly what I mean," said the mother, giving the
little hand a loving squeeze, "only to assure you, Iris, that, as the trial
comes, strength will be given to you to meet it. Please understand, my
darling, that from first to last, to the end of life, it is all a fight. 'The
road winds uphill all the way.' If you will remember that you will not
think things half as hard, and you will be brave and strong, and, like the
rainbow, you will cheer people even in the darkest hours. But, Iris, I
want you to promise me one thing--I want you, my little girl, to be a
mother to the others."
"A mother to the others?" said Iris, half aloud. She paused and did not
speak at all for a moment, her imagination was very busy. She thought
of all the creatures to whom she was already a mother, not only her
own dear pets--the mice in their cages, the silk-worms, the three dogs,
the stray cat, the pet Persian cat, the green frogs, the poor innocents, as
the children called worms--but in addition to these, all creatures that
suffered in the animal kingdom, all flowers that were about to fade, all
sad things that seemed to need care and comfort. But up to the present

she had never thought of the other children except as her equals. Apollo
was only a year younger than herself, and in some ways braver and
stouter and more fearless; and Orion and Diana were something like
their names--very bright and even fierce at times. She, after all, was the
gentlest of the party, and she was very young--not more than ten years
of age. How could she possibly be a mother to the others?
She looked at Mrs. Delaney,