The story of my life ; or, The sunshine and shadow of seventy years / by Mary A. Livermore ... with hitherto unrecorded incidents and recollections of three years' experience as an army nurse in the great Civil War, and reminiscences of twenty-five years' experiences on the lecture platform ... to which is added six of her most popular lectures ... with portraits and one hundred and twenty engravings from designs by eminent artists ...

ARRI VAL OF CHRISTMAS GUESTS, 4

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"Ma hasn't a lazy bone in her body," said Mary.
"No," said her father, "1they are all industrious bones,
and, as your mother is only a bag of bones,"- she was a
very thin woman - "1she has become a phenomenon of industry, which, of necessity, compels me to cultivate laziness
most assiduously, that the equilibrium of our marital partnership may be maintained."
Our guests from the neighboring plantations arrived by
noon on Christmas day, and were received with a warm and
hearty welcome. They were all plain people, not on the
same footing with the Hendersons in education and culture,
but unmistakably kind-hearted and excellent. They observed the decorations of the house with unconcealed curiosity and admiration, and, by adroit questioning, discovered
that the taste and beauty displayed was due to Mrs. Henderson's careful planning and supervision. They were
*unable to withhold from their hostess the homage which
they felt was due her, and Mrs. Ashmore, who acted as
spokeswoman, said:
"11We have always heard that you were a very gifted
person, Madam, but we find that you are a wonder. It i
indeed a pity that a lady of such remarkable talents should
be buried in a planter's house."
The young Hendersons took immediate possession of the
eight children of the party and installed them in the various
apartments assigned them. The servants, anticipating their
needs and wishes, had made comfortable preparation for
them, and in the short space of half an hour, guests and hosts
were on most intimate and friendly terms. IDick and
Jamnie bore off the three boys of the comp~any, and p~rese~ntly