The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-06-30
VOL. XLV.}
THE MOTHER.IN-LAW.

THE MOTHER.IN-LAW.
It was drowsy Sunday afternoon
in July. | was spending a few days
with family who were living in a
good style In one of the prettiest of
the many pretty villages that | have
The lady of tho house, Mrs. Luther,
and her four children had gone over
to take tea With their grandmother,
who lived in beautiful cottage about
q mile away, on the other side of the
river. Mr.. Luther, the master, was
lounging in an easy chair on the vine
covered porch, reading the rapers;
and / sat by the open window, reading
and rocking, and part OF the time
half asleep.
Not word had been spoken for a
half hour, and / was just entering the
land of Nod again. when was. thor
bughly aroused by an expletiva from
Mr.. Luther, which l shafl not here
kWhat's the matter2'' ]. called,
putting my head out of the window.
..Oh, nothing" he replied. .but one
of these fings at a mans mother -in-
Ian. just listen to this II. sssss
And he read as follows srom the
columns of the city daily, which he
received regularly Eff GA es
II met Dusenbury this morning on
| the street, aud he was rubbing his
hands and chuckling, and kicking up
| his heels at such rate that be did
not see me till slapped him on the
back and inquired into the cause. of
his exceedingly hilarity. 'Oh, Tom I
he cried-such news-such news a
man gets but once in lifetin,e! My
mother-in- law -as coming down for a
month, and the train ran off the track
and smashed up few cars. and my
poor, dear mother in-law has gone
where the woodbine twineth, and l m
hurrying home to carry the news to
Sarah r'e ae5s
Mr.. Luther crumpled his paper and
An editor who will print such a
paragraph in his columns ought to be
banged, and any man who is capable
OF writing such lines ought9to be
burned at the stake !" -
You speak rather strongly, i said.
"Most of men would laugh heartily,
and agree with the writer. To speak
Of a mother in. law is the signal for
coarse jokes and boisterous mirth
from. men of all grades ssess
81 know it." he answered, "and
I'm ashamed to confess the time has
been when would have done the
same. I've done quito as bad, if not
worse; but if ever a man was punished
for thinking and speaking lig htly OF a
wife mother. it is l. -.
"You surprise me, Mr.. Luther. 1
have seldom seen . man who seemed
foslove and revere a wife's mother as
do son. How is it? Please explain. ;"
IWill,n he said, rising and drag
ging his chair indoors. and sitting
down near me.
= when I married Maria Coolidge"
he began, ~ was as [ am now, an
architect in good circumstances. l
owned the house that old Judge Ho-
garth lives in, had two horses, and
wagon and carriage, and goodly
amount of money loaned out on good
notes Of responsible men. Maria had
often broached the subject of our
house keeping, aud limited that the
house was too big for two. | knew.
Of course, what she was driving at,
but I always pretended not to, and
she never mustered courage to suggest
that her mother might live with lis,
till after we were married, and on our
way home. from our wedding tour
for we had a wedding tour, and |
spent money like fool, and I wished
alterward that we had staid at home
like sensible folks, and saved the
money for time of need.
"Well, as l said before, we we're on
our way home before Maria came to
the point, but [ had been expecting
it all along and had my mind made up.
So when the question came, cant my
mother live with us? answered
very promptly.-'No! And l shall
never forget, as long as / live, how
Maria looked. She turned as pale as
death, and as cold as a stone, but she
never said a word. Then [ went on
to explain to her that no house was
ever built large enough for two wo-
men, and that we didn't want a third
person around all the time. told
her that should Of course take care
of her mother, and see that she never
came to want, but that I'd seen
enough of mothers living with their
daughters
'Alf this time she never spoke, but
kept her eyes fixed upon me, and such
scorn and contempt I never saw ex-
pressed by a pair of eyes. l had the
advantage of her, for we were in a
crowded car, and she didn't want to
make a scene. l was glad of it, too
mean, sneaking. cowardly devil that 1
was But the strain was too great
on her. and she tainted dead away in
my arms. sE.
'When we got home, / took hack
and told the driver to drive to the
house on the hill, but Maria cried so
hard and begged so piteously to be
taken to her mothers that [ had to
give in. We had to drive right where
we could see our own house, and it
was all lit up. was surprised to see
it, and told the driver We would so
there and see what was up. We drove
up to the front steps, and Mrs. Cool
idge came out to meet us, and Maria
threw herself into her arms, crying as
if her heart would break. OF course
[ waevery angry at such an exhibition,
but / held my temper and consoled
myself, man-like, by thinking that
she would get over it when she had
cried it out. ~
Mother Coolidge had supper all
ready, and in short time we we're all
1t the table; but none of us enjoyed
the good cheer very heartily. was
80 mad l could scarcely swallow, for 1
thought it was contriyed planoithe
old lady's part to get foothold IN my
house; and I was swearing inwardly
that her little plan should fail
Maria laue he'd hysterically all through
the meal, and gulped down her food
and tears together. Mother Coolidge
fidgeted as If she sat on nettles, and l