The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-02-02
MOTHER-IN-LAW

SUES M~OTHER-IN-LAW.
go NANNY, if he only was an orphan,
I would saw YES tomorrow but | hate
j hate the idea of a mother-in-law."
ssYou might poison her, my dear"
dryly remarked Mrs. De GrOot, Il stately
Old lady, with snOw-white hair, and any
amount of Mechlin lace about her throat
and wrists over her soft black silk dress.
"But really, you dreadful old dear,
YOU know it will be awful" sighed Sue,
passing her little hands YEARLY through
the dark fringes above her forehead.
Mydear," said Mrs. De Groot, "you
are speaking in a very i'll bred way but
let that rest. | have no idea that you
will ever be troubled with Mr.. Grey's
mother. You will not marry him. A
girl who is daunted by Il mo~ther-in-law
does not love the son enough to marry
him"
Sues pretty face flushed. Poor little
soul, she had never yet known what love
was; but she liked Mr.. Grey well enough.
He was a rich, kindly, pleasant man
whom she had always known; and when
he had asked her to marry him she did
not know why she should refuse. She
hated to hurt his feelings; and suddenly
she remembered his mother, a disagree
able old lady, who ruled and relgned
over all her family, and only did not
tyrannize over John because he lived the
life of a bachelor in the city and boarded
at a hotel.
But here was a reason for Sue, and
her mothers words sank deeply into her
Consciousness. She. gathered courage to
say no, and a year after found herself
absorbed, heart and soul, in a real love
affair, and accepted Harry Tempest, a
young and rising lawyer, with a kind,
generous, frank nature, and a dark,
handsome face, without remembering
that he had not only a mother, but a
widowed mother, who lived with him,
and could not possibly be ignored or set
aside, since Harry was an only child. 1t
is true Sue had never seen her, Tor, du-
ring her six months acquaintance with
Harry, Mrs. Tempest had been at the
west nursing a sister who was at deaths
door with consumption and If Harry
Had not said much about her to Sue 1t
was that other and more absorbing themes
naturally occupied them.
Mrs. De Groot smiled when Susan laid
her fair head in her lap and recited TIC
her the tale of her engagement, for she
had seen the end from the beginning
and had shed her own tears privately
She had other children besides Sue; but
this was her darling, her baby, her pei
always; and such a pang as mothers
know went through her heart when she
saw the inevitable separation approach
ing, but she had the courage and the
goodness to smile and sympathize wher
the girl poured out this genuine passion,
and threw heself, with bushes and tears
into the arms that could never fail hel
while they were instinct with life.
After the confidence was done with.
and Sue had quoted both tears and JOY
Mrs. De Groot %bethought herself OF the
last time there had been such an affair
or the likeness of it, on the carpet, ano
said with the ~faintest smile, and accom-
at once gentle and mischievous: "Ha
Mr.. Tempest a mother, SueW
90 yes! She isn't here now. | neVei
saw her. She is in Chicago with he
~sister."
What are you going to do about her?
asked her mother.
ooh, nanny, | never thought abou
her; and she lives with him. How sorry
lam But | guess size will be nice
"She may be very nice TO Harry, m,
dear. So was Mr.. Grey's mother to him.
Pm sure she can't be so disagreeable a
old Mrs. Grey" pouted Sue, who was
little spoiled, to tell the truth. -,
Susan" said Mrs. De Groot, will
considerable gravity, " | want you t.
look this thing in the face. You are
young girl going TO a new nome, witt
new people whom as yet you know moth
ing about. Now take a little bit OF ad
vice. Look at yourself, now at Mrs
tempest, when yourcome to live together
You know you have had an easy life
with nobody to thwart your plans an
purposes. Now begin to see if you ar
really a lady, or only a pretense."
You think / ought to bear every
thing, do you, nanny, and never pee
or mutter?"
No; but | want you to treat you
mother-in-law as one lady should trea
smother. Don't recriminate if she tall
at you, for that is vulgar-ill-bred in tn
extreme. Don't give up your just pos
tion, either with your husband or in tn
family. Respect yourself, Sue, and 20
Drce respect from others"
30 dear l wish there weren't an
mothers-in-law in the world ?" peevishl
CALCULATED the girl.
"Then / should be exterminated wit
the rest" smiled her mother.
"But you are so different, nanny.
81 had an awful lesson, Sue, when
was young. You know your uncle Iol
married Pcsy Schuyler when he was
very young man, and she was only sever
teen-iust my own age. You rememb'
her picture in the library at the Hills
20 yes, that lovely delicate lit
creature with hair like spun gold, an
great dark eyes, and such a bud of
mouth, half smiling like a please
baby's."
"That is her very counterfeit. II
was the l~oveliest creature | ever "a,
Htr father died before she was born, ar
bel mother only lived for the baby, IA
tnm The hour she asme, just worship;
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