Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-01-11
SUES MOTHER-IN.LAW.
BY ROSE TERRY JOKE.

BY ROSE TERRY COOKE.
"Oh, nanny, if he only was an or
phan, l would say yes tomorrow; but
l hate hate the idea of a mother-in-
law"
"You might poison her, my DEAR"
dryly remarked Mrs. De Groot, a state
Iy 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.
"My DEAR" said Mrs. De Groot,
"you are speaking in q very ill-bred
way; but let that rest. l have no idea
you viii ever be troubled with Mr..
Grey's mother. You will not marry
er-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 arich, kindly, pleasant
man whom she had always known; and
when he asked her to marry him,she did
not know why she should refuse. She
hated to hurt his feelings; and sudden
" she remembered his mother, a disa-
greeable old lady, who ruled and reign
ed over all her family, and only did not
tyrannize over John because he lived the
life of a bachelor in the city and board
ed at a hotel.
But here was q reason for Sue, and
her mothers words sank deeply into
her consciousness. She gathered cour
age to say no., and a year after found
herself absorbed, heart and soul, in a
real love affair, and accepted Harry
Tempest, a young but rising lawyer,
with a kind, generous, frank nature,
and o dark, handsome face, with
out remembering that he had not only
a mother, but q 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 nev-
er seer her, for, during her six months
acquaintance with Harry, Mrs. Tempest
had been at the West nursing a sister
who was at deaths door with consump-
ton; and if Harry had not said much
about her to Sue, it was that other and
o absorbing themes naturally occu-
pied them.
Mrs. De Groot smiled when Susan
laid her fair head in her lap and re-
cited to her the tale of her engagement,
for she had seen the end from the be-
ginning, and had shed her own tears
privately. She had other children be-
sides Sue; but this was her darling,
her baby, her pet always; and such q
pang as mothers know went through
her heart when she saw the inevitable
separation approaching, but she had
the courage and goodness to smile and
sympathize when the girl poured out
this genuine passion, and threw herself,
with bushes and tears, into the arms
that could never fail her while they
were instinct with life.
After the confidence was done with,
and Sue had quoted both tears and JOY,
Mrs. De Greot bethought herself of the
last time there had been such an affair,
or the likeness of it, on the carpet, and
said, with the quaintest smile and &C
cent, at once gentle and mischievous,
"Has MIR. Tempest a mother, Sue?"
ooh yes! She isn't here now. l
never saw her. She is in Chicago with
her sister,"
"What are you going to do about
herp" asked her mother.
"Oh, nanny, l thought
about her; and she lives with him. How
sorry I am! But I guess she will be
nice"
"She may be very nice to Harry, my
dear. SO was MI. Grey's mother to
him."
"I'm sure she can't be so disagree
able as old Mrs. Grey" pouted Sue,
who was a little spoiled, to tell the
truth.
"Susan," said Mrs. De Groot, with
considerable gravity, 81 want you to
look this thing in the face. You are a
young girl going to a new home, with
new people whom as yet you know
nothing about. Now take a little bit of
advice. Look at yourself, not at Mrs
Tempest, when you come to live to-
agether. You know you have had an
easy life, with nobody to thwart your
plans and purposes. Now begin to see
if you are really a lady, or only a pre-
tense"
"You think L ought to bear every
thing, do you, nanny, and never peep
or mutterp"
"No; but 1 want you to treat your