The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-12-20
4 REAL TRUE STORY,
HIS FIVE MOTaERs-IN-LAW.

HIS FIVE S-IN-LAW.
Most husbands and wives, if We may
credit it all they say, find il di!.icl;it 70 iv,
in the same house with a mother-in-l law
but " old Sol b" Gas he was commonly
calle,i) I'll Boston, dwell i'll !'cacc and com
tort for several years with i've ladies bear
ing ;i,at relation To him.
When first knew Il r,it old gentleman he
appeared to lie about aixt weight, and had :
charming wife WHO WA, then twcntv->iX
and two Lovely children, u boy and 4 girl
one seven, and the other five. His children
by his first lie were MI married. and some
of his grandchildren were Ms" married and
themselves, lad children older dian Mr.
Ii--'s two youngest.
On the FIRST day Of my visit ut his pleasant
home, not many miles from Boston, us
took my place At he dinner table with Mrs
B, | was surprised to see five old Ladies
come into the room together and 10 Ee liz
!rodliccd to each of them in succession a.
follows: My own mother, Mrs. b,
senior; my next mother, Mrs. Henry; my
rAo;lcr, Mrs. William; my fifth mother,
hirS. John. ="
Mrs. b, senior" who seemed the
youngest Of the olj ladies, laughed aloud al
by look of consternation--l UeIo,iiouS
laugh for onc Of her ye;lrs--;lnd every one
Smiled hut Mr.. b, who ius oked :he
blessing viii! his usual air and led the table
talk on indifferent topics. That evening in
the par!"r yuu'ig Mrs. b gave us some
music, and iii" old ladies retired early one
after another, the "own mother" soiu.
last, Vhcn She WAS ;cnlsli, assisted up
stairs by her son. On his return Mr.. b
said TO me with Il smile of amusement:
- see that You arc. aS the ladies say,
dying TO know what all this means.
rurposeiy did not tell you that / have iiye
mothcrs-in-law, because / always like tt
see the effect produced Icy lnE household on
other people. Iru, for instance, live so
differently, all alone, how do We appear to
you ~
Harmonious and happy; but have seen
You together only a very short time. What
is your everyday ezrrrenve!"
- Much the salsto, especially since my
dear wife came into our household l had
AL the Old !rliel when she arrived
" Hut where did you get them aii they
cannot all belong TO you 80
''leS, every one of them. | have foul
NOTWITHSTANDING and Il, my own mother is
my wifes mothcr-in-iaw, Of course that
makes FIVE motler,-in-l:sw in our house.
Now, as my wife is Just going to her little
ones nursery, | will tell You about my old
ladies'
"Whcn | married NY first wife, her
mother, who was i widow, came to live
With lis. she was Il good creature, and had
seen pretty hard times. having sTlpIurto ID
herself Ivy school teaching and sewing for
several wears, and She seemed tU greatly
enjoy nay com PORTABLE rolne-I VIZ; always
a thriving man OF business. So one dag |
said to her, Nav. mother. there is 10 reason
why you shouldn't make your home With
Us always while you live: you Gan bring
your own furniture. if You choose, OF
You need not; the room y"U row occupy
Shall he your own always, and besides
what my wife may do | will give yo"
fifty dollars year for your clothes {that
was an ample sum for woman to have ali
to herself in those trncs.) You can teach
il you wish 10, 81 do anything else 10 earn
money ii yon wish to: YOU viii always he
welcome to our table and parlor, OF, if you
prefer. you can cook for yourself il youI
own room. Only one thing i will exact i'll
return-you must never make any mischief
nor quarrel with anybody in my house
about anything And il sometimes You are
dispease,l Won must 20 10 your room and
noNt it out alone, and only join lis again
when You feel pleasant. For | won't oc
worried, and least Of all Will have my
wife worried by anybody. Now, mother,
what do YOU say
"She only said, You are Il good man,
solomon b, and the Almighty will re-
ward you, and thank YOU front my heart
| will do my part
. So never had any trouble with her
We all lived together twenty years, and
then my wife hrd an attack ot pneumonia
and tlied--ln,l soon after that my own
mother was left Il wdoY and came 20 live
with me. My mot her j. only sixteen years
older tiii'n am. and being 80 lovely and
smart she seemed quite like a Young sister
to mother Henry, and they GOT on easily Ia,
gcther. But after awhile, when the chill
,lren were all about grown, | got 80 lone.
some that coaXcL 4 real nirc sensible lad y
of Philadelphia. not handsome, but good as
gold, 10 marry me. | ;o,:i her all ah1u, my
old ladies and found she had Two mothers
living with her, her own mother md her
husbands mother. They had neither o,
them any property bus she owned Il house
ami took boar,lcrs i'll il 70 support them all
"Well, / na,to the sa,:.e proposition tc
mother-in,tw, and tLeF both agreed
Then went home and hHlt al addition &c
my house and soon brought hay second wife
and mother there. We had some occasional
poutiEg ut first; bat always held two
points without yiel,ling--l was Tie master
in my own house and would never let any.
body worry my wife. $o pretty soon, inv
foEr-in- hand ltarne, TO travel smoothly to.
gethcr.
"Ah, me, looked forward t. h:tppv old
age with tl.as ,lc;ir wife, hut in two yea
she was killed by 4 Railway accident | wa,
with !Icc on he train and was badly hurt
lying for weeks in state Of uncons,iousneSS
When | recovered my dear wifes grlvo WAS
green. | felt 30 bad and my health was 50
pocr that did not care for woman again
until all ny children were married and |
WIS left alone with my four OH ladies'
"Then met 4 pretty little rolIrntic
widow, who was so sorry for ne. She
wrote poetry and painted pictures, and was
diving all the while OF onsuInptinu-that
scoursc of sur city; Gnd thcu5ilt as she
had a struggle TO take care Of herself and
her husbands mother, would smooth lei
passage to the grave.
$50 I married her and ber Inuthpr-I