The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-03-26
HER SONS WIFE.

cOuu De so cruel! :.
The speaker was an elderly woman,
In widows weeds, and the picture she
was gazing at showed girlish face.
fair and delicate, with dimpllng cheeks
and pair of soft blue eyes.
Tom Raymond was his mothers idol
at least. as much of an idol as was
consistent with her devout adherence
to the Decalogpe; but her love for him
had that unselfish quality that always
characterizes true mother-love, and
when he brought home his young wife,
she took the girl to her heart at once,
thanking Tom with genuine pleasure for
giving her so sweet daughter. And
for a time everything went smoothly.
the young people making it point to
go to " Mothers" at least once week,
to take tea and spend the evening. Just
how the alienation began it would be
difficult to tell. To Tom and his moth
CIR it was always mystery, neither of
them being conscious of harboring any
unkindly feeling. Perhaps an untimely
suggestion in regard to the hygienic
treatment of the baby had something to
do with it, for Lita was q warm advo-
cate of Soothing Syrup" OF which
nostrum Mrs. Raymond, Senior, had a
wholesome abhorrence; and perhaps it
was partly due to Toms frequent allu-
sions 10 his mothers skill in preparing
his favorito dishes-young husbands are
prone to aiflict the souls of inexperi-
enced wives by their outspoken allegi-
anee TO the traditions Of the mothers in
culinary affairs; but, whatever may
have been the entering wedge. the
breach had gradually widened, until all
intercourse between the old home and
the new was practically at an end.
Ev after matters had reached this
unhappy pass Tom continued to make
his mothers name household word;
but one evening, when, with little Phil
ON his knee. he began talking of
"Grandma." Lita angrily interrupted
him.
81 wonder that you ever consented
to leave that mother of yours! One
would think there was not another such
on the face of the earthr' she cried,
red spot burning on either cheek.
Tom looked at her for an instant, his
fine gray eyes widening to their utmost
limit.
There are not many like her," he
said, quietly; but after that he never
praised his mother in Lita's hearing.
One day Aunt Truesdale, q relative
whom Lita had not seen for years,
walked in. with her satchel and UNI
brella, and announced her intention of
making a weeks visit. #
Whof N oxuoof l<>oI;pc olJ l.1cp,
she exclaimed, the next morning, hold
ing up a photograph that she had found
buried under heterogeneous collec-
ton of discarded bric-d-6rac, from which
Lita had told her to help herself to
whatever she fancied. "Who is she,
dearP' -
.sThat! o! that's Toms motherr'
said Lita, indiferently.
'Yourhusband's mother! Why. child,
you must take me to see her. / know l
shall like her."
1--WE are not on visiting terms,'' an
swered Lita, coldly.
''Not on visiting termsp' repeated
Aunt True, anxiously. my dear child,
/ hope it is not your fault"
g / am sure don't know whose fault
it is, said Lita, pettishly. "Aunt True,
i mustn't forget to show you my must
cal album. It's real curiosity" But
Aunt True was not to be turned from
the subject in hand.
"Whoever is to blame it is all wrong,
dear" she said, earnestly. "a wife
who sets herself against her husbands
friends loses what she can never regain
in her husbands regard. Especially
ought his mother to be sacred to her.
Remember, he can never have another
mother, and for his sake, no matter what
the trouble has been, you ought to be
friendly with her. 1 beg of you, dear
child, not to let it 60 on so another day"
But the good words fell on stony
ground; and when, on the day before
Thanksgiving. Tom ventured to hint
that he would like to ask his mother to
take Thanksgiving dinner with them,
Lita promptly answered that she had
already invited as many guests as the
table would accommodate.
The same morning, while they sat at
breakfast, note was received from
Mrs. Raymond. begging Tom to bring
his wife and boy to spend Thanksgiving
with her,
You win go, won't you, dearyp'
said Tom, eagerly.
/" No, viii not" answered Lita.
You can 60, II you like; but rs
told you before, / have invited COM
pany to dinner and it would be some
what awkward to have you absent"
Tom pushing back his scarcely tasted
breakfast. rose from the table in grim
silence and marched off, without even
giving her his usual goodbye kiss.
:. Poor motherr' he said to himself,
and, though he had intended to write at
at once, he put it of until the last thing
before leaving the Office, hoping for
some message from Lita that might
change the tenor of the answer; but
none came. and when at last he took
up his pen he was strongly tempted to
say that he and little Phil would come,
but, in doing that, he would necessarily
make Lita seem at fault. So, using as