The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-02-11
AGREAT, TALL FELLOW.

a Hhhh l, l ALL I DulU W.
I had known my sisiCr.in.law Adeline
Eliza in desultory way ever since my
fourteenth birthday--June IS, lS72-
when l was brought home from board
ng-school to be present at her marriage
TO my eldest brother; but never until
that dreadful Fourth Of July, 1877, had
! had the slightest idea of her extra
ordinary capabiity and endurance rs a
story-teller. Nor do | suppose should
ever have known of them our ways in
life lying far apart-bad not Adeline
Eliza's annual visit TO New York hap
pened at the very time / had my first
serious quarrel with Gabriel liaviland.
That occurred the evening before the
above-mentioncd anniversary of the
declaration of American independence,
and was abUut-dear me!-the silliest
thing. Looking back, it seems almost
impossible to believe that we could have
been SO extremely foolish as to quarrel
rs we actually did But III tell you
all about it, and you can judge for your
self. Gabriel had been reading aloud
from some English paper or other-the
Saturday Rcvie'0, if | remember Alright
an article entitled "Mothers-in-Law,"
and as he laid down tie paper he said:
81 fully agree with the writer that the
jokes-many of them very stupid ones
at the expense of mothers.in-law have
been carried quite far enough, and /
also agree with her"
"Or him." suggested.
or him, that there are lots OF
splendid women among them, but at
the same time ] must confess that I'd
prefer home without mother-in-
law"
Now l had been an orphan ever since
/ was five years of aye, and what pos
sessed me to feel so angry at Gabriel's
remark cannot imagine; but arRry |
was, and with flushed checks ana fash
ing eyes | raistd my head from his
Dhoulder-of course we were engaged
and asked, Indignantly, Do you mean
to say you would not have liked my
motherN
Nothing OF the sort = said he, with a
smile. 81 know | should have liked
her. She must have been charming, to
have had SO charming dnus her"
But refused to return bis smile, and
with head very erect, went on; But
you would not have shared your homo
with herPm
"NC, darling, frankly, l would not"
"Then would never have lived with
you if you refused TO allow my mother
10 be one of the household" cried |.
"Ab, your affection for me must be
deep indeed" said he, with provoking
coolness. but in spite of your touch
ing declaration, my dear, l still repeat,
no mother-in- law in my house. I've
seen too much ofthat arrangement in my
own family A man may be a good iel-
low, and his wife's mother may be n
good fellow, while apart, but bring them
together under the same roof, and in
ninety-nine cases out of hundred fire
vnd gunpowder would be amiable COM
panl ons in comparison"
"Other families might be better
tempered than yours" said |, with on
attempt at sarcasm. Mine might
be-"
"No mother-in-law, my love-" was
Gabriel's sole reply.
"Then no Caroline Brower," said !,
in a perfect rage. And what's more,
you needn't wait any longer. won't
70 to your sisters. So there, now!"
"Very well" (why do people say
"Very well " when they mean quite the
contraryD. And at last, really pro-
voked, my lover seized his hat, and was
gone in q flash.
Did you ever hear of a sillier quar-
rel, taking into consideration, as said
before, that / had no mother, and, as /
didn't say before, Gabriel was also
motherlessp
The bells were ringing merrily when
Iawoke the next morning q had shut
out the moon, and cried myself TO sleep
the night before), and when | drew up
my shade the sunshine came in rs glo-
riously bright MS though Gabriel and l
had not quarreled' But its brightness
could not make me forget that we had.
was thinking of II all the time was
dressing, and wondering what was to
do with myself all the long, hot, noisy
day.
II had been arranged a month before
that Gabriel and / should spend the
Fourth with his only sister, who lived
in charming country house in pretty
Connecticut village, and Gabriel had
called TO escort me thither on the morn
ing of the third, when, unfortunately,
having little time TO spare, he regaled
me with the article on Mothers-in-
'sw.n That reading, as l have already