The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-11-16
] DROPPED mIss s~ExINNEg's
ACQUAINTANCE.

live with you, " remarked Miss Susan Skin
ner, contemporary, giving her head a toss
which set all the little pink bows a-dancing.
"Why, yes. Miss Susan" said 7, opening
my eyes in surprise at my visitors's tone.
Mother Grey's last child has married and
moved away from her, and now she is quite
left alone. Henry was always her f%avorite,
and !, knowing it would please him, sug-
gested.tha she should rent or sell the farm,
and make her home with us, and she has
consented to do So"
"Humph all the more fool you You
have got yourself into a pretty fix now,
Mary Grey. She will never leave you as
long as she lives you can make up your
mind to that, and bid goodbye to peace
for the rest of your days"
"Nyhy, Miss Susan" saidI regardingmy
old neighbor with surprise, 81 don't under
stand you. I am sure I never want moth
er to leave US, and as for peace, and what
difference can her coming make?"
"Oh, you'll see," replied Miss Susan,
nodding her head wisely. you'll see !!
You will repent Of your bargain before a
month is over, mind what l tell you. OF
all the mean, conniving, meddlesomc wo.
men in the world, it is a mother-in-law."
l began to feel a little annoyed. "What
do yoa know about 1T p" could not re-
frain from saying.
"Humph you needn't twit me with be-
ing an old maid, Mary Grey. I thank my
stars that I'm not tied to any man, nor
what's worse, to any mans mother. What
do I know about mothers-in-law? More
than l want to. Why, there was my Cou-
sin Lucinda, who was obliged TO leave her
husband, 60 home to her father, just on
account of her mother-in-law and Alice
Lawson, poor, little, weak creature, who
used to live in this very house, was so i'm
posed upon and ill-used by her husbands
mother, that they do say it killed her any,
way she died just three months after her
mother-ir-law came to live with her. Why,
| know of lots Of such cases, and, if a wo-
mar isn't awfully strong-minded, her
mother-in-law just runs right over her,
and rules the house, and if she is strong
minded, they are continually quarrelling !;
so you see that, altogether, a woman's best
way is to keep entirely away from her
mother-in.Iaw."
"But, Miss Susan, these are only except
ional Cases. said l.. II am sure there are
good AID true women in the world belong
ing to this class"
"Well, I'd just like to see one of them,
that's all see it's no use arguing with
you, Mary you're too set in your ON
way mark my words, my dear, you will
rue the day you ever LET that woman come
into your house" said Miss Susan in a tone
of settled conviction. 'sWhen do you ex-
pect Mrs. Grey?" she asked, rising.
Tomorrow evening""
80 soon? Well, I'm sure l hope you
will be able to get along with her." an
swered Miss Susan with a little sympa-
thetic sigh.
Often during the remainder of that day
and the next, 1 found myself wondering
what my husbands mother was like. He
had always seemed SO proud and fond of
her, that l was predisposed to love her to
regard her with that reverence and affee-
ton which l had cherished for my own
dead mother. I thought how nice it would
be to have some one to whom | could go
with all my little troubles and anxieties,
some one who would sympathize with and
counsel me and how pleasant it would be
for Henry to have his mother always near
him, where he could watch over and care
for her.
We would make such a happy family
Henry and myself, grandma and baby
Henry.
Then in opposition to all these pleasant
thoughts, would come up in spite of me
the gloomy warnings and forebodings
which Miss Susan Skinner had uttered.
Could Henry's mother be ''mean, conniv-
ing, meddlesome,' or disagreeable in any
way? No, a thousand times no. And
yet the sharply spoken words had left their
sting, and 1 could not drive the memory Of
them from my mind.
Wien train-time arrived, baby and |
took our station at the window to watch
for grandma" Soon the sound OF wheels
was heard, and Henry drove up to the door
and handed out a lady.
Mother, this is your daughter Mary"
I looked up and met a pair o fgentle blue
eyes looking out wistfully from a kindly
old face.
'3Iary, will you let me be your mother
as well as Henry's ?" asked the lady, hold
ing out her hands and 1 answered, en-
bracing her warmly
'sIndeed, I will! Welcome home, moth
err"
Miss Skinner, peeping from behind her
blinds across the street, saw the act, and
understood it.
ooh, that's all very fine," she muttcred,
contemptuously. "a new broom sweeps
clean. Wait a few weeks, and then we
snail see."
Time sped along happily for months,
and it seemed as if Miss Skinner would
have to be disappointed, for no happier
family existed than ours. l felt like sing