Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1888-04-12
W0MAN'S DEPARTMENT.
MOTHERS-i S-iN.IAW.
q Few ForcIsle Facts Ia Their Defense

anu many that were moi 80 iunny. had
few staple facts that were always on
tap for funny screen. ''Thc mule"
was one subject. The goat that eats
tin cans" was another. and 'thc
mothcr-in-law' was another. | have
written many times ON the subject of
mules. and goats. and putting up n
stoye-pipc, but can't remember that
i ever wrote any thing mean about =
mother-in-law. II have | would like
TO apologize 10 every mother-in-law in
the land. There Is time in the mar
ried life of all young people when they
want to be alone more or less. and dur
ing that time would not bother them
too much. il | was mothcr-in-law
That is the time when there is an
awful crowd and perfect jam. At
such time the funny paper which
jokes the mothcr-in-law may he al
lowed 10 exist. but after little children
begin TO come To the home Of the
young people. and the mothcr-in-law
becomes grandma, a paper that
speaks disrespcctfully of the mother
in-law has row on his hands right
| away. was in smoking-car once
with lot of passengers. when the
train stopped at tho station. aud
middle-aged lady passed the window.
on the platform outside. and a smart
Alexander said: "rll bet the cigar,
she is a mother-in-law." a travelling
man for grocery house. who was
big. good-natured chap turned in his
seat and said TO the smarty: IL can
whip any man that speaks disrespcct-
fully of mothcrs-in-law, rs a class"
The smarty colorcd up and said he
didn't know whether the travelling
man could do il or not. We'll, | can.
and ! will begin on YOU in n holy min
ute If YOU say an unkind thing Of
moiherin-law. | will wipe the floor
with you. Mothers-in-law are the
noblcst women on Gods earth"
"After they have grown mp children.
and are entitled to retire from the &C
tive duties of motherhood" continued
the big travelling man. ''they find that
little grandchildren have taken as
strong hold on their hearts as
their own children ever did.
and they are ready. old and feeble
though they be, to 20 through any
number of sicges Of diseases of child
rcn. from whooping cough to scarlet
fever. My wifc's mother is the best
woman on earth. The first year | was
married used to think it would bc
good thing il my wifc's mother would
, go to Dakota. ar Alaska. or Heaven, or
some summer resort Two years after
j ward | telegraphcd her hundred dol
lars To come from California,
when our baby had diphtheria. and the
cars could not come fast enough. She
has been with me now for ten years,
has saved the lives Of five of our child
rcn. worked harder than she ever did
| with her own children. and am going
to pay her expenses for trip To Eu-
rope next summer. if | have to steal
the money. That's the reason say
can whip any man that speaks slight
ingly Of mother-in-law. Get up here
, till knock you down once more for
, luck" The smart Alex said he spoke
before he thought. and he had nothing
against mother-in-laws. We'll. shut
up. them said the big travelling man.
as he took n pencil and began to make
some figures in his order book.
There is no more beautiful title in
the world than grandma but a wO-
man has TO be n mother-in-law before
she can be n grandma. There was a
case in this city few days ago. that
illustrates the love of a grandmother
for her grandchildren. The story is
told in few words in a daily paper. as
follows: I'm her death she was mar
tyr to duty. About three weeks ago
her married daughter wrote to her that
her four children were sick with ty-
phoid fever. and continually calling
for Grandma She Mt once went to
them. and nursed them until she took
the fata. infection and died. One can
almost lear the call of the fever strick-
en- babies for "grandma." Is there n
grandma in all the world that would
not have done as this good lady did
Not one! There never was n night
so dark that the grandma would not
hurry to the bedside of the sick grand
babies. Dakota never had blizzard
so cold as would keep grandma away
from her grandchildren that were sick.
and calling her in their feverish delir-
ium.
She would 90 through packs of
wolves. fight her way through tribes
Of Indians. brave all the diseases of the
world. to go TO the babies. and ap the
reward she would ever care for would
be to have the darling. when it was
well again. loos up to her with its low
ing eyes. put iss arms around her neck.
and say, II love YOU" That love is
more to her than the wealth of the Col
condas. know n m1n that is suffer-
ing the sortures of the damned. Once
he said TO his wife's mother that he
did not marry the whole family. The
mother-in-law was a bit too fresh, /
have no doubt, but he almost broke
her heart by his remark. She was not
too fresh any more. but only came
when sent for. Time passed, and four
little girls came TO the home of the
man that didn't marry the whole fam
Iy. Then the mother of the little girls
died, and for fourteen years the mans
mother-in-law has taken care OF the
children and taken care of him, too.
for he has been sick and unabIc 70 xvorL-