The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-01-22
A MEDITERRANEAN.

A MOTHER-IN-LAW.
How a Fault-Finding Husband
Was Trapped by Her Aid.
II wouldn't have believed it of you,
Rachel" said Mrs. Edmonstone, plain
lively. mo, wouldn't, not unless Betsy
Tacker had told me; and Betsy, she
never told lie no more than George
Washington did,
"Why, mother, what are you talking
about? questioned Mrs. Thomas Ed
monstone, untying the elder lady's bon
net strings and relieving her of splint
basket, black silk bag, waterproof
cloak and an umbrella.
"And I've come to see if it's true"
added the old lady.
IF what's true, mother?"
THAT you said you wished there
wasn't no such person as m-me!'' fall
tered Mrs. Edmonstone.
Mother, you know l never could
have said such a thing!' cried out
Rachel
"Well, it wasn't exactly that; but
Betsy Tacker heard you say you wished
there was no such thing as mother
in-law."
'Oh!" cried Rachel, with hysterical
little laugh, II plead guilty. 1 did say
that. But oh! mother it was under
such strong provocation, and 1 never
meant you. How could I, when you
have always been SO good to me?''
II knew it couldn't be true,'' said
Mrs. Edmonstone, settling herself in
the easiest rocking-chair and nodding
her cap-strings comfortably. 'But how
came you to make that ex-tra-or binary
speech, Rachel, about mothers in-law
in general?"
1T was Tom," said the young wife.
"He was SO aggravating!''
Thomas always was aggravating,"
said Mrs. Edmonstone, stirring the cup
of tea that Rachel had brought her.
And what was it about now? The
breakfast cakes?'
''Oh, you remember about the break
fast cakes, don't you?" said Rachel,
with merry mischief sparkling in her
eyes. "No, it wasn't the breakfast
cakes this time; it was the Shirts
1.-The shirts?''
"Wcll, you know he said it was such
wasteful, extravaganza proceeding to
buy shirts ready made" explained
Rachel. HE said the linen was poor,
and the work regular slop-shop style,
and he declared you always used to
make his shirts at home, every stitch,
before he was married"
$50 l did," acknowledged Mrs. Ed
,zRstonc, with groan. "But that
nekas in the old times, before you could
buy such good article as they have
now"
Eyes, but Tom doesn't make any al
lowance for difference in times and Gus
TOMS" sighed Rachel. "He wanted
homemade shirts, and homemade shirts
he would have!''
And you made emp"
"Yes, l made them
you were great goose" reflective
~ spoke Mrs. Edmonstone.
"And-and Tom swore dreadfully the
first time he put one on
II don't in the least doubt it,
''And he said they set like meal bags,
and that they twisted his neck around
as if he had just been hanged, and
grasped him on the shoulders like po-
]iceman! Oh, can't tell you what he
didn't sayv'
"Bless met" said Mrs. Edmonstone.
He told me his mothers shirts set
like glove, and fitted him perfectly
and why couldn't turn out shirt like
those? And it was then, mother DEAR -
suddenly tiinging her arms around the
old lady's plump, comfortable neck,
that lost my head, and told him I
wished there wasn't such a thing as a
mother-in-law in the world! And Betsy
Tacker sat in the sewing-room altering
over my dolman in the spring style, and
I suppose she must have heard me-
Don't mind it, my DEAR said Mrs.
Edmonstone.
mo, won't, protested Rachel. ''But,
oh, those shirts! I've been ripping them
apart and sewing them together again,
and rounding off a gusset here, and TAX
ing in plat there. until I've got so
that dream of 'em at night; and the
more try 'em on the worse they fit,
and the more unreasonable Tom be-
comes. My mother never made such
work of it as this" says he.''
''Thomas forgets," observed Mrs. Ed
monstone, severely.
"And am sure, if things 60 on like
this" added Rachel, pushing her short
brown curls off her forehead, ''it will
end in a separation on account of in
compatibility of temper"
'No, it won't, my DEAR" said the
mother-in-law. ''Here, get me the pat
tern and some shifting muslin, and
pair of scissors
''What are you going to do, mother?"
eagerly questioned Rachel.
''I'm going to make Tom a shirt. But
don't you tell him, Rachel. Well see
whether it is Tom or the pattern that
has altered
Once more the mischievous light came
into Racheps bright blue eyes.
II wish all the world were mothers
in-law!'' she cried gleefully. ''Why
didn't think of this before?"
Zone can't think of every thing,
child" said Mrs. Edmonstone, consol-
ingly.
Thomas Edmonstone welcomed his
from business. s-.-
''1'm so glad you've Gomez said he.
I'VE can have some of the nice old
fashioned dishes now. Rachel can't
seem to get the hang of them, although
she has always had your book Of re-
cipes to guide her"
''Rachel's good deal better cook
than ever pretended to be-" said Mrs.
Edmonstone. ''They have patent egg
bcaters and cream-whippers and raisin-
seeders, and all that sort of thing now,
that they didn't have in my day. /
never tasted nicer bread than Rachel
makes, and these pop-overs are deli
cious.' ..e.-s
You're just saying that to encourage
Rachel" said Mr.. Edmonstone, with an
incre6ulous smile. '"rhings will run
smooth now vOnsvo c0pno 1Nhot,o Owe