Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-10-21
MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.
The Wonders She Has Worked
About tho Old Homo.

About tho Old Homo.
You see, there was just Tom. If the
old farmhouse had been full of girls
an boys, suppose we wouldn't haze
been SO silly over him. Folks allowed
we were bound to spoil him, an I'll
own up that if the boy hadn't been
blessed with the best of constitutions,
morally and physically, he would never
have grown up as he did. His father
is good man, AS good man as walks
the earth, but sUft-hcarted an homcly
very. Now, ii were not candid |
don't know that I'd come right ont
plain with the fact that I'm partial to
good looks. It's easy to be candid on
paper; so easy that men an women
have been known to carry diary"
enough about to hang them rs high as
lIaman-at least so I've heard. Adam
makes out to hold beauty as something
of no value; calls it snare an de-
fusion, but he can't convince me that it
isn't one of Heavens good gifts. OF
course there is beauty an beauty, but
beauty true breaches better sermons
than many divincs preach, to my think
in Bcin' so dispositioncd, | was natur-
ally glad TO have Tom, as he was, tall
an straight an good to look on. An
other thing which made me softer
toward him than was necessary, was
that he looked so much like myself. |
was glad to know could | help it?)
I,n 11n l. I'll, 4
SO boldly ont on the world, were my
own over again in nll but their bold
ness, an that the gold brown hair had
the same tint an wave in it that still
fingered in mine, an that the funny
dimplc, which the years could not CT
face, had its counterpart in another
chin-onc not 50 well shaped as it used
to be.
| have an idea that Adam liked to
have it all so, though he was won't to
say at every breach Of discipline an
lapse from duty on the part of the LAD;
Toms too good loolliu'-for boy"
doubt in my own mind if there is a man
alive who ever looked on girl and
thought her too good lookin'. Curious
isn't it? Wen, seein' that he was all
we had to manage, one would suppose
we could do the job ourselves, but do
believe that half the men in the neigh
borhood did their level best to assist
Adam, an just as many women fairly
forced their aid on me. I'm inGcpend-
eHt myself don't want anybody dom
for me what I'm able to do for myself
an so | may have appeared u little
ungrateful an crusty to wcil-meauin'
people. Alvira Wesley talked mean
about me round the ncighborhood
when ! wouldn't follow her advice
when he was tecthin', and she
still pursued me when he was
n great fellow at college She
was full of the things she called
Suggestions" an | don't deny that |
was sick of hcr-vcry. But sccin' she
was an old maid who had no boy of her
own, an wasn't ever likely to, | let her
kind of mcddlc with mine as much as !
could without violatin' my principles.
When she brought forward u string of
spice-wood berries to preserve him
from sickness | coaXed, an bribed an
threatened him into wearing them for
week, but when she brought out
scheme for kccpin distrustful watch
over every action was forced to turn
upon her lie was twenty years old
then, an one of the happicst fell
lows in the world hope /
didn't speak uncharitably to Al
vira, but was plain-vcry. |
wasn't much afraid of my boy goin
gether at heart that was sure of him.
Alvira doesn't know it to this day, but
her hints an sayin's made me do u
thing I'll be ashamed of as long as
livc-I searched Toms trunk. II he
had como an caught me at it | believe
I'd have died then an there, but kept
right on till | reached the bottom. |
tried each little key, | opened each box
an drawer, an there wasn't thing in
all the place bat every mother an sis
ter in the ncighborhood might have
seen. felt SO mean, an glad an joy
full all together, that shed tears when
laid back the old picture of Adam an
me taken when VIC were courtin'-a
dagucrrcotyp an poor at that.
Thank God for II boy like mine!
We'll, rs he had promised whca he
went away TO tell me everything,
at least most everything, | kept
waitin' to hear that he intended
comm home an marryin' ncighbor
Jones daughter in the fall, Her name
is Eliza Jane, an she isn't pretty, in
fact she's downright homely, butin all
the township you couldn't find thrift
tier, tidicr girl didn't say anything
to Adam, but had my mind made M
to 20 oil down cast yisitin', an leave
She young couple tomanagc for awhile.
I've worked hard-vcry; an when a
woman gets to be forty she begins to
feel the need of shirkin' spell some
times. Adam thought heap of Eliza
Jane, an twas a shock to both Of us to
learn that Tom had fallen dead in love
with the sister Of his chum, an wanted
to bring "the dearest girl in the world
home to cheer our hearts an brighten