The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-12-08
THEIR TWO HQMEGQM|NG&

ulckeflnS NSnt or my taper l saw faSt
ened to the door of my landlady's room
white sheet of paper. 1t was pinned
above the doorknob and contained 4
brief message.
Dear children" it read, "God bless
Your home coming. l love you both, deal
daughter and beloved son. l couldn't
wait for you, because l had to 80 to the
theater. Your MOTHER
"Ah. | said to myself, 1.-THE young
couple are coming home AS the latch
of my own door clicked heard two per
sons come up the stairway
My mother is not at home" said q
CHEEKY, manly voice, but here is he1
greeting, as kind and loving as ever
| don't know what else the man OIL
the woman said-sweet love words, nc
doubt. such as a young husband and
wife are apt to indulge in on their we'd
ding night.
Mrs. Alberta Damman had been my
ianllidy now for two years. She was Il
little. rOtund woman. with vivaciOuS
temperament, which betrayed every min
ute the presence of actor blood in her
had been wardrobe woman in the only
StOck-company house in the city. She
had saved up Il little money, which she
loaned at reasonable interest to actors
and actresses in hard luck, and she was
able besides to do profitable business in
purchasing and selling cast:off party
dresses and stage gowns. The glib
tongued wardrobe woman was as pas
sionately fond of the theater as she was
pictureSquely diSorderly about the three
rooms which she herself occupied. My own
rooms. in happy contrast. were neatly
and simply furnished and always kept
scrupnlolS!y clean: The disorder in hers
was appalling and sitting to me. Fur
niture from all kinds of periods hob
nobbed with chandeliers and cheval
glasses of long-forgotten. periods.
Mrs. Dammans son was very different
in character and disposition from his
mother. While she was shrewd and full
CT temperament. he was taciturn and
slow of comprehension. Despite his thir-
ty years he was as helpless as a child
almost. In his habits he was absolutely
correct and faithful to his employer, who
had given him the position of head book
keeper at moderate salary. His
mother and he always ate their meals
together. On Sunday he went to the
theater, and during the week he waited
patiently, for the old lady to return from
the playhouse. that he might partake of
supper with her. Then she would tell
him with delightful accuracy all that had
happened during the performance. while
he listened musingly and sometimes with
eyes almost closed in sleep.
Now, this idyllic existence was about
to be interrupted or rather extended.
Young Damman grew courageous one
day and confessed to his mother that he
loved girl and had promised to marry
her. Mrs. Damman's verbosity would
not permit, her to conceal this fact from
me. AS she was serving my coffee one
morning she acquainted me with the new
state of affairs.
DO you know your sons fiancee?' |
asked, just little uneasy as to how she
would take this sudden surprise.
No, she had never seen her, but in
curry among friends elected the informa-
ton that she came of a respectable fam
lily and was good-looking young miss.
III receive her as my daughter" she
said, land they can both live here. My
sons salary is not large enough to sup
port a separate household, and l cannot
give him anything out of my own means
so they will have to make their home
here, and my daughtcr-in-law will have
to learn how tp please me-"
NOW the wedding had been celebrated
and henceforth the young people would
be my neighborS, for their room was
next to mine. If my misgivings had con-
tlnued about the new member of the
household, that friendly welcome, pinned
to the door of my landlady's quarters on
NY wy VI III aIilFdl, WOuIu nave dlS-
PEELED them. In the morning Mrs. Dam
man. as usual, brought my coffee and
rolls
They are here she said, with a
broad, motherly smile. Didn't you hear
the noise we made when l came home
last night? My daughter is perfect lit
tie WS1it,c:hi-Pretity as peach, too. know
An hour later l sauntered down the
hall. A fresh voice. fresh as birds,
sang a gay little dirty.
1.-The BRIDE" | mused, and presently
she hove in sight, welding a broom with
pair of round, dimpled arms barred to
the shoulders. The moment she saw me
she hlushed and Disappeared. dropping
the broom on a little heap of dust she
had swept together. On top of the heap,
lay a scrap of white paper.
THE welcome" 1 murmurcd, and
stopped and lifted the motherly greeting
to save it from destruction with the rest
of the debris.
She cant be very sentimental" was
my silent comment, ''or she would have
treasured these penciled lines all her
puaintance Of the youthful bride and
found her to be all that her mother-in-
law had said of her. She was as handy
and alert about the house as she was
fresh and pretty. Mrs. Damman was re-
lleved of good deal of work, although
she superintendent the household as of
old. Fred Damman. the young husband,
and she seemed fond of him in her in
genuons, girlsh fashion. There werc
little chickering's between the two women
now and then, but they were forgotten
in an hour, and all was as calm and
peaceful as of old.
An unusual stress Of business kept me
away from the house longer than had
been my custom, and when summer
came l was ready to indulge III an ex-
me- away from Mrs. Damman's house for
at least three months.
Upon my return. the family received
me with open arms. All three had a
friendly word for me and for each other,
and was more than delighted at the
continued harmony that pervaded my
landlady's home. That much of this
harmony was sham | learned before
many days. Mrs. Damman was the FIRST
planned bitterly of the younger woman's
willfulness, that. her daughter-in- law
usurped rights which did not belong to
her and threatened dissolution of the
household. 1t came sooner than even l
anticipated, but i'll an entirely unex-
pected manner. After bitterer quarrel
than ever young Mrs. Damman left the
house without telling her mother-in-law
whittier she was going She failed to re-
turn, and soon everything was as quiet
as the grave once more Fred. the
young husband. was even more taciturn
than before. He avoided his mother,
whom he seemed TO regard as the natural
enemy of his wife,.
One day met him in the street,
"Whcre is your wife?" asked. Don't
yon hear from her at all?
He hid his finger on his lips, forgetting
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