Evening star., 1900-12-22

display of conjugal fireworks, which he
seemed so instinctively to expect, but l
dessted. Instead, l told a real useful fib
anc said: How lovely! and remarked.
| Just what 1 was thinking myself, dear,
for bless you, Miss Emily, what Is the use
| of all this vaunted feminine sweetness ana
| intuition and diplomacy of ours unless we
use 1t in the hours of darkest need
Il don't see how you did 1t, Mrs. Bliss.
calculated Miss Emily.
Surprised Even John.
Naturally. John could hardly believe his
ears, but when mother-in-law arrived my
plot was fully matured. She came, with
clumsy. od-fashioned trunks that choke1 I
ur my second-story hall, with a canary
bird which owned voice like penny
whistle, with bags and band boxes galore,
and / gave her rousng welcome. couli
see that her manner was rather like tina
OF a man-of-war when the decks are clear
ed for action, and she was waiting for my
first broadsde before she fired. She hah
been visiting Fred. and Henry. with whose
wives she has never got along. and she
felt herself in the pink of fighting condi-
ton. l simply beamed. l had the bes-
front bed room ready. the gas logs merri.y
blazing, and the maids apron strings stoou
out like couple of comet tails. so livery
did 1 make her step around in my guest
behalf.
II insisted on hanging Dicky-bird in the
parlors bay window, and | made John
hand his mother in on his arm to the din
table, where her place was set on his
right. Having heard of me as a fourth
hand driving, golfing. giddy girl before my
marriage, she was plainly prepared for me
to smoke cigarettes. talk slang reed the
dog at the table, give my husband Sloppy
coffee and otherwise afford her wide field
for inopportune commiseration of the in
jured John. with much misdirected reform
atory work in my behalf.
Domestic Virtues.
81 set her righteous fears and ripe expe-
rience at naught by whisking down to early
breakfast without a curl paper; by sturdily
trimming my hats and darning stock
ings, while 1 begged to hear of Johns baby
days or extolled his manifold virtues.
learned her crochet stitch was careful to
have all the messy, odious food she liked
and asked her advice about everything. L
praised her pickle recipe! l never quoted
my own mother once, and l was all pr1med
and waiting when she and John began re-
calling the dear dead days when hot bis
cult were biscuit and well worth the but
ter and maple syrup thrown away on
Jumps of dough that masquerade as the
real thing
Il tell you, Miss Emily, it cut deep to
hear my biscuits impugned. Nevertheless,
apologized humbly for the flaky, feath-
cry, snowy puffs, with golden brown tops,
that appeared on my table, and on the
manufacture of which l pride myself. And
ter myself was worthy of Pete Cronje-I
subtly begged that my mOther-in-law would
render John happy by making some of the
Incompatible biscuits Of hallowed mem
ory.
"She was plainly f1attered and he was
pleased so the next morning John guessed
that he would not have any of his favorite
egg dish nor chops and bacon. but devote
the whole vigor of his manly appetite to
the thorough appreciation of at least four
of mothers grand old biscuit. 1t seems
that he had always eaten four every morn
ing in his bachelor days.
A Biscuit Incident.
'Tve never uttered a word Of criticism
of those biscuits, and 1 am not going to
pick them to pieces now; because l am un-
der immediate obligations to them for hav-
ing effectually silenced all insidious COM
parisons of my cookery, with the pies, waf-
fes sauces. etc. of my husbands youth.
The biscuit incident is closed and is never
referred to in family. / need only say
| that my mother-in-law had evidently not
| been practically interested in cookery for a
number of years; she forgot that her hand
| had lost some of its cunning. and she looked
| very humble while John, after struggling
| dutifully with one of the massive creations,
| surmised it was late and hurried away for
| business. l might add that my poor man
| office, and secretly implored some potent
draught from my medicine cabinet, to allay
| large burning lump in his chest.
After the biscuit episode my mother-n-
| law broke right down and began to like
me, and from that moment an honest, gen.
uine friendship grew up between us.
| found her a truly sweet nice old lady. and
| I've never seen any reason to change my
| opinion since. She found that | was taking
| the best care of her son. and was perfectly
| ready for him to love and honor her. while
| l discovered that she had certainly been a
| very devoted parent, whom he ought to
cherish tc his dying day When that first
| visit II an end she called dear
| daughter. And John! Well, John paid me
a handsome compliment. He came back
| from seeing his mother off with haystack
| of roses. and after telling me how proud
and happy he felt, said, Dear. don't you
| think we ought to have your mother with
| us next month";?
Sacrif "es Pay Occasionally.
| my mother came, and John was a per-
| feet darling to her, 50 kind and so thought
| full, that she had not criticism to make
| of him, because, you see. Miss Emily,
| found out early in my married life, what
| Mrs. Thomas Honeymoon will learn In hers,
| that it always pays to make the first little
sacrifices. Always keep your man in debt
to you for the amiabilty you show in trying
moments and he will rarely or never fail
| to pay you back with interest when the
need arises EMILY HOLT.