St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-07-06


said, impressively:
"My dear, Johns mother is lovely,
but she is the precisest person that
ever existed. She has kept her silver
teapot in the automatically same
spot for IS years; she told me SO her.
self! She has place for every pin,
and she keeps the pin exactly in it."
"Well," Valerie had said, II don't
care. She has perfect right to keep
her pins and her teapot where she
likes. I don't care where things are
kept
"You certainly don't!'' Eleanor had
exclaimed. "That is the very point.
You are dear, but you never did
have real place for thing; and
if you haGs, you probably wouldn't
keep the thing. in tall the time.
Would you Valerie?"
mo, suppose not Valerie had re-
turned, "but you know I've visited
Johns mother. I shocked her lit
tie, I'm afraid, but she was very
kind.''
''Wait until she is your mother-in-
law" the well-intentioned Eleanor
had said.
Valerie had waited SO happily, but
now-she thought of the silver tea
pot. "Thirty-five years! Thirty-fve
minutes would be nearer the time
I'd have kept it in one place!" she
reflected.
She looked at Johns mother Curl
ously, almost forgetting that she had
stayed in the house for week with
her-and, presumably, with the silver
teapot; she had not noticed exactly
where Johns mother kept it. Her
mother-in-law in turn looked at Val
erie, almost forgetting, on her part,
the visit during which Valerie had
been so demure and sweet that her
habit of dropping her small personal
belongings about the house had been
all but forgiven. Eleanor's words
gained weight. Disorderly order
might be picturesque, but it was con-
Trajectory, thought Johns mother.
John serenely finished his break
fast, and methodically folded his nap
kin. He wondered why his mother
and his wife were so silent. He even
asked them, but they smiled and did
not tell him.
Valerie followed him into the hall,
dropping her handkerchief, two hair
pins and the rose from her hair on
the way. She detained him as long as
possible; then she went to the gate
with him. At the gate she told him
five times to come home early, very
early. She fingered until he turned
the corner; then, restraining a wild
impulse to run after him, she slowly
returned to the house.
"How absurd I am!'' she told her.
self. "But I am SO afraid Johns
mother won't really be fond of me.
She thinks I'm frivilous, I know
Johns mother met her in the hall
She held Valerie's rose, her handker-
chief and her hairpins in her hand.
She was kind woman, but her life
had followed for many years the self
same pattern, and she had acquired a
cool, fixed demeanor that might have
made less sensitive, impulsive
than Valerie shrink.
II think you dropped these?" she said,
and Valerie felt uncomfortable.
''Thank you," she answered. She
tucked the rose and the hairpins in
her hair and pushed the handker-
chief into her sleeve. Her face was
so serious that Johns mother was
"What shall ever do with her?'
she asked herself. II had rather
hoped she might love me, but she evil
1ently thinks me foolishly particu-
ar" She turned to go into the din
ng room and Valerie followed her.
do let me help you!" said Valerie.
I don't know very much about house.
if you will tell me how,
I'd love to help about everything"
She was divided between a feeling
hat she really ought to help and the
ear that Johns mother might not |
lesire her to help. She suddenly won
Tered if Johns mother expected her
% attend to all the household affairs.
,he decided to write and ask her own |
opinion; but meanwhile she
must carefully feel her way. Eleanor
ays that you are a wonderful house
she said, lifting her face to
Johns mother, eagerly.
Johns mother smiled; she was a
rifle vain because the silver teapot
lad never, except when in actual use,
eft it's appointed place. Valerie was
oming nearer. Johns mother &C
epted her help.
Valerie did her best, but her heart
ank. "How shall I ever endure it?"
he wondered, when Johns mother
Explained to her that the coffee-urn al
o belonged in particular place, that
he sugar bowl was not kept in the
&c chest and that soapy water made
ut glass dull. They spent sober,
estrained morning. After luncheon
'alerie, almost on the point of tears,
ook refuge in her room, ITO write
etters," and Johns mother patiently
id again the things that Valerie had
SISTED her in doing. "Can I really
ndure this-in my old age?" she
sked herself.
Valerie found that her letters re-
used to be written. John would not