The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-06-14

sbnIl DC nice 10 her always, ~
gardless-if ] perish in the attempt!"
h heroicaily resolved. valeric's
ideas OF order were perhaps chaotic.
but her sweetness Of nature was as
fixed as the place of her mother-in-
laws silver teapot.
Johns mother was sitting in the
dining room, hemming nm apron. Ter
face looked tired and pale, and Valerie
hesitated a little as she suggested the
arranging Of her wedding gifts. "You
look a little tired" she said, gently.
perhaps you'd rather not"
She was seized with an impulse TO
sit in her mother-in-law's lap and kiss
her. Her W mother found such
treatment refreshing when she was
tired; but Valerie feared that n
mothcr-in-law might not find il even
proper.
Yet the mother-in-law. who had
seen Valerie with her own mother.
was wishing that the girl would sit in
her lap and kiss her. She wag coming
a little nearer her daughter-in-law,
and h reflected hat Valerie might
have committed a greater crime than
the putting of the sugar bowl into
the ice chest. Johns mother was
very gentle, and Johns wife was very
sweet-natured. They were doing their
Lest 10 surmount their unlikenesses
n Elcanor's warnings. IL was not
easy, but il was less difficult than
they thought.
They unpaclSed the wedding gifts
and brought the majority of them
down stairs. Valerie had expected TO
scatter them about the house. She
had expected TO display the cups, the
little silver dishes and the pretty en-
broidcries on an afternoon tea table:
she had a college girls fondness for a
tea table. She mentioned Tentatively
her expectation, but her mother-in-
law said:
"They viii get so dusty. nv dear.
Wouldn't il be better TO keep such
beautiful things carefully in the china
closet and the silver drawers?" She
made the suggestion kindly: she re-
membered that Valerie did not ap-
preciatc the degree of care needed by
silver and glass and china; and
Valerie's gifts were too fine, she
thought, to be dulled and furnished
by dust.
The girls disappointment was keen.
The wedding gifts were such cher
ished possessions, she wanted them in
familiar confusion. She had deter
mined, however, not to be n typical
daughter-in-law. and she smilingly al
lowed them TO be arranged in order
ly, straight lines, in places in which
they would belong-perhaps for IS
years. The occupation lost its inter-
est, but it helped the fight of time.
John will soon be here" thoaght
Valerie. IF it were not for John. 1
would go straight home-without
waiting to dress. | simply don't know
how TO be orderly. and I'm really
afraid that Johns mother will never
get used to me"
In spite of this reflection. she
thanked Johns mother very charm
ingly. and went slowly away to dress
for dinner. Johns mother looked
after her. The girls step seemed
listless: her face, eve with its smile.
had been too wistful to escape her
notice. She remembered other things
that Eleanor had said. Suddenly she
remembered that Valerie was a girl
"a little girl. she gently amended
her remembrance.
valerie" she said, ''come here. my
dear child
Valerie gazed at her in surprise
She went quickly TO her side. Johns
mother took her hand and looked al
its bright new wedding ring. She
looked up at the girls sweet face. at
the disordercd hair with its dropping
rose. She remembered that she was
older than Nalerie's mother. and She
smiled. partly at Valerie and partly
at the recent dismay caused by this
tangle-haircd. womanly little girl.
my dear" she said. very gently,
are you tircd?"
Valerie quite forgot that this was
her mother-in-law, who was precise.
who had kept her silver teapot in the
same place fer Q, years. She remem-
bered that she was Johns own
mother, her own new mother. She
sat on the arm of her chair and put
her arms around her neck.
"No. I'm not tired: I'm only afraid
IL will be an awful trial to you. I've
never kept anything in the same place
for IS years"
u was a foolish little explanation.
but IL had a pleasant effect upon
Johns mother. She laughed and
patted Nalerie's rosy cheek. II hadn't
supposed So, my dear. am a reason
able woman. and as you are only 20"
She interrupted herself and said more
seriously: But, my dear. you may
keep your silver teapot in ms many
places as you like. You know this
is your home now, too, and you must
happy in il. | don't know how
girls are accustomed 10 keeping
things. ! was n girl so long ago"
IF you will keep me in your heart.
you may keep my teapot anywhere
you like" whispered Valerie. impul-