The Yale expositor., 1901-10-25
Her Husbands Relations.
By Amy Randolph.

III is your own IdulI, cara, SAID
Walter May.
"Of course it u.s." cried out Clara,
passionately stamping her foot on the
carpet. do you suppose don't know
it perfectly we'll? And that is what
makes it so hard-oh, so cruelty hard
to bsar!"
The fact was that Mr.. and Mrs. Wal
ter May had begun life at the wrong
end.
Clara Calthorpe was a pretty young
girl, just out of the hotbed atmosphere
Of a fashionable boarding school.
Walter May was a bank clerk who
had not the least doubt but that he
should ultimately make his fortune
out of stocks and bonds.
Clara" he said to his young wife
while the golden Gree of the hon ey-
moon was yet overshadowing their
lives, would you l Ike a country life?"
ooh, dear MOI" said Clara involun-
tarily recoiling.
Because" said Walter somewhat
wistfully, my father and mother are
alone on the farm and / think they
would like to have us come and live
with them"
II shouldn't like it at all" said
Clara, and mamma says no young
bride shou ever settle down among
her husbands relations"
Mr. May frowned a little, but Mrs.
Clara had pretty positive way of her
own, and he demonstrated no further.
But at the years end Walter May
had lost his situation, the clouds of
debt had gathered darby around them
and all the pretty, new furniture, East
lake cabinets, china dragons, proof en-
cravings and hot house plants were
sold under the red flag. They had
made a complete failure of the house
keeping business, and now, in the
fourth story of a third-rate hotel, Mr..
and Mrs. May were looking their fu-
ture in the face.
Clara had been eXtravagant. There
was no sort of doubt about that. She
had given recherche" little parties,
which she couldn't afford, to people
who didn't care for her. She had
patterned her tiny estab ishment after
models which were far beyond her
reach, and now they were ruined.
She had sent a tear-besprinkled let
ter to her mother who was in Wash
ington trying to ensnare a rich hus-
band for her young + daughter, but
Mrs. C1lthorpe had hastily written
back that 1t was gu tie impossible for
her to be in New York at that time
Of year and still moro impossible to
receive Mrs. Waltor May at the mon
ster hotel where she was boarding
And Clara, who had always had a
vague idea that her mother was self
ish. was quite certain OF it now.
There is but one thing left for you
Clara" said Water sadly.
"And that"
"Is to go back to the old farm. ]
have no longer a home to offer you
but you will be sure of warm well
come from my father and mother
shall remain here and do my best
to obtain some new situation which
will enable men to earn our daily
bread"
Clara burst into tears.
GO to my husbands relations?'
she sobbed. ooh, Walter, l cannot!"
you will have to-" he said logged
ly, cor else starve."
So Mrs. May packed up her trunk
and obeyed. All the way to Hazel
copse Farm she cried beh nd her vel
and pictured to herself a stony-faced
old man with vira o Of wife, who
would set her to dong mental tasks
and overwhe,m her with reproaches
for having ruined poor, dear Walter
AS for the farmhouse itself. she was
quite sure it was desolate place, with
corn and potatoes growing under the
very windows, and the road in front
filled with p ows and pigs and har-
rows and broken cart wheels. But in
the midst of her tears and desolatior
the driver ca led out:
"Hazelcopse Farm! Mr.. Noah Mays!
Here's tn 'ouse, ma'am.
A long low gray stone mansion. al
garlanded with ivy, its windows
bright with geranium blossoms and
the scarlet au umn leaves raining
down on the velvet-smooth lawn in
front Clara could just see how err.
roneous had been all her preconceivet
ideas. when she found herself claspet
in the arms OF the sweetest and most
Ypofb arIv NJ old Iodicc
my poor dear!" said old Mrs May
caressingly.
you are welcome as the sunshine
daughter" said smiling old gentle.
man in spectac,es.
And Clara was established in thu
easy chair in front of a great fire o.
pine logs, and tea was brought In and
the two old people cossetted and pet
ted her as IL she had been a three
year-old child just recovering from
the measles.
There was not a word of reproach--
not questioning look, not sidelonl
glance-all welcome, and tenderness
and loving confederation. And wher
| Clara went to sleep that night, with