St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1901-07-06
The Meeting of
the Extremes.
BY ELIZABETH McCRACKEN,

VALERIE had been amply pre-
Y pared, amply warned by Johns
numerous girl cousins-by Eleanor,
particularly-but when the dreaded
moment arrived she was alarmed. In
five minutes John would be gone,
actually gone, for the entire day, and
she would be all alone with Johns
mother-yes, actually with her
mother-in-law!
She looked at John very soberly,
and let him take her hand under
shelter of the table-cloth. John
smiled fondly at her. They were hav-
ing breakfast, they and Johns
mother, in their own home for the
first time. They had been married
exactly five weeks, and they had
come home from their wedding-trip
on the previous evening. The home
was new only to Valerie. 1t had been
for many years the home of John and
of Johns widowed mother.
John had explained to Valerie that
he might not leave his mother alone,
and that she would be loath to re-
linquish her home, and almost unable
to adapt herself to totally new en-
vironment. Valerie was quickly SYM
pathetic.
''She need not, john" she had said,
reassuringly. ''She is older than /,
and don't want to spoil any of her
life for her. OF course we will go
and live with her. I sha'n't be a hor-
rid, typical daughter-in-law!" she had
warmly concluded.
John did not know exactly what
she meant by typical daughter-in-
law, but he assured her again and
again that she could not possibly be
anything horrid. Their discussions
of the practical details of their flu
ture invariably ended in such per-
sOnal irrelevancies.
Valerie certainly looked unlike any,
thing horrid as she gravely returned
Johns smile. Her rose-colored mus
lin breakfast-jacket, with its decora-
ton of black velvet bows artistically
sewed on at random, lighted charm
ingly her fresh young face, and har-
monized prettily with the rose stuck
also artistically at random in her
curly, brown hair.
Johns mother, about whom there
was nothing at random, glanced at
Valerie occasionally with an inner
disquiet almost equal to Valerie's
alarm. In a moment John would be
gone, actually gone, for the entire
day, and she would be left all alone
with Johns wife-yes, actually with
her daughter-in-law! She also had
been amply prepared and amply
warned, touching the inevitable
emergency; but she also looked So
berly at John.
He thought that his mother was
thinking how beautiful it was to
have Valerie permanently in the
house; and again he smiled. His
mother was gentle and tender be-
meath all the precision and primness
concerning which Johns cousin FL
eanor had solemnly warned Valerie
Valerie, whose theories of order were
undeveloped-and she had assured
John that his wife would be most |
welcome.
Il have no intention, my DEAR"
Johns mother had said to him, "of |
being conventional mother-in-law-l
and it will be sweet to have daugh- |
ter"
She had the gentlest intentions;
but as she looked at Valerie she re-
called wildly all that her niece FL
eanor, who had been in college with
Valerie, had said regarding the girls
tendency to leave her hat on the
piano, her umbrella on the library
table, her overshoes ON the stairs, or
her book on the floor.
''valerie is an angel" Eleanor had !;
said, "but she thinks house is made
iust to live in. She has such a pic
turesque, disorderly way of being Or
derly!"
Johns mother had had occasion to
appreciate the justice of Eleanor's
criticism, for Valerie had visited her
for week before her marriage.
Johns mother had given the criti-
cism not very much thought; but
now Valerie was no longer a guest;
she was permanency!
The permanency was meditating
,pon the possibility Of going with John