Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-27
WHERE TACT SUCCEEDS

that the tactleSS vile Is informing Her
husband that her mother is soon to make
them a visit. Something like the following
dialogue ensues:
morning"
He-"Did. hey. Highly unimportant. II
true"
She-"She's starting for the east soon."
He-"Say. she's not going to"
she-"She will spend few days at the
jamestown exposition. and then she will
come and visit us in Washington for a few
weeks-probably for not more than q month
Poor. dear mamma. shall be so glad to see
herr
He-"Not more than a month with us. eli?
Fine! But it's kind Of a one-sided arrange
ment isn't it? Who invited herr
She-"Well. hope things haven't come to
such a pass. John Gitbizsy. that my own
poor. dear mother has to receive formal
invitation to visit me-
He-"Oh we'll tin the talk about the
come-to- such-a-pass thing. Did you invite
her to swoop down upon me for month";"
She-"No. I did not 1 didn't consider
such thing necessary. I'd like to know
If"
He-"Well. there are few things that I'd
like to know. myself. Where do l figure
in this game, anyhow? It's my plant here.
isn't it,? I suppose I've got just little
teenchy- bit to say about what comes on
under this roof. haven't II"
She-"Oh II you are going to throw 1t up
to me again that you pay the rent. and
that You settle the grocer's bill. and"
Helm not throwing up anything. But
want to tell you one thing. and it goes as
1t lays. and that is that m to be con-
suited when this inviting business is the
order of the day. I'm not going to have
bunch of drfters and kickers career'ng
down upon this plant and trying to run
things to suit themselves. and bulldoZing
rybody around and setting to work to
start something every twenty minutes or 80
and
She-.'Oh. that's 1t, is it? Well. I suppose
you consulted me when yOu invited your
sister and her two brats to drift In here.
as you call 1t, last winter. and stay nearly
six weeks. with the pair of iil-bred young
ones bowling all over the place day ana
night. and your sister sticking her nose
into everything and trying to direct folks
about their own business and"
He-"So my sisters visit sticks in your
craw does 1t? That's the first time you We
let that crack out of Your system. Well.
we'll! And you pretending to like her 50
much. and to be dead mashed on her
children. and here you're calling EN- brats
and
She-"Wen Just stick to tie point at
issue. If you please. l didn invite her.
! did /? You didn't consult with me when
you invited her: did you-yes or no.:
He-'Oh. you're going to try to herd me
up In Il corner and PIN me to the wall on
that point are you? Well. you're not, all
the same see? 1 decline to be pinned But
I'm telling you this: don't have to consult
you about having my own people come here
to my own dump to see me- You can stick
that on the end of your hat pin and toast
1t over a slow fire If you want to-"
she-"Oh. indeed7 And yet you have the
nerve to sit there and say that you expect
me to come to you and consult with you
when l invite my own mother To-
He-"Oho. Then you did invite her, hey?"
She-"It doesn't make particle OF differ
ence whether did or not; you say that you
don't have to ask me about having your
people come here. and yet you have the
assurance to tell me that
He-"Just hold on a minute! Who's pay
ing the freight here, anyhow
She-"Oh. II you're going to get on that
mean. cheap remark again about paying the
household expenses-as IL. it wasn't your
business to do that
He-"Well flag that stuff about what's
my business, If you please. The thing for
you to do Is to get 1t out of your head that
you're going to do everything that l do,
understand? There's just a little shade on
the situation coming to me. I guess, as the
proprietor of this shanty, and the sooner
YOU see 1t the better it's going to be for
you You can't get by. you know, with
that demand of yours for all of the preroga-
tives of a woman in addition to all the
privileges of a man. Get that firmly fxed
in the back of your head and you'll have
learned something.
She-'Oh, fOlty-tOliy. lHueeu. lou re tHS
grand mogul. aren't you; and I'm to sit at
your feet or better. grovel at your feet.
and beg you to allow me to have my poor,
dear mamma
He-.'Your poor dear mamma. hey? You
don't have to edge in any of that SLOW
music sympathetic stuff about her. She
can take care of herself. all right. all right.
If ever there was a hatchet-faced party
with a wart on the left side or her nose that
could raise more different kinds of Gehenna
around a peaceful home than that same
poor, dear mamma of yours I'd like to
have a life-siZe pastel Of
She-"How dare you talk about my mother
in that manner, after all the trouble she's
He-"Ye-eh trouble. If there's any kind
of trouble that she hasn't started around
here. I'd like to have the blue prints to
see what
She-"You shan't scandalize her that way.
so there. now! Its a perfect s-s-shame the
w-w-way y-y-you c-c-carry on w-w-When
L"
Here the tactless wife begins to dab at her
eyes with a little wad of a pocket hand
kerchef. and the whole situation is just
the mess and the hash that the tactless
wife foredoomed it to be from the minute
she fired her opening gun.
The tactful wife does 1t quite differently.
When he comes from the office he finds her
seated. In an obviously distressed frame OF
mind. with 1ust-reeeived letter IN her
lap Then something like this conversation
ensues:
He-"What's up? Who's the letter from?"
She-"Oh, never mind dear. It's nothing
important Don't bother about It,"
He-"I know. but you look kind o blue.
What's the answer?
She-"Oh. we'll. I'll just write her and tell
her that
He-.Write who. and tell her what?'
She-"Now, my dear. 1 don't want to get
you all disturbed. for I know how hard
you're working lately. Anyhow, I've got
lovely shad for dinner. and I'll tell you
hot
He-"Oh, say. cut that-rm more than
seven years old. What's your mother say
in the letter."
she-"Oh, well. If you must know. she's
coming to the jamestown exposition. and
then-but. never mind I'll write to her and
tell her that"
He-"Oh she's coming here, you mean?'
She-"Yes. that's what she writes. but I'm
not going to have you put out. the way you
feel about the poor old dear. and"
He-"Oh, dunno. 1 guess l can stand
the gan all right. How longs she going to
linger?"
She-"Oh she doesn't say, but-listen. nay
dear, I simply will not consent to 1t that
you be made nervous and unhappy by
mamma coming here when I know so well
that you-well. that you are not particularly
fond Of her. and that's not to be expected,
1: know. for it's natural that men should
have certajp feeling about their mothers