The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-01-12
LAvrEIAs DAUGHTER N-LAw.

When William Higglnbottom, Jr.,
electrified his parents with the start
ling announcement of his marriage,
his mother almost tainted, so great
was the shock.
Almost from his cradle, Lavinia
Higginbottom, being disappointed in
the arrival of son instead Of daugh-
ter, had consoled herself with the
thought of a possible daughter-in-
law; having foreseen by some mys-
terious oracle that her son would be
the first and last Higginbottom of
their generation, as his father and
grandfather had been before him.
Of course her daughter-in-law
would be dainty in feature and form,
and a possible brunette, as her SON
was a forid blonde of the herculean
type, true to his birth and ancestry.
Besides, Lavinia was small woman
and entertained no thought of ever
looking up to daughter-in-law. She,
Lavinia Higginbortom, alone would
reign queen of her own home.
After the first shock was over La
vinia hurried to her daughter-in- laws
room-which had been furnished and
in waiting more than ten years, ever
since her son had celebrated the day
of his legal majority-and began hasty
preparations for the reception of the
bride aud groom.
"Oh, dear, she sighed, Gift could
only have been Pinkie Warner, or
Lillian White, or Violet Simpson I;
but he wouldn't listen to me-just
like Higginbottom, thought he'd
only took after the Hightowers he'd
saved me lots of trouble.
Martha" she called from the
stairway, bring up fresh pitcher
of water" Then Lavinia sat down
for a breathing space and critically
surveyed the little room.
The pink -howered curtains at the
windows had long since faded, like
her hopes, with the years and the
carpet had grown dingy and dull.
The little old-fashioned bureau-an
antique inheritance-stood up primly
against the wall between the windows,
looking as calm and composed as on
the day it was stationed there ten years
before. Two equally prim candle
sticks stood in the long-accustomed
places upon the little crocheted mats !;
and the inevitable powder-box re-
posed in the center of the bureau.
Over the oval mirror hung a stuffy
pin-cushion replete with rusty pins.
On the plain, high mantel were two
little Dresden china statuettes, def
antly facing each other apparently
the distance between them ha6 engen-
dered a cold disdain. In tie middle
of the mantel stood green glass vase
filed with crystalized grasses.
Martha, the maid, came with the
pitcher of water.
Now go to the bakers, - said La
vinia, and get some lady fingers and
jelly rolls for tea-hurry, quick -
Lavinia smoothed the coverlet on
the old-fashioned bed, then straight
ened the bolster and replaced the pill
lows with genuine satisfaction. That
feather bed was Lavinia's special
pride, because it wasa fine, large one,
and was rendered doubly dear and
sacred from the fact that her precious
old grandmother and mother had
taken their earthly fight from this
soft couch it had been summed and
aired, but it remained on the bed from
winter to summer, and back to winter
again. Lavinia then opened the bu-
reau drawer and took from an EN-
broidered linen case a dainty gown
and nightcap-Lavinia was neat or
nothing.
1.-THE poor little thing'll be tired I
know" Lavinia unused, coming all
the way from Virginny-that's what
the telegram said-and maybe her
trunk won't come to- might"
She laid the robe at the foot of the
bed, and hung the little frilled cap on
the knob of the bedstead-looking
like thing of life. Then she opened
a window to let in some fresh air and
looked out.
The wayside was green with Buf-
falo clover and in the adjoining va
cant lot tall sunhowers lifted their
lofty heads, all aglow with golden
colors. Laviria remembered how
William, when child at home, had
admired their gorgeous hues. She
could now in fancy see bis little sunny