The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-09-30
BY WINiFRED BLACK

SO you love your husband and hate
his mother. You are perfectly hap
ny with him except when you think
of her and then yau are miserable.
She lives near you and she neves
comes across the threshold Of your
home. nor do you ever go TO see her.
and the one grief Of your life Is that
your husband viii visit her. Nothing
win Keep him at home on mothers
evening" as she calls It,
And she is narrow minded and
oigoted, and mean and critical ana
you hate, hate, hate her, and please,
what shall sou do?
Why you foolish. foolish, small
minded, btter-heartsd little woman.
you. whatever is the matter with you?
Look back, look back, Are there
any Insane In your family? Does
some relative Of yours see the world
through the bars of a uadhousef
For to be quite plain. that's where
such thoughts as those you cherish
lead, and that's the honest truth.
Who is she. this woman that YOU
stay awake nights TO hate? The
mother of the man you say YOU love.
liz il were not for her there would be
no such man. He has his mothers
eyes. his mothers walk and his moth :
all these things when she has them
and Love them when YOU see them
in him
Jealous? Why she carried him in
her tired arms before you were even
thought of. She stayed up nights with
him and she kHeit and held out her
arms and taught him TO take his FIRST
faltering steps and almost cried for
Joy to see him do it.
What do you know about love, you
poor little jealous thing She
knows--she knows. She watched him
grow inch by inch and develop hour
| by hour.
She knew when he fell in love with
you, How No. he didn't tell her.
| but she knew lust the sal she 8
| a mother--that's how. And she
| thought what a lucky girl you were
| to gain the love OF such a paragon
| a mung mortals, her son, the son of
| her heart and soul
| And she cried all alone in her room
the night he came home With the rose
iyou wore III your hair
She wasn't always old and queer.
| you know. this mother of your hus-
! band. She was young, too, once and
! pretty, some say much prettler than
| you. AMI she has kept all the letters
, her boys father ever wrote her.
| Prim, matter-of letters they d
| seem To you. but do you know that
the queer little old lady you hate
| reads them over and over, and never
| fails to thrill over the one with the
faded rose pressed in it, and the line
| Of poetry written around The edge OF
IL.
| She could tell you n whole lot of
/ Mt I'M IA ha irE
| or married life. If you'd let her why
don't you do it?
You don't like to he first None
sense! A pretty thing like yon. Why.
one smile. one real genuine. honest
smile from you would melt the ice
around any elderly heart. They all
! love youth and beauty. Go to see her
! today, his mother. and go IN the right
i spirit,
Have you finished the first baby
clothes yet? Kun and ask his mother
what she thinks of the new buttoneh
| bands and see what she says about
safety pins.
! Find out whether she approves of
baskets or cribs for little new arrivals.
| Get her to show you the picture of
| him when he was six months cid and
I had such wonderful ffafr. my 'tftssff,
tencugh to reach olear across HIS dear
little round head" Find out whether
he was subject to collie and what she
| did for him.
! What, nc babies-and some wanted
Well, well. no wonder you're in trou-
BILE. You've got to have something TO
take up your time, so you've invented
! a hatred.
Dear. dear, what mistake. A baby
would be better my dear--oh. SO
much better.
There Isn't much time for hating
| with a baby In the house.
! You cant bear the idea of babies
I Why, what are ypti, II woman or 1,
little sawdust doll? Come, come STOP
,theorizing and ating and be natural
---as natural as the woman who does
lxour laundry and has eight rosy
t Frisrnigans at home. Hnrt NOT -orre ttr,r
1'many, bless their hearts. BE human
have come real blood in your veins
] and-don.t- think Snn.re pt.rfects=s.tit
aren't even halfway that
Come down from that high perch
come down ana Walk among TIL
tchiIdren and the flowers and the com,
mon folk 1t will do you good And
whisper: Stop being ''petted wife
for a while and he just plain, honest
ed loving woman. You'll be surpris
ed to see how well II pays
i They are making some wonderful
little cradles n0w why dent You gs
and look Ut then, and take moi her.
in-iaw aloEg. She'll lose to go, see
II she doesn't.