South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-07-25
BILL NYE'S MOTHER
BY Erred c. KELLY.

Probably not one in a thousand Of
the admirers Of Bill Nye knows that
his mother, Eliza NJ. Nye-she from
whom ne got his sense Of humor--is
/ living in New York City.
| She is nearly 81 years old, but her
I mind, her humOr sense, and her in
/ terest in everyday affairs are all as
keen as they were when Edgar Will
son Nye-that is, Bill Nye-was a
/ small boy.
! Mrs. Nye is a quaint little white
/ haired woman, with bright. twinkling
/ eyes, and, like most persons who keep
up their interest in life, looks many
years younger than she is. Every lit
! tie while her point of view on things
| suggests Bill Nye. Those who know
| her well never wonder about where
| Bill Nye got his bubbling sense of
humor. He got it Enthusiastically from
| his mother. She has always had il
and in a similar vein-that is, she has
| always had spontaneous way of see
| ing fun in the little everyday things.
| The main difference between Bill
Nye's humor and that of his mother
was that in the parent IL was simply
quiet little trickling rill, but in the
son it became a river.
Mrs Nye is fond of all humorous
| literature. On the day l went to see
I her she had clipped out something by
| O. Henry from one of the papers. to
paste in her scrapboOk. However. she
does not limit her literary interest to
/ humorous stuff. AS if for the pur-
pose OF getting a thorough contrast,
, she is extremely fond of Ibsen. Let
us not pass over that too rapidly. Just
/ think of the mother who gave Bill
/ Nye his sense of humor reading
! Ibsen! And liking it!
Mrs. Nye says she cannot remembe
when Bill Nye-or Edgar, as she calls
/ him-was not cracking jokes of his
own brand. On one occasion when
| they were comfortably fixed in a new
| house they had built some one was
| observing that it was time for mother
10 sit around and take 1t easy for a
| while.
Yes, mother" said Edgar, "all
! you'll have to do now is just sit here
and listen to the creak of the uni
verse as it turns round"
1--WE used to think" says Bill Nye's
mother, that one of the best things
Edgar ever got off in his youthful days
was the remark about the horse. He
was to drive young girl to a little
! party one night and she was proverb-
| tally slow in getting ready. The horse
he drove was a livery animal. 1t was
little aged and underfed, but it was
the best he could get. He drove up in
front of the house and waited an un-
| usually long time for the girl to APP
pear. When she finally did come she
! threw up her hands in horror at the
| sight of the horse and was free to say
/ that she was ashamed TO ride behind
such a looking creature.
" Why my dear said Edgar. 'seri-
! Ously, that horse was as fat as but
! ter when L drove up
Edgar and his older brother
| Frank used to have a great habit of
| losing farm implements, ropes, rakes,
hoes, axes, and such things, and one
day they mislaid the trace chains
! which were an important part of the
horses harness. They came and told
me of the unfortunate affair and l
| insisted that they must tell their faith
| er, who was then some distance out
| in the field. Frank told Edgar that
| inasmuch as he was the older and
had more school advantages. he
should be the one to do the talking
! Edgar consented, reluctantly, and on
| the way over devoted himself to a
serious mental rehearsal of his re-
marks. The thing that l remember
about the confession was the way
| Edgar did not beat about the bush,
but got right to the point. He said.
as 1 learned a little afterward: We'll,
| father, l know we have lost a great
many things, TO say nothing of the
| trace chains, but we have resolved
10 try TO do better hereafter.
when we were living in Wisconsin.