The Washington herald., 1913-07-25
BILL NYES MOTHER
By FRED C. KELLY

Probably not one in Q thousand OF the
admirers of Bill Nye knows that his
mother. Eliza NJ. Nye-she from whom
he got his sense of humor-is living in
New York City.
She il nearly eighty-seven years old.
but her mind, her humor sense, and her
interest in everyday affairs are all as
keen as they were when Edgar Wilson
Nye-that Is. Bill Nye-was q small boy
Mrs. Nye Is a quaint little white-halred
woman. with bright, twinkling eyes. and
like most persons who keep up their IN
terest in life. looks many years young
er than she is. Every little while her
point Of view on things suggests Bill
Nye. ThoseN who know her well never
wonder about where Bill Nye got mis-
bubbling sense OF humor. He got It I'M
mistakably from his mother. She has
always had 1t and in a similar vein-that
il. she has always had a spontaneous
way Of seeing fun In the litti everyday
things. The main difference between
Bill Nye's humor and that of his mother
was that in the parent II was simply q
quiet little trickIing TIL. out In the
son it became a river.
Mrs Nye ID fond OF all humorous liter
AZURE. On the day i went to see her she
from one of the papers, tospaste in her
scEapbook. However. she does not limit
her literary interest to humorous stuff.
As II for the purpose of getting
thorough contrast, she is extremely fonc
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 remember
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 theS
had built, some one was observing that IL
was time for mother to sit around and
take it easy for a while.
Eyes. mother" said Edgar, all you'll
have to do now is just sit here and listen
to the creak of the universe as II turIIs
round
I'VE used to think" says Bill Nye's
mother, that one Of the best things
Edga- ever got OF in his youthful days
was the remark about the horse. He
was to drive 4 young girl to a little
party one night and she was proverbially
slow in getting ready. The horse he
drove was 4 livery animal 1t was a
little aged and underfed. but il was the
Of the house and waited an unusually
long time for the girl to appear. 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. seriously.
that horse was as fat as butter when /
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
] insisted that they mist tell their father,
who was then some distance out in The
field. Frank told Edgar that inasmuch as
he was the older and had had more school
he should be the one to do
the talking. Edgar consented. reluctant
ly, and on the way over devoted, himself
to a serious mental rehearsal of his re
marks The thing that remember about
the confession was the way Edgar did
not beat about the bush. but got right
to the point He said, as I learned lit
tie afterward: Well, father, know we
have lost a great many things, to say
nothing of the trace chains, but We have |
resolved to try to do better hereafter
when We were living in Wisconsin.
steer strayed away one winter night and