New Britain herald., 1916-10-07
Why Madge's Defense of Her Guests
 Won Mother Graham at Last.

Lillian Underwood. felt as if I had been emancipated from a domination that had been most irksome to me.
 I do not think that I had realized myself how much I had secretly feared my mother-in-law and her l0mineering ways until her insulting words to Lillian Underwood so anger ed me that I could control myself no longer
 My mother-in-laW made one last at tempt to carry her point.
 Richard" she said, ignoring me, 'you promised me this woman should never enter your house or associate with your wife,
 I saw Lillian cast one reprOachful glance at Dicky, saw Harry Under woods face flush with indignant con- tempt My heart ached for Dicky as I saw mortified flush spread over his face.
 He opened his lips to answer his mother, but I prevented his speaking by taking the floor myself.
 Mother Graham I said. slowly and with deadly calmness, we will have this out right here and now. In the first place, let me tell you that you Y rested that promise from Dicky when you were so i'll that the physi- elan had warned us any excitement or denial of your wishes might cause your death. It was distinctly prom ise made under duress, and Dicky never meant to carry it out"
 Across the faces of my husband and the Underwoods flashed a look of smiling relief but my motherin-law's face was still black.
 You poor, deluded child,' she said, "you are making a fearful mistake; you do not know"
 "I know everything," I said stern- 1 ly "I know there is not a nobler woman, truer friend in the world than Lillian Underwood, whom you have chosen to insult tonight. I know everything of her past and Dicky's 1 there is to know. If you were not so 1 blinded by your own harshness you would know it, too."
 "Margaret!' My mOther- -in-laWS S voice was harsh with anger. She put out her hand with the old imperious l gesture that had once been sufficient l to overawe me- But I paid no atten ! tion whatever to either word or ges- 1 ture.
 T am proud,' I rushed on, "to | "to count Lillian Underwood as the 1 lest friend I have. If instead of bas- l ing your prejudice against her upon silly rumor, you had taken the trou- ble to find out the real facts in the case, you would know that your son was eternally indebted to her" | I decline to listen to any more Of this hysteria, and I demand that these
 people leave the house at once.' Mother Graham's Decision.
 Harry Underwood and Dicky both
 started toward us with flushed faces. Lillian. calm, watchful, made al-
 most imperceptible gesture with her hand and the two men stepped back. Lillian saw, as I did, that the elder l " oman was in the throes of one of her ] "tantrums," and that her anger was l carrying her farther than she in l tended, making her utter words Of 1 which she would be ashamed later. I determined to end the whole scene with a quick, sharp ultimatum. went
 a step nearer to my mother-in-law, faced her unf1inchingly.
 "Mother Graham" I said, slowly, sternly, T cannot allow you any l longer to insult my friends. l am Dicky's wife, remember, and I am mistress here. I hoped never to have
 to remind you of this. I am sorry to l have to do it now. You are welcome to stay with Dicky and me as long as
 #you live. I will do everything I can to be a dutiful loving daughter to you, but I cannot and will not ever i let you dictate to me again as to the l friends we receive into our home or 1 any other individual affair of mine.' 1 l had looked her steadily in the eyes all the time I was talking to her. Former experiences with my mother in-laW had taught me that she knew when she had failed in any project, | and accepted defeat grittily, so I was l not surprised to see her return my gaze with @ calm, defiant look and 1 them turn away as indifferently as if l we had been discussing the weather.
 "Richard," she said shortly, are 1 you going to stand there staring all night? Take my bag up to my room. The man set it on the porch" A ''Scene" Evaded.
 I could have laughed aloud at her swift transition from the tragic to the commonplace had it not been for dismayed thought that suddenly struck me.
 Harry Underwood had been occu- 1 pving my mother-in-law's room while she was gone. I knew that if there 1 were one thing more than another 1 calculated to revive her anger it l would be the sight of his clothes and smoking things in her room. The same thought evidently struck Lillian and Harry also
 Lillian, however, was equal to the emergency. With a quick gesture to 1 nle unseen by my mrther-in-laW, m to l detain the elder woman for a few mo- nents in the dining room, she sum- m oned Harry to her side with sig | r,al from her eyes which he evidently understood, and they both slipped out | Of the room.