The Washington herald., 1916-09-10
TYPES
The Daughterly Worm.
By SARA MOORE.

Mary's face, upturned to the pulpit.
was sttentive-even anxious. She was
just as conscientious when 1t came to
sermons and prayers as she was about
baths and toothbrushes.
Mrs. Elmin, elegantly relaxed In her
corner OF the pew, regarded her daughter
with an unseeing glance and vague
smile Of Satisfaction Mary was the re-
ward OF her maternal vigilance, reser-
voir Of conyentionality, an Ideal Of copy
books, an automaton animated by plat
itudes. No other mother in the congre-
CATION could rejoice in a child 50 OBJ
yiously intent upon doing her duty
toward the preacher.
In manner as well as spirit, Mrs. Ell
Minis own churchliness was less scrupu-
lous. She was regular, punctual gen
erous, but her religion was favored with
patronage
People Of our standing must set a
good example to others" was her atti-
tude.
Mary followed the minister's words
Ike a very determined little hound after
particularly spry quarry. She knew
what salary he drew and II led her to
believe that what he said must be OF
spiritual Importance and that II the dis
course seemed to lack point or sequence
II was due to her own stupidity. She
sat forward, her fingers lightly clasped
over her hymnbook mild eyes never
vevsring. She might have gone on TO
lastly without moving II her mother
had not started suddenly and sent book
crashing to the floor.
Mrs. Elmin was rigid. She made no
move to accept the book her daughter
retrieved. Anger, disbelief, disap-
proval settled on her finely wrinkled
face. She stared from Marys hat to
Mary's gloves until the young woman
seemed to shrivel During the rest OF
the sermon both stared straight ahead.
The hat was a very becoming one,
faced with a soft shade of sunny yell
low; her gloves matched and stock
inzs Of the same shade were just visi-
BILE under the edge Of her skirt.
Yellow was one Of the Colors which
Mrs. Elmin had said should never be
in a lAdy's wardrobe. She had raised
Mary according to her conviction that
prim gray. brown, black or blue were
quietly suited to church wear. Mary,
knowing her mothers prejudices, had
disregarded them and she had not no
ticed until far into the church service.
The girl seemed half sick during the
rest Of the morning. She shrank back
as If she dreaded to enter the llmou-
sine Nndl NdlLCu at AhC OOOls
Clammy gloom settled on the Elmin
home that Sunday. After one cutting
comment, Mrs. Elmin ignored Mary.
No amount of small attentions or low
ing service could melt her cold aloof-
ness.
During the following days, Mira
Elmin's faulthnding would have mad
dened a saint when she finally un-
bent a little 1t was to advise the peni-
10 1inan a1lit and
the girl meekly submitted. although
she loathed the unbecoming thing.
The submission, instead Of placating,
seemed only TO inflame the older wom-
ans outraged sense of dominance.
Everything Mary did. everything she
wore was criticized. To try to avert
the nagging. the girl accepted high
handed Judgments without protest, ad-
justed her engagements. adapted her
costumes. and even suited her reading
and her every movement to her moth
er's whim. Neither mentioned the
unfortunate choice Of wearing apparel
that Mary had dared to purchase and
wear on her own initiative. But both
knew that the lash was being applied
so that the lesson IN maternal ascen-
dency would never be forgotten.
Petty tyranny can never be so cruel as
when II is used by an elderly woman to
aster a young woman. The victim may
be daughter daughter-in-law, sister or
even a servant Only feminine malice
can be subtle enough to search out meth
DDS Of breaking another feminine spirit.
And in almost every case 1t is done with
q firm conviction that the egotist Is
martyr herself for the sufferers own
good.
That Mary was sickening under the
strain Of continued self-effaCement. was
90 hidden by an apparently serene family
life, that she never suspected 1t. She
was frail, pale quiet, but that was sup
possdly due to temperament rather than
to conditions. Mrs. Elnin would have
denied, even to herself. that she was
crushing out every bit of the girls Vi
tanty and personality, or that the sudden
increase Of maternal pressure was re-
yenge for an accidental affront to her
sense Of power
In June Mary tainted in church one
morning In July the doctors ordered
her into the mountains for a rest.
No one else in the family could stand
the altitude, so tine girl was accompanied
only by a maid, and a trained nurse. who
sent regularly timed reports OF Mary's
recovery. And it was not until early in
November that she was again to be re-
turned to the shelter Of maternal love.
Instead Of going home. she went to
Florida, where the family Joined her
toward the end Of January
The ex-Invalid met her mother In the
veranda at one Of the splashiest Southern
resorts She wore yellow felt sport hat,
a golden yellow sport suit and carried a
leather-bound motor coat that could be
seen by the naked eye at a distance Of
several miles.
In less than fifteen minutes. she had
presented to her Boston parents a prize
fEhter, a professional dancer (male), the
owner Of a moving picture show and.
casually, their future son-in-law. Then
she disappeared in company with a suf-
fragist who had been in jail for dis
tributing brth-control literature.
There was no revival Of old methods
Of warfare. Mary was too plump, too
rosy. too busy to be annoyed by nagging
sarcasm or sulks. Mrs. Elmin thought
she could depend upon force of habit to
re-establish their relationship, at least
partially.
''IH have the machine ordered for 10
o'clock for church going tomorrow"
she announced coolly the first Saturday
evening after her arrival" Don't keep
me waiting"
''But-I'm not going to church, mother"
remarked Mary mildly, opening a new
brand of cigarettes. 1--WE have a poker
party planned for this evening and it win