New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-12-22
What Mother Graham Did to ''Make
1t Right With Madge.

My mother-in-law fulfilled hel
in royal and unexpected fashion upor
the very next day following the knit
ting incident. when Cousin Agatha had
tried In vain to fan into a quarrel the
differing opinions of the elder Mrs
Graham and myself upon the English
and the Continental methods of knit.
ting. Because of Cousin Agathas in
reference, I had painfully unlearned
the Continental method which Lillian
had taught me, and painstakinglA
applied myself to the method my
mother-in-law automatically declared
to be the "only right way'-the way
she had been taught.
| If I had been asked to declare my
opinion, I could not have found a
needle-point's difference between the
two methods. But I was very much
confused through learning first one
way and then the other, and by the
time my mother-in-law condescend-
ingly informed me that my work
would do" I was almost ready to
throw knitting needles and woods into
tho fireplace in weary disgust.
Almost ready, but not quite, for 1t
Is never my way to give up anything
I have once set out to do, and besides,
my mother-in-law's pleasure in teach
ing me was SO obvious that I pro-
longed my lesson. asking her over and
over things I already knew.
II declare, Margaret she said at
last, this is making me enthusiastic,
too. I've thought vaguely of knitting
for the soldiers, hut really have been
| too indolent to get about it. I think
I'll go to the city tomorrow morning
and get me some needles and wool.
have another errand, also, to which
I must attend"
The air with which she uttered the
| words and the smile which accom-
panied them were plainly meant to be
mysterious and important. knew
she meant me to connect them with
her promise to make it right with
me, and there was a glad feeling at
my heart that had sacrificed my
own inclination in the matter of
knitting.
'T Returned That Tapestry"
But there was a. little feeling Of re-
sentiment mingled with my virtuous
sense OF duty done. q feeling that had
it's roots In the discussion of draperies
for our new home which my mother
in4law apd had on our trip to town
| q couple Of days before, a trip that
had ended for me In a series of most
| surprising adventures. Because I did
not wish my mother-in-lalw to suspect
| that my real reason for going to the
city was to trace the source Of the
anonymous clippings which had come
| to me, had abruptly wound up our
| discussion of draperies by turning
over the whole question to her. But
! the remembrance of the autocratic
! manner in which she had disposed Of
| my suggestion concerning the old mid
| Victorian walnut chairs that I had
bought ranked childishly within me.
| The woman who sold us the house
had stored away in her attic Won
derful old set Of horsehair-covered
walnut furniture, an immense couch,
straight chairs. Their coverings were
in strips, their springs broken, but the
beautifully carved walnut was still In
| very good shape, and the moment I
saw them I coveted them. Their
| owner sold them to me for g. ridicu-
| lousy small sum, and I had given
| myself q great deal of quiet pleasure
| since in visuali8ing the appearance of
tho old pieces when they should be
repaired and covered with bright
colored English chintz.
There was a sitting room in the
house we had bought which, to my
eyes appeared to be clamoring for the
old furniture, thus rejuvenated, to be
put into it. This room had a white
marble fireplace of the same period as
the furniture, and high windows. l
had resolved to make 1t a chintz
room, and to have the window drape-
| RES correspond with the upholstering
Of the furniture.
But my mother-in-1aw had shat
tered my dreams with the assertion
come to the aid OF their country.
that was "crazy to think of putting
delicate chintz upon that furniture, y
and that tapestry was the only ma
terial to be thought Of" I had &C.
qusesced In her decision, but as far
as. go trivial a thing could affect me,
had been unhappy over it. I felt
that never wanted to see or to hear
Of the chairs again. and had to force
myself to admire the piece of tapestry
my mother-in-law had brought home
with the declaration that 1t was to be
| used for the covering Of the walnut
furniture.
II 1t is g. misfortune OF mine that
brood over injustice, real or fanc1ed
and by the time my mother-in-law re-
turned from the city had worked
myself into an unwholesome morbid
state.
= II returned that tapestry. Mar
garrett" she said almost before she re-
moved her gloves. upon thinking II
over, decided that it wasn't the
shade wanted. And luckily it was
a remnant. The clerk had said ]
could bring 1t back II it didn't har-
monte with my other things
A Sacrifice in Return.
''My!" always "My!" I thought to
myself. I might be an absolute non
, entity in the house instead of its mis-
tress.