New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-12-24
REVELATIONS OF A WIFE
How Mother Graham Defeated Cousin
Agatha's Little Plan and Com
fOrfed Madc1e%
81 ADELE GaRn1s.,y

How Mother Graham Defeated Cousin
/ Agatha's Little Plan and Com
/ forted Madge.
do not know who was the more
astonished,s Cousin Agatha ortI, when
the folds Of English chintz, exquisite
in color and design, unrolled from the
bundle in my mother-in-1aw's hands.
But astonishment was the only feeling
we had in common.
| Ny delight in the beautiful fabric I
had SO much wanted for the uphol-
| stering of the old walnut furniture I
had bought was tempered by the little
remorseful Juggling at my heart as I
| thought OF the resentful thoughts
! toward my mother-in-law in which I
| had just been indulging.
/ But the furtfve glance Cousin Aga
tina sent in my direction was filled
| with disappointed malice. She had
tried to foment il1-feeling between my
! n1other-in-law and myself that this
! exhibition Of the kindly feeling my
husbands mother had for me was
like tho traditional gall and worm
wood to her envious soul.
IT suppose this is a sort of reward
OF merit card for being a good girl
about the knitting, Margaret" she
said acid1y, before I had caught my
breath enough to thank my mother
in-law for the trouble she had taken
to change the tapestry of her selection
for the chintz which had been my ex-
presOed ch0ice for the upholstering.
The tiresome trip to the city which
my mother-in-law had made, arduous
as It was for one of her years and in
trinity, was not the thing that most
appealed to me. It was the fact that
voluntarily she had laid aside one of
her rigid opinions, had sacrificed her
own inclination to mine, and that at
the very moment I thought her both
unjust and unkind.
sprang to my feet as Cousin Aga
tina finished her catty little speech and
gathered chintz and mother-in-law
into my arms.
you Undeastan Met"
''Oh, mother dear!'' said tremu-
lously, wherever did you find this?
It's the most exquisite thing, far pref
tier than the designs at which
looked"
'Of course it isl" my mother-in-law
returned complacently, giving me the
peek on the cheek which is her usual
apology for a kiss, and disengaging
herself and the chintz from my arms.
Those clerks never show their most
exclusive designs to inexperienced
buyers. It takes knowledge OF fabrics
and of shopping to, get the best re-
wults''
Ny face shadowed 1 couldn't help
it. Why, I asked myself rebelliously.
did my mother-in-law invariably spoil
even her most kindly meant actions
with her arrogant, inconsiderate man
ner? Her cousins malicious, cutting
words were right. She had changed
the tapestry for the chintz, not in any
tardy recognition of my right to have
g. voice in the selection of draperies
for my own home, but because she
had been pleased with my submission
to her wishes in the knitting cOntro-
versy. The chintz was q reward of
merit card" such, as a long-suffering
teacher might hand out to some pupil
who had at last leg" her lesson.
'How fortunate j, is for you, Mar
garet," purred Cousin Agatha, that
you can have the benefit of your
mother-in- laws experience. So many
young wives, lacking a curb of any
sort, make so many mistakes in taste
and waste so much money"
The insinuating, malicious words
were an effectual, counter-irritant to
my own thoughts. They brought back
the resolution I'd made but a little
while before to thwart in every way
possible Cousin Agatha's evident de-
termination to sow discord between
my mother-in-law and me.
But before 1 could put into words a
rebuke as subtle as her own insinu-
alton, my mother-in-law took the ne
cessity of answering her cousin away
from me.
Agatha" she said sharply, you
are simply insufferable!
IT do not understand you, Harriet
the other woman began, with her
! usual air of long-suffering meekness.
"Oh, yes you do retorted my
mother-in-law. You understand me
perfectly. You always were a regular
cat, from the time your mother put
you in short clothes. But you're
sharpening your claws on the wrong
tree now. let me tell you. I know you
as we'll as if I'd strung your bones
IKE beads on a string and put you
togother. You'd like nothing better
than to stir up some kind of a mess
between Margaret and me, but you
| can't do it, not the way you're going
- 70 Ayo1 11y;c