Smyrna times., 1919-07-02
THE BETTER PART
BY VICTOR REDcLIFFE.

Brin?"
Il am happy and fortunate in saying
yes"
Cora is fine girl" declared Myron
Blair. I'D ought to know, for she is
my sister-in-law She will make you
a good wife, Only-One piece Of advice,
cut out the mOther-in-law."
Il hardly understand you" spoke
Wallace Brill, with manifest resent
ment.
"YOu will wnen you get farther
along in your experience. See here.
as relatives prospective by courtesy, 1
can be plain with you. If one princi-
pie was ins+illed into my nature by
prejudice ind observation it was the |
mOther-in-law problem. When l mar
ried Bella Mayne l made up my mind |
to run no risks of having a fussy, med |
dlesOme old lady on my hands. OF |
course l said nothing to Bella. OF |
course 1 treated Mrs. Mayne with all |
due respect. Firmly, persistently, |
though, 1 adopted a policy of proceed |
ure that set up the bars against any |
mOther-in-law invasion. settled down |
in a house at the farther end of the
village on purpose, so Mrs. Mayne
wouldn't find it convenient to run in
on us every day. When the two chill
dren came along saw to 1t that they
didn't come under her rule and influ-
ence in any way. No, sir tell you,
Brill, the man who wants a well-or-
dered household must keep the mother
in-law at a distance. Hello! There's
a man want to see on business" and
the vOluble speaker darted off.
Wallace was glad. In another mo-
ment he would have been unable to
control his indignation. To him the
mother of his bride expectant was al
most a part of herself, and a person
for whom he felt q dutiful and respect
full consideration. Then, again, Wal
lace knew something of ~the system"
of Myron Blair and it's results. 1t had
not worked, except for the selfish bene-
fit of shallow, self-OpiniOnated Blair.
AS Wallace was we'll aware it had
brought misery and unhappineSS to
Others-victimS who made no COM
plaint, but silently experienced their
wretchedness because they were of
noble, self-sacrificing nature. When
Blair installed the daughter in a home
two miles away Mrs. Mayne expert
enced a loneliness that might have been
easily avoided. When Blair jealOuSly
restricted the children to only occa-
sional formal visits to their grand
mother, it almost broke her heart. The
absence of her mother at critical juno
lures in her life meant suffering and
a broken constitution for Bella, and
the boastful, insensate Blair fancied
that as a model disciplinarian he was
a decided success.
| Wallace Brill had not known
mothers care from early childhood.
When he began to pay attention to
Cora Mayne it seemed as though her
mother came to fill a precious place in
his life.
Very careful was Mrs. Mayne
to refrain from intruding her per-
SOnality or her views upon this
new prospective sOn-in-law. but she
bestowed many a grateful look upon
him and her old, wearied heart warm
ed toward him. as he clearly
showed that he not only desired, but
cherished her interest and counsel in
the problems that confronted Cora and
himself on the threshold of their mat
rimOnial venture.
Wallace was doing well in a busi-
ness way. He had been thrifty and
had accumulated sufficient to enable
him to start out In life with a home
of his own. When he first spoke to
Cora Of this it was in the presence OF
her mother.
"Well, 1 settled about a lot today
he announced in his brisk, pleasant
way. 81 say, mother, there's one dis
appointment have tried to get as
near as possible to the old homestead
here, but the only vacant lot that fitted
to my money requirements was two
squares down the street"
"That-that is not far, is It, Wal
lace?" spoke the old lady. Her tone:
were tremulOus.
"If you will put on your spectacles
mother" went on Wallace, well al
draw up to the table and lOok oVel
some plans for new house got from
the architect today. "There," as h
settled her in the most comfortable
chair and directly at his side, "witl
such cOunsellors as you precious two
I'll warrant we'll have a regular littl
palace"
With his pencil Wallace went owe
the plans-parlOr, dining room, kitcf
en-, bedrooms, closets, and then he In
dicated a special apartment.
"Tm throwing myself on that room,
emphasized Wallace with a token o
rare pride in his tones. Sunlight o.
three sides, ventilation perfect cor
venient to all the other rooms in tn
house. What do you think OF II
mother?
"Your den, 1 supposeT' said Mrs
Mayne.
"Oh, no." replied Wallace prompt!
ser,bo 30 vour room mother"