Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-04-23
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
How They Felt About 1t
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

army sweater CllChtu HcA H'NuiN9
sharply. Il just can't stand" she an
nounced. my son Richards being en-
gagged, No. she's a dear girl and like
her and | perfectly approve OF the
match and | want Richard to be mar
red. and I'm going TO be an ideal
mother-in,law. so much so that they
will put up monuments to me and get
ont extras telling OF my virtues.
What | simply cannot endure is
Richards attitude! You'd think that
he is the only young man on this green
earth who ever got engaged, there new
er was another girl like Sue and no
body ever was able to be as ideally
happy as they are going to be-
"Oh. is that all?' commented the
woman knitting a trench cap. Wait
till he begins to tell you how TO run
your house and wait until he begins
TO quote his darlnG's words OF WIS
dom. Perhaps she has made fudge
three times in her life and taken ap-
stracted notes at cooking class, mix
ing them up with her shopping list
he'll tell YOU what she says in regard
TO the proper method of balancing d
meal. with calories on one slde anu
proteids on the other, and all you can
do is TO swim up from under ana us
ten.
"Tbey didn't teach you caiories, ala
they, when you learned TO COOK anu
the family has always sworn by your
meals. hasn't it, and boosted OF noun
era douehnuts and unsurpassed pot
roast? Huh. Take back seat! NeF'
or shall | forget when my son Henry
told me that mince pie was uhpalail
cling my menu for dinner allef HIS
loved one had told him When you ate
minee pie you needed nothing else bu'
lettuce salad! And then he ate TWO
pieces, besides fair share OF every
thing else had!"
IN not have it," declared the WON
an knitting the sweater, ! doh cdl'
IL Richard IS 2i-he's got to behave
himself Just now he is in that beat
fife foolish stage where the clouds are
bright pink and he condescendingIA
pities the rest of the world.
"Oh. ofecourse,' Richard says IN 81
feet 4 know that once you were N.
age and engaged and all that, but nc
body as prosaic as you and my lathe
over could have had this delightful eS
perience. OF course you're my motL
er and there's nobody IKE you-ati'
YOU never could have been as wonder
ful when YOU were 20 as sue IS, ans
therefore. father couldn't nave bee
as crazy about you.
"'Certainy Cad tells of riding tWei
~ miles to see you for fifteen minute
when 1t was 80 below zero, but
mans memory becomes treacherous Z
he grows older. He probably took
Pullman car and had business III th'
direction, anyhow. If there wasn't
railroad ne 20 doubt built one. lie
always building tn N now.
".Sue is much more brilliant N
tally, with all her bcauty, q &is
were then. WHY. she knows rs mu'
about housekeeping now as you 90
ter All these years. she knows eAa'
Iv how many Galleries there a.e N
beefsteak and why pie crust IS 'hs
riops. She says she knows she can g
through all her housekeeping in "
hours. thus having time to devote
more broadening things. instead
puttering around. Why don't you :
Sue to explain her system 70 yo
mother"
.Weu. no. he hasn't exactly dared
come out and say all this IN Wofos
one syllable. but he's limited aroH'
rather too transparency. shall g
tainly spank him if he ever da.es
voice his turbulent sentiments.
that IN warrant the beafsteak VIII
like burned leather even if they ha
Il speaking acquaintance with its
cries.
And every evening can see, VIII
he comes down from upstairs, al! llA
ND TO make his visit to Sue. that NJ
mentally shaking his head at ms Ia
or and me. seated on either side OF
library table. sad he tells hims
.Separated by the width OF table,
they are a thousand miles apart, II
don't even sit gazing at each ON
and dad will not speak for an hour
half till he finishcS'that paper I
reading. And mother sits knitting,
even thinking about him! Wen,
should she think about him? lie
ON turnover slippers and wretched
and he needs a haircut and I'll bet
,skipped shaving tonight! Awful sig
| wonder why mother doesn't TX
hair like Sues and have some clas'
it? Discouraging all around
"Then Richard will smile dutift
saw Good night in that sad, pity
way and depart-and his father al
look briefly at each other and E
He's read Richards mind, too, Tn
the only thing that makes life be
ble-John sees it just as | do"
well" said the woman with
trench cap, 81 suppose If we will
twenty-five years Wen have OH
venge, Our sons and their wives
be writing under the condescen
of their sons.'
Cold Congregation.
Billy Sunday told story at Br
ivn luncheon about an apathetic