New Britain herald., 1922-08-25
The Way Junior Banishcd Madgc's unhappincss.


 Madge's Unhappiness.
 It was one thing to be eiated over my haby's preference of me to his grandmother--it was another to be- tray the consciousness of my triumph, Besides. there was the discipline of my little lad 10 be considered l knew that he must be taught defer. ence to his elders, so reluctantly made my voice stern as l pulled his clnging hands away from my neck.
 Junior, that was a naughty thing to say to Grandmother. Go to her now, nicely, and tell her you do want her, and that you are sorry you spoke that way
 He put his sighted hands behind him and faced me with q funny lit- tie air Of defiance distinctly sugges- tive of a ruffled bantam rooster.
 ''Dooner not sorry Don't want Danvie, don't want you, don't want Daddy. don't want anybody, Dooner doin downstairs to Tatie."
 Strangely enough, his grandmother had not interrupted my admonition to the child l guessed that secretly she had hoped my appeal would send her beloved Richard Second into her arms. But at his funny little speech she turned to me with a gesture which washed her hands of me TOT at least quarter of century to come.
 T hope you're satisfied, Margaret, :" she began in the phraseology so familiar to my ears. now that you've gotten him all worked up into tenn per. Indeed, l think the child has made a wise selection as long as you've managed to prejudice him against his father and me. Bad as Katie is, don't think shell work on the child's feelings by threatening to leave him. I should think after that awful time when we nearly lost him you'd"
 Her refrence to that agonizing nightmare was the last straw. I took a step toward her, and I suppose my face must have been drained of col or. for she stopped talking abruptly and looked at me with widened eyes.
 Mother" I said slowly, feeling for every word, for fear I should not be able to control the anger rising in me. T must ask you to leave my room"
 ' expected a trade. but instead, she spoke but one sentence, querulorly.
 Why. Margaret, you're hysteri- cal !"
 The next instant she had gone into the corridor and I locked the door after her. Then I threw myself on the bed, relaxing supinely from the control I had put upon myself.
 A Natural Weakness.
 Without knowing it she had touched upon a parental problem which had been occupying my mind for many weeks. My little lad is just at the age when habits of obedience, and control or of their opposing qualities are most easily formed. But I was guilty conscious of the fact that for months Ihave allowed him to have his own way with practically no discipline whatever.
 It was criminal weakness. I often had told myself for l always Nave scored mothers who ieopardized the character building of their children because of a sentimental reluctance to subject them to judicious disci- pline. But after the awful experience of his kidnapping, when for days I had not known whether he was living or dead, I never had been able to do anything worth mentioning in op posing his baby tyranny. For the first suspicion of tears in his big eyes was enough to bring me to sur render.
 For his grandmother's sake-to se- sure his deference to her-I had spoken to him sternly for the first time since he has been so nearly lost to me And my reward had been to have her accuse me of heartless for getfulness of the experience so in delibly engraved on my memory
 The self-control for which I had battled while my mother-in-law was talking vanished as my imagination went back to the dreaded time she had recalled, and I succumbed to the tears which I always have mentally despised, even although I sometimes am weak enough to yield to them.
 There was a rush, a scramble, and my little lad precipitated himself upon me, tugging frantically at my head buried in the pillow.
 Please don't Ky !"
 Mama !! Mama !! he pleaded. Don't ky Dooner will be dood See Me not naughty any more. Please don't ky !"
 His voice held frightened tremoio which told me that he was on the verge of tears himself, and that knowledge quickly brought me up right with my arms close around him. Look at Mother Sweetheart" l reassured him. See She's not crying any more"
 He eyed me gravely
 If Dooner bad boy, Mama ky" he