Great Falls tribune., 1922-02-18

Wen take walk and talk it over"
Mary's face was white, her eyes an
guished, but she moved away from her
grandm other toward her mothers ex-
tended hand, almost told myself
fancifully-as fascinated, terrified
bird might have moved toward ser
pent.
But my mother -in-law put out a
quick, nervous hand, seized the child
by the arm, spun her around toward
the house, gave her little push, and
cried in a high, peremptory voice:
Mary, so directly to my room and
stay there until I come. / promise
you that your mother shall not punish
you at all for the necklace. Run,
nown
Mary needed no second adjuration.
Her thin legs sped over the ground
like those Of fawn, and she did not
once look behind her. Mrs. Harrison
took one amazed step toward her
mother, but my irate mother-in-law
gave her no opportunity to speak.
"You'Il Not Take Mary"
Elizabeth she said, and I saw that
runs ''Why in the world l should
have child such as you've grown up
to be, / don't know. Richard and Har-
riet have their faults. but you-you're
a regular-I don't know what to call
you. You've fooled everybody for a
long time with your moral suasion and
your developing free spirit and your
no coercion allowed with my children,
but I've thought there was a darkey IN
the woodpile ever since you've been
here this time, and now | know.
Whatever you do to those children
of yours to make them mind, it's some
punishments ordinary mothers hand
out. It's whipping and pinching, I
wouldn't be afraid to bet cookie, but
there's one thing certain, you're not
going to punish Mary this trip, not
while / have my right senses to pre-
vent it,
"Of course, I leave your house with
my family this afternoon" Elizabeth
Harrison said, with white, stiff lips. Y.
do just as you please about that. -
her mother retorted with regal indif-
ference, "but you'll not take Mary
with you, not until I've had talk with
William. I'm going to find out whether
he knows and approves Of your meth
DDS. and I'm going to telegraph him
right now to come on here and see
me-
I have seen Mother Graham peel the
skin from a tomato for canning with
less effectiveness than she ..ccomplish-
ed the stripping of her daughters
mask Of composure. 1t was fright
ened, almost child-like culprit that
moved forward swiftly to clutch her
mothers arm.
Mother, you mustn't do that
mustn't tell William anything. I'LL do
anything you want, but"
Her mother smiled grimly.
81 thought so. William always was
a fool. If he hadn't always been so
blind and daffy about you, and had
taken a hickory stick to you when he
first married you, he'd have made
something of you, Well, at any rate,
I've got some holy blackmail to hold
over your head now, and don't you ever
believe / won't use it if / ever hear
of your doing anything to one Of your
children that will bring look of terror
such as Mary wore this afternoon
'Margaret, what are you dawdling
around here for? Junior must have
wakened from his nap by this time,
and goodness knows there's enough to
do in the. house with that ape of a
Katie gone without everybody loafing
the time away"
And having thus administered the
high Justice, the middle and the low,
nv doughty mother -in-law moved ma
jestically to the house, while I mentally
saluted her
Next-The Wish Lillian Voiced.