The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-09-19

LETTER FROM ANNETTE AN
DERSON TO MRS. JOHN AL
DEN PRESCOTT

DGAN0OAN ~ A4IN0s OOII4N <ALT
DEN PRESCOTT
My Dear Mrs. Prescott:
I hope you will forgive me for
%bothering you, for with o fear
and grief over your fathers illness,
I certainly do not wish t o add to your
burdens in n way. But I have to
tell you-and I may as well do it
first as last-that 1 am going %
leave Mrs. Prescott. Miss Bradford
and l cannot live in the same apart
ment.
l do not know what there is about
that old maid, but there surely is
something that brings out every
critical and unkind faculty in your
mother-in laws personality.
Mrs. Prescott does not strike n
as. being a woman who is readily in
huenced. but in her case [ nave found
how easy it is to appeal to the worst
that is in all of us. Miss Bradford
makes Mrs. Prescott feel that she
is not only abused and her mOr than
wonderful, infallible judgment absO-
lutely disregarded, but she is all the
time fattering Mrs. PrescOtt's mar
row egotism by telling her that her
opinion is much better, on account
of her long life and experience, than
yours could possibly be. OF course,
I do not mean this is being done in
so many words, but the intimation
is clear.
I have been long enough, my dear
Mrs. Prescott. with all sorts and con-
ditions of men and women, to know
that age has nothing to do with
Judgment. A child Of 16 is some
times better capable of judging the
affairs Of modern life than a man or
a of so. who has grown up
in a secluded environment and is full
Of narrow.minded prejudices.
Miss Bradford seems to sour all
the milk Of human kindness that is
in Mrs. Prescott's heart. She has
made her think that her son,
through your influence, is not treat
ing her as a son should treat his
mother. is not deferring to her
enough. Nothing Z car do seems
able TO change her thoughts to some
thing happier or more kindly, for
Miss Bradford has succeeded In max.
ing Mrs. Prescott think that I am
J n league with you to curtail her i'm.
portance and influence in her sons
eyes.
Since Mr.. Prescott went away,
Miss Bradford has persuaded his
mother that the thing TO do Is 70
eive ycur apartment a thorough
cleaning. OF course I think this IS
only an excuse to go through your
most private things, but I dare not
suggest this 10 Mrs. Prescott. In
fact, l think Mrs. Prescott also has ,
a sueakIng curiosity to know exactly
what You have and how you keep II.
You Of course know that your
cook has left. I believe Mrs. Pres
colt wrote that u YOU. AS her son
look Sarah with little Jack. of course
your mother-inlaw has usurped
all the authority in your apart
menl. Yesterday when / returned
from my daily walk, 1 found them
"lillLE ING your tlDtlcS ~ClD0elS, ana 4
the rooms were Il sight. Trunks had
been emptied, bureau drawers turned
out on beds and sofas. and all the
clothing that you had put away in
closets as Well as that on hangers,
had been taken out of the closet.
Your mother had hired a very
ordinary scrub woman TO wash down
the walls and the floors. and she
told me She was going 10 have her
brush your clothes and put them
back tomorrow. The woman was
sioyenly In the extreme. and I am
quite sure she will never get them
back in the places where you had
them.
Both Mss Bradford and Mrs. Pres
colt were eXclaiming over your ex
t~raVagance in clothes.
Next week Mrs. Prescott say she
intends to send your beautiful old
+ ~ench desk over to the cabinet.
ma kers and have it thoroughly gone