The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-12-09
Nothing You Can Do
BY STANLEY coRDELL
g Associated Newspapers.-WNUS Service.
IGNORANCE" said Charlie

tIl4nS Cnat the tutOred mind can
never successfully combat. If he's
wise, he'll not try, unless, of course,
tate forces him into the conflict.
Like in the case of Jim Wilson.
Jim was an intelligent youth.
Well educated, well hammered, bred
OF a good family and with many
brilliant ancestors along the line.
The kid, being unusually smart, was
quite successful by the time he'd
reached thirty. Reason for it chiefly
was because in all his dealings he
had associated with intelligent men,
men who spoke his own language
and whom he understood. He'd
never met an ignorant person until
he came in contact with Mrs. Pat
terSon.
Mrs. Patterson was the mother
of Brenda Patterson, and Brenda
Patterson happened to be the young
lady with whom Jim fell in love.
Before he married her, he came
to know vaguely that her folks were
different, rather loud takers and
coarse in their ways. But he never
paid them much heed; he figured he
was marrying Brenda, not the fam
lily.
"The young folks settled down in
a residential community not far
from Boynton, and close to Jim's
place of business. At first he
didn't mind when the Pattersons be-
gan dropping in on them. 1t was
only natural that they display an
interest in the welfare of their
daughter. But gradually he began to
know a faint annoyance. The Pat
tersonS lacked even the cudiments
of good taste, good manners, or the
correct use of the English Ian
guage. Some sort of understanding
might have become necessary if it
hadn't happened that Jim was
forced to spend a lengthy period
travelling in the interest of his bust
ness. He and Brenda talked the
matter over, decided to give up their
apartment and travel by auto.
''The young couple spent six
months touring about the United
States, and then, upon returning
to Massachusetts, were invited by
Jim's folks to remain at the ances-
trail homestead, a beautiful estate
located some twenty-odd miles west
of Boynton, until such time as they
hired another home.
"This proved a big relief to Jim,
for he had been concerned with the
in-law problem again now that they
were once more near the Patter-
sons. But his relief was short-lived.
Brenda spent three days with her
family at their home and then joined
Jim and his parents at the ancestral
estate. The following Sunday, into
the yard drove an ancient automo-
bile and out of it tumbled Mr.. and
Mrs. Patterson and their two sons.
Mrs. Wilson, Jim's mother, was
an intelligent woman, a gracious
hostess. She made Brenda's family
welcome, served them refresh
ments. The Pattersons were greatly
taken with the lovely old estate.
They would come out often.
"And they did. They came and
stayed whole days at time.
"The climax came when Jim's
brother, Frank, and wife invited
him and Brenda up to their camp
in Maine for weeks visit. Scarcely
had they been there two days before
the Pattersons arrived. And here,
as at the ancestral home, they
adapted themselves with the same
familiar ease, misinterpreted
Franks and his wife's polite greet
ing and acted for all the world as
though they were bestowing a great
favor.
Jim knew that something must
be done, and he decided that the
best and kindest thing to do was to
explain things as delicately and
plainly as he could to Mr.. and Mrs.
Patterson. He attempted to do this
the next week when Brenda and he
were visiting the Patterson home.
Just before they departed, Mrs. Pat
terson said: Well drive out next
Sunday and spend the day with you
and your folks, Jim
"Jim cleared his throat. If you
don't mind he said, I'd rather you
waited until we took an apartment
in town. You see, after all, that
place isn't ours and don't feel at
liberty to entertain you there
'Pshaw!" said Mrs. Patterson
magnanimously, We're not guests.
You don't have to entertain us none.
Well just sit around.
Jim coughed. You seem to have
given a different meaning to my
use of the word entertain" I
mean after all
''But Mrs. Patterson broke in on
him with her raucous laughter.
Now, don't go apologizin'. It's per-
fectly all right. When we get there
don't you pay no attention to us at
all. We can keep ourselves enter
tanned
Jim looked at Brenda in hopeless
dismay. And Brenda looked at Jim.
"For the first time she seemed to
grasp the significance of i all. She
glanced toward her mother, but
Mrs. Patterson was beaming-in-
nocently, patronizingly. Brenda