Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 195, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 August 1911 — What the Mothers Thought [ARTICLE]

What the Mothers Thought

I"" In the surge of people at the tea given for the girl who was about to be married the mother of the bride-elect and the mother of the bridegroom found themselves in a cozy corner and settled down together with their plates Of salad and cups of tea. ; *Tve been so busy,” befan the mother of the bride, “since the engagement was announced that I’ve' scarcely seen you! Nobody knows what it means to get a daughter ready, to be married! I almost envy you!” “I don’t know why,” said the mother of the bridegroom sh slightly injured< tones. “Just because I don’t have to embroider a pile of table linen and match samples is no sign I’ve nothing to do! Why, John is at me every minute about hosiery and the latest ideas in haberdashery and whether mahogany is preferable to mission—” “Well, as to that,” interrupted, the bride’s mother,, “I think he ought to take Gertrude’s advice, since it is to be her furniture! ” “I suppose,” said John’s mother, “that he naturally thinks I know best, having had more experience than Gertrude! When I was a girl I was taught useful things about cooking and sewing and marketing instead of passing my<tlme at bridge and running about!”

sfWell,” said the bride’s mother, ”1 have tried to bring up "Gertrude with ideas about mere domestic details, and I must say that I expected she’d marry s man who could take care of her properly! What the child is going to do with only one servant l don’t know! —- “Oh, she’s cheerful enough about it, but to think of her having to answer the doorbell herself is just dreadful — especially when she needn’t’have done It! I don’t like to boast, but you'reIn the family now, and I win say that Gertrude could have married a man worth half a million If she had any sense—that is, of course, John is all right and I like him.” The bridegroom’s mother set down her teacup. “I want to telL you now,” site said heatedly, “that Gertrude Is a mighty lucky young woman to get Jehn! Any girl might thank her stars if he chose her for a wife! There isn’t a better looking, smarter boy in the whole United States. As for his disposition—well, many's the time I’ve said to His father, ‘Henry, we’ll never raise that child, for he’s toqt sweet tempered!’ I used to cry about it sometimes! Maybe it’s a good thing that he has such a wonderful disposition, since he’s marrying Gertrude, for these modern girls that have- been spoiled are hard to get along with.” “Gertrude bard to get along with!” cried her mother. “Well, if you knew how she has to humor John and give in to him you’d think the shoe was on the other foot! My child has a perfectly angelic nature! I’ve said to her many and many a time, ‘Gertrude, whatever*,you do, don’t be a doormat! It’s all right at first, but I’m not going to see you a downtrodden, abused, neglected, suffering wife!’ “My heart aches for her when f consider all that she will have to give up that she has been accustofiasd to! Gertrude is delicate and it’s going to be a great hardship for her to get up at eight o’clock for breakfast” “Hardship!” echoed John’s mother, indignantly. “Wen, aU I’ve got to say is that any girl ‘who Isn’t glad and thankful that she’s got John to eat breakfast with is—is—” — : ——-±- “Why on earth my poor misguided child ever wanted to marry into your family is beyond me!” cried the bride’s mdther. “When she had a dozen other chances it seems as though she must have been blihd or hypnotized! She’s John's -superior in every way, though, of course, he has done surprisingly well, considering all the adverse infftsences with which he has always been surrounded. I don’t suppose he’ll ever appreciate all Gertrude is sacrificing is marrying him Gertrude U the sweetest, prettiest—” “There were a half dozen other girls crazy about John,” said bis mother. “And he could have married any girl he wanted, and I told him so, and it seems queer that he should have picked out <me the least suited to him. Gertrude is a very nice girl, I know, but she isn’t calculated to understand the noble qualities of John’s character. And he is so generous he’ll bury his disappointment and act as if he was perfectly happy! But his mother will see through it all, poor boy!" “There they are now,” said the bride’s mother. “Poor Gertrude J- She looks so foolishly —happy!” “My poor boy!” murmured John’s mother, craning her neck. “He does seem absurdly cheerful!”