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Show Alb amed of an Old FaaLioned Mother BY WINIFRED BLACK. I SAW her at a theater party tho other night the Mother who ls afraid of her own Daughter. Poor thing, she looked miserable, and no wonder. Daughter sat in the front of the box. dressed to kill, and Mother sat In the shadow, scared half to death for fear she would say something wrong or not say something at the right minute. Daughter kept apotoqizing for Mother. She laughed when she did . it, but she did It Just the same. "Mother don't approve of this," said Daughter when a half-naked woman leered aerosa the footlights and made eyes ul the men lti the bo. with Daughter. "Mother Is scandalized." scandal-ized." And Mother, to do her Justice, Jus-tice, was Hcandallred. and nho couldn't help showing It. though she did hor very best to look pleased and amused. ".Mother likes problem playp." suid Daughter. "Just a little for matinees, when r.ho can go alone or with s-oine old lady friends, and thoy ran both cry and say how mean men are and how sorry they are for the abused heroine, nut what she really lovos ls 'Mother and the Three of V,' mid 'Undo Josh Whlteomb' and things like that, with 'Rubes' and somebody elng-lnc elng-lnc a hymn somewhere In tho dusk, and everybody happy In th last act." And tho half-grown hobbledehoy in tho box with Daughter roared with laughter. "I do not." protrstrd poor Mother, blushing the color of ihe roses that Daughter carried: and Daughter gig-slod gig-slod ami looked her half-veiled contempt, con-tempt, till every one who aaw f.ie party and rca-tlzcd v. hat It mant felt Uka "taking Daughter out somewhere and giving her a good, old-fashioned spanking. Ashamed of mother, and maklnc fun of her to hide I'd like to see a girl of mine try any such capers ca-pers while T was young enough to hold my own head up without a. trained nuive to holp me do it. Anhamcd of mother! Why? Be cause mother doesn't amok rlgar-etlorf. rlgar-etlorf. and can't bear cocktails, and doen't like risque stories. AMiamed of mother because thc liken peppermints Instead of chocolates, choco-lates, and prefers crfam In hor tea. Instead of lemon. Poor child, poor child. T do hope the time will nevsr come when the mother you Hru ashamed of will have to be ashamed of you. Human nature ls Just the tame here In town that It wos when nioth- cr was a girl in the little village where she was born. She has seen you uct exactly as tho slrl acted back home who ran away with tho circus clown and came back c..-sraced c..-sraced for life. Mother may not know what the French song tho half-nakcU person Is singing means, but she knows what the young fellow with you means when he leans over you and laughs with that look in his insolent inso-lent eyes. Mother ls funny. Isn't she. and-out of date, and old-fashioned not half so clever as Aunt Mnrlc? Aunt Marie Ma-rie can go the pace with any of them, and doe3 it, too. when uncle Is out of town. And she Is such fun. and such a bully chaperon! If only mother was like thnt, now! Why. you poor little goose, Mother loves you: that's what is tho matter with her yes, even you, and she's about the only one in the world who does love you, too. They'll all leave you when you get 111 and poor and forlorn; when the man you run away with runs away with some one else: when your eyos ar faded with crying and your heart Is (oo heavy to let you laugh: they'll all go, Aunt Marie and all tho rust all but Mother, all but poor, foolish, fool-ish, out-of-date Mother. She won't leave you not she. She'll travel across the wide world to find you, to take you In her arm and to tell you "Never mind, honey, never mind." Ami she'll hold your .hand, ho decked with rings now. in her hand, and you'll like the feol of it. Mother's hand: and sha'll believe be-lieve every foollth. feeble lie you tell Her. and she'll fight like a. little ruffled ruf-fled brown hon for you if any ona tries to mukn her bellovu llm truth, and she'll take you homo and dato any one to lauph at you. Apologize for you? She'll brag about you! You didn't run away; you were marrlnd at uu)c famous fa-mous church abrod and had up one knows how many notables at the wedding; you weren't deaerted why, the very Idea! you are home on a vlflt; your husband Is dreadfully wonry to havo you back again, but you wanted to sec the old place nd the old friends; and some day Husband Hus-band will die abroad, aud no onu ' will ever know. And Mother will hold up her head then as she nov-r IibM It up before, ami shell make you dron and go out-and out-and smile and fool them all all the cruel gossips who are trying to ferret fer-ret out the secret of your agony and disgrace. And she'll stand by you. will Mother, as no one flsv In all the wldo world will, tho little, old-fashioned Mother you laugh at and apologise apolo-gise for now. Silly girl., why don't you realise what she moans to you right now. and make her happy as no one but you can do? Let her sea that you love her let the whole world see It. Why. she was young onc, too, t.hn had sweethearts and heard tnom say 9wi'Bt things to her. Tell her of your conquests: muke her your chum, your dearest friend, your confidant; she'll ho game, will Mother; ahe'K understand. under-stand. Try It and sue If the doesn't; and she ll want to cry for very Joy. too. And. win up cr don't laugh at hsr any more |