The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-11-10
HOW A GRUMBLER WAS CURED.

MANY wife is grievOuSlv wounded by
the constant fault finding of her husband
over the food which she has prepared,
often with direct reference to his express
predictions. Oftentimcs women have
been heard to declare that the first few
years of housekeeping were made wretch
ed by this.
| have known man to leave fifth-rate
boarding house, where soiled table cloths
were the rule, and sloppy tea, turbid coffee
and the inevitable hash were not the ex-
ception, and sitting opposite his young
wife at their own table, mcrcilessly stab
her with unjust remarks upon the we'll
cooked meal before him, just as if he were
not voraciously devourng better food than
he had ever been accustomed To.
The following story contains It's own
moral:
Mary, your corn bread is never done
| wonder what is the reason everybody
else has things right and we always have
things wrong?'
why, Joe, am sure the corn bread has
never been in this state before. You see
the fire had a tit and couldn't be made to
| burn.
"Oh, yes. you are always ready with an
, excuse. Now, there is Mrs. Smith; her
stove never has fits And she always has
the lightest, sweetest bread, and the incest
cakes and preserves | ever ate | wish
you q take pattern by her.
well, I'm sure, Joe, do my best. and
| think | succeed oftcner than | fail |
wish could suit you always; but that, |
suppose, can hardly be expected" and
Mary gave weary sigh.
Mary Starr had been married about
1 al h. haI MI
| housekeeping rather uphill work. She
WAS Il neat little body, and conscientiously
did her very best to please her husband /:
but he, whatever might be the reason, was
very hard 10 please-in fact, seemed deter
mined not to be pleased with anything she
4, did. Perhaps like the old soldier, in one
OF Dickens stories, he had vital and con
slant sense that " discipline must be main
tanned. Al any rate, he never allowed
Mary to he pleased with herself on any
occasion if he could hclpit
Mary was an amiable wife, fortunately,
and not easily irriated, though, to tell the
| truth, there We're times when her forbcar-
ance was severely tried. For instance,
whenever she and Joe took tea out, or
went To Il party, or even To church, he sell
dom allowed an opportunity TO pass unem-
| braccd to anmadvcrt on some deficiency
| in cookery, or manner, or dress, on the
part of his wife; and that pro bono puJlico.
For instance, it would be:
Mrs. Jones, what beautiful sponge
cake You make. Mary, take notice how
! light this cake is l wonder why you
never have ii SO puffy" Or Mrs.
! Brown, YOU are certainly all adept at enter
tanning company. | wish, Mary, that you
would try to steal Mrs. Browns art Or,
Mrs. Green, your dress is always most
becoming. Your taste is exquisite.
don't see why il is, Mary, that, with all the
money spend for you, you never can
reach the piquant style of Mrs. Green"
On these occasions Mary would blush
and bite her lip, and be inwar,lly annoyed,
but she WAS Il woman of too much pride
and good sense to make a display of her
chagrin and she was really too good ma
turcd and Christian person To let it
change her feelings toward Joe, whom she
knew To be, after all, very fond of her,
and Il very just man at heart. After Il
while, too, seeing that the fault was prob
ably durable, she bcthought herself how
she should proceed in order To break him
of his disagrecable habit
Fortune favored her. One day "a lady,
one of her most valued friends and best
| ntlEnDoIS. ttlltu lp lnNltt Joe anu NldfN 10
a tea party at her house.
at will be a small affair" said she, but
very pleasant | think You only are
wanted to make the scale Of harmony com
plete'
well" said Mary 81 will come, Mrs
! Nanc, on one condition.
"Condition, Is il come to this, that YOU
must make conditions? VEIL my dear
make your demand
The condition is sale, Mary. that
YOU will allow me 10 furnish all the re
frcshments.'
"Well, that is an odd idea Mary. my
dear, hope you don't mean Ia insinuate
that am getting poor"
mo, Hattie; thank fortune, she has
showered her favors upon YOU quite libcr
ally But have notion for this, which, if
you please will not divulge; only let me
have my way this once, just for the oddity
of the thing
"If anybody but you. Mary, had made
such request of De, | certainly should
| have taken oilensc But | never could he
angry with you. So, if it will be any sat
isiaction 10 you-theugh for the life of me
] can't imagine what your drift isl will
comply with your conditions. When may
| expect my supplys"
! Let me sec tomorrow is my baking
day, and your tea party is not to be before
Thursday. Well, on Wednesday after.