Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-16
ReUnitinH Married Couples.

long procession Of men and women passes
In front OF the desk Of William Blake, the Super
intendent of Outdoor Poor, every day. As a
tall, brOad-shOuldered man reached the space I'm
front OF the desk one morning a day or two ago,
he laid down four silver dollars and walked
away without saying anything. The superin-
tendent took them up and dropped them into a
box. An hour later demure little woman came
In tlmldly and when she presented herself the
TOUR silver dollars were placed In her out
stretched hand. With nod of acknowledge
ment, but without speaking, she went out.
This is curious phase of life," said Mr..
Blake 1.-The man who left the money and the
woman to whom gave it are husband and wife,
but they do not live together. am mediator
between them"
GLOW is this brought about?" asked the re-
porter.
IA wife whose husband is cruel to her or has
deserted her comes here and states her case TO
me. | then send for the husband He Is told
when he comes that he must leave so much
money here every week for the support of his
family. Usually he is frightened into promising
that he will pay the alimOny."
:. How is this amount Of the alimony fixed ?"
" l find out how much his weekly earnings are
ana tell him he must Set aside certain proper
ton of them"
"What is done If the man refuses"
He is told that it is much better for him to
pay the money through me than to have the case
go before Judge. To have the case tried would
cost money. The most ignorant man soon sees
that he would lose in the end by refusing to
make the agreement Persuasion has much
more to do with this class of men, some Of whom
appear to be merely animal in their nature, than
you would think"
:" Have you any legal authority"
mo. But they know that can take steps
to have the law enforced"
do husband and wife often come together
again?"
Il take every opportunity to induce them to
become recOncled to each other; sometimes
succeed A few weeks ago l induced a man
| and wife to live together again who separated
In 1872. They were both moral and intelligent
When the husband came / told him that there
were differences In every family, and that it
would be more economical If he and his wife
should agree to travel the same road again and
that both would be happier. So one day he
says, Tell Mary I'll talk it over with her. The
wife was Wiiling-they always are-and ar
ranged a meeting to take place at my house.
They met and both cried like children 1t was
so touching fled to another room. Well, 1t
ended by their going away hand-in-hand, smil-
Ing and happy. week ago received an in
vitation to visit them, which / did. found
them living as snugly and contentedly as if the
cricket had always chirped merrily on their
hearth.
Here is another romance that didn't end so
WE'LL A woman came to me and complained that
her husband would not provide for her, but
spent his money for drink. She was as fine
looking woman as you would see in q day g
journey. The husband admitted that he spent
his money, but he said he didn't want all of his
wife's people quartered in his house as they
were. 1 am keeping her whole family said he
1 didn't marry the whole family But after
several talks he said he would have meeting
with his wife. 1t was arranged that she could
come for her allowance at the same hour he
called to leave it. They went home together.
But at the end Of two years the husband came
here total wreck, and had to be sent to the
almshouse. His appetite for drink had beer too
on his wife's relatives. / don't know what be-
came of his handsome wife. Another case was
that of husband and wife who were separated
by the dissOlute habits Of the husband The
wife said that her husband was all the time try
ing to steal her child from her. The child was
beautiful. told her to let him have the child
and it might induce him to go home with it,
Sure enough, when he became sober he went
home with the child in his arms and promised
that he would give up his cups He kept his
promise.
"NOt long ago there was another case in
which the child was instrumental in bringing its
father and mother together again. Through
some mistake, the wife came for her allowance
just as the husband was handing it to me at the
desk. She was carrying baby in her arms.
When tine husband saw her, he brushed tear
from his eyes with his sleeve and taking the
child from her arms kissed it. Coming up to
me he said, Would you mind, Mr.. Blake, If
pay the money to my wife herself after this3
said 1.
".Well, 1 believe WILL he replied So he
did"