The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-09-20
SILENT PARTNERS,


Don't you ever speak to me again, -
said Mrs. Benton, land l will never
speak to you from this hour on
There was something positively
alarming in this united command and
promise, as the tones in which it was
uttered were impressively earnest, and
the manner of the speaker was very far
from trilling: and they fell upon the
startled ears of her worse half in a way
that caused Mr.. Benton to quail little,
for he knew enough of the temperament
of the angry woman who spoke to feel
that this was no idle threat.
John Benton and his wife Mary had
been married nearly quarter OF a
century at the time of this violent out
break, and had hitherto been active
and laxative matrimonial partners.
They lived in the country upon their
own little farm, and though they had
not always held the most absolute har-
mony of opinion their devotion to each
other and their unity upon all the es-
sential matters of life were undisputed.
1t was only in the infnitesimal objects
of life that they clashed. They had,
together, met and surmounted great
obstacles in their common path, but
they removed rocks only to stumble
over pebble. They had, united, hewn
their way through an almost intermin-
able forest of difficulties, to be stopped
in their onward career by some insig-
nificant bramble of contention. They
had safely stemmed the floods of adj
versity, yet were occasionally almost
overcome by some petty stream of
wrangling that flowed from the lips OF
either. And finally the contemplate
little rivulets that had been constantly
trucking for SO many years in so many
different ways had seemingly met to
form great vortex in which they were
doomed to be swallowed up. Those
hitherto active and voluble tongues
were about to rust in idleness, at least
at home. They were resolved to be-
come henceforth Silent Partners.
John Benton accepted the situation
without replying, for what was there
to be said? Had he not been com
manded to refrain forever from speak
ing to his wife?
Gallantry forbids us to cast any great
share of the odium of this scene upon
Mrs. Benton. Besides, had notJohn, Just
before the last volcanic eruption of
speech upon the part of his wife, in
simulated that her ''unruly member was
as long as fence rail?" Could female
flesh and blood endure such base
smile as this when applied to herself?
And had he not asserted that her words
were legion, and that her tones were
thunder? Should q wife pass over such
insulting personal metaphors as these?
Mrs. Benton. either wisely or unwisely,
decided in the negative.
The first night of the self-enforced
silence in the Benton cottage was
awkward. The usual curtain lecture
was omitted, and such n death-like.
desolate stiffness prevailed that sleep
was out of the question. About mid
night the awful stiffness had so worked
upon the nerves of John Benton that,
unable to endure it longer, he arose,
and going down stairs, soon returned
with the old clock, which was not only
loud ticker, but also cheerful striker.
He must have something for company
that would appeal to his sense of hear
ing, or perish with loneliness, John
started and stopped as he was about to
place this new companion upon the
bureau; he thought he heard sound
proceed from under the bed-coverings
not unlike a smothered laugh. But his
Imagination had to supply the place OF
his senses, as no explanation could be
asked. The clock, though feeble and
imperfect substitute for the human
voice, was better by far than the alb.
sence of all sounds, and he fell asleep.
The morrow brought its tribulations,
following one another in close and
annoying succession. Mrs. Benton,
finding the situation too irksome to be
borne without some new excitement to
replace the lost art of speech, deter
mined upon a revolution of the whole
household the grand safety-valve for
the pent-up feelings of housewife,
and one of the best-known remedies for
the disease of hypochondria or anger,
She went about this herculean task as
though life and death hung in the bal
ance, or as though upon its completion
depended the casting out Of the dumb