Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-05-21
Everyday Giants.


The man in the household is not pop
ularly an object of much solicitude on
the part of the members of the family.
There is an erroneous idea that he stays
downtown all day having a good time.
that he is always smoking or telling
stories, or going out to see that mysterl
GUS other man, and that the hard, dull
routine of business is the last thing that
he ever troubles himself about, and
when he goes home at night his wife
looks at him suspiciously and says in
fretful voice:
s'I should think you'd want to come
home sometimes, John. Baby's sick,
and Harry cut his finger, and the girl
has gone to her cousins funeral, and
there's no fire in the range. Oh, dear!
Ii girls knew when they we're we'll oil
they'd never get married"
And John goes into the kitchen,
whistles all the time he is making the
fire, holds the baby and whistles until
it goes to sleep, and is still whistline
softly "Home, Sweet Home" when bis
wife calls out:
"For mercy sakes, John, do stop thai
whistling and come to supper. oh! my
poor head!"
John goes to supper; there is whistle
about "Home, Sweet Home" strangled
in his throat, and it chokes him into
silence; he tries not to think of a sweet
serene face with an aureole of white
hair that used to look at him with fon0
appreciative eyes until few years ago,
when the finn of death blotted it ont.
His mother, who had always a kind
word to welcome him with; to whom he
had taken all his foolish boyish hopes
his little tormenting cares, his frequent
disappointments, whose eyes held c
fame of love that lighted his path even
yet-his mother!
"John, did you see about the boiler
to-day?"
"Tbere! I knew there was something
had forgotten, Nellie, but we were in.
voicing all day."
"Invoicingl Yes! More likely having
game of something to pass away the
time. But I suppose I can go down to-
morrow and see about it. / haven't
anything to do; women never have, you
| know"
John doesn't say anything; being s
man he cannot talk back and preserve
his own self-respect; he hasn't the heart
to whistle, and it would only make mat
tiers worse if he did. He would like to
cry-yes, he would, just as he used to
when he was boy, face downward or
his own little bed, with his mothers
loving hand caressing his hair.
Men are only boys grown tall,
Hearts don't change much after all.
But he would look we'll crying now,
wouldn't he? So he smokes or reads
the paper, helps undress the baby and
wonders as he looks at it if life is indeed
worth living.
There may not be any necessity for
Johns wife always meeting him with a
smile and roses in her hair though she
was ready enough to do that when she
was not his wife, but she has other
duties now. But just because he is big
and strong, and comes in with the home
qu1ckstep, there is no use Of her nag.
ging at him as if he were a mere calcu-
lating money-making machine. There
is no little downy- checked, rosy Tipped
baby that loves being petted any better
than that same stalwart John! He
needs to be praised, too, and to feel
that he is appreciated, and he doesn't
want to wait until he has typhoid fever
or pneumonia either, in order to be oil
some consequence at home. The In.
dams believe in hardening their braves
so that they can endure mortal pain and
maze no sign, but they are savages. II
will not enervate the household John tc
send him from home with kiss anG
welcome him back with O smile. and
Nellie, don't you forget it! The armol
of love is triple plated.