The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-12-16
ARGUMENT.
BY V BEST.

b1 ' DTsS1s
Jack and 1 had been married about
long enough to begin to argue: We never
quarrcled-wc were too patri"ian for
that, though he was only a promising
architect and I an ex-school ma'am-but
how we did argue! 1t all began by our
different ''bringings up" in the first
place. You see, we weren't really we'll
acquainted Care not yeti when we mar
ried. 1t all grew out of that dreadful
food-did our romantic and sudden
marriage-and l had actually seen my
good Jack twice only before l promised
all sorts Of sentimental things! And
the glamour lasted, his face was still
the handsomest, his voice the sweetest,
his nature the most chivalrous in the
world until, as I have said, we began to
argue. 1t was a thoroughly good
natured argument at first. How was it
that We forgot in time to send a laugh
along with a dextcrous little dig into the
weak points in the argument Of the op-
position to sort o. soften its edge? !
don't know, Pm sure, but I grew to de,
spise argument between Jack and me, and
I meant when a good chance offered to
put the whole ugly spirit of discord to
flight.
1t came-thc chance. Jack came
home from the Office to supper with a
paper in his hand. which, I fancied, had
given him something to ponder over. I
rang the little tea bell out of the low
window as 1 used to ring the big bell
out of the dear little schoolhouse window
in years gone by, and in toddled our wee
daughter, Fatima, with a glad, hungry
light in her baby eyes.
Baby in the high chair; mamma be-
hind the tea things, papa brandishing
the knife and steel and then-it came.
"Desdle, I think women nowadays try
to do too much-that they strive for too
wide a sphere of action, don't you!"
"Women in general, or particular,
Jack?" I asked, dropping the three
Jumps of sugar he affects into his steam.
ing cup.
swell, general, I believe in this case
though we could, l suppose, make a
particular instance of it. For instance
YOU"
sIw
"You received an education that in
the contracted sphere of woman's
life"
Ha! There it was-there was my
weapon of annihilation! l listened as
he went on.
'That in the contracted sphere of a
woman's life will. in a measure, only be
thrown away. What good can come OF
it all? You who sit here at home making
q paradise for me, need know nothing Of
even simple interest,""
"But | do know of it, my liege lord
/ can compute it to the penny on the
small sum accruing from my professor
ship of the river school since you kind
ly invested it for me in the Building as
ISOLATION"
.sWell, let that pass; perhaps it is just
rs we'll to know a little of simple arith'
metic; but for algebra"
GAS my friend Helen says, it is my
knowledge of algebra and the unknown
quantities that have made a baker O.
mc!' interrupted eagerly.
"a 'baker'?"
"Oui, Monsieur! Now do you lister
awhile to mc-give Fatimi that ripss'
peach, Jack, please. I insist upon il
that no woman who lives the life of
house mother can have too fine and to-
widely-spread an education. In tn
first place she is 'mothcr'-she has
million questions to answer before he
little brood have spread their wings
questions upon all sort of subiects-ol
science, on art, history, music, literature
chemistry, astronomy, languases-o'