The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-11-27
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A MISERABLE WIFE.

''Yes, professor, IN afraid | shall have
to rent or sell the farm. My wife is so
miserable. l cannot carry it on without
hiring, and hiring eats up all the profits. p"
I looked at the speaker admiringly, He
was about fifty, and as robust as man of
thirty. His whiskers were neatly trimmed,
showing a full red cheek He wore a
iaunty hat and natty cutaway-coat and be-
low his vest hung silk fob and heavy gold
seal. l was proud of him. He was a
perfect picture of the New York gentle
man from the rural districts. l wanted to
impress his picture on my memory.
$50 your wife is miserable ?"
eyes, kinder droopin', with dry cough
and no ambition. She jest kinder drags
around the house and looks so peaked and
scrawny it gives me the blues. 1t does,
1 swan if it don't"
Naturally weak, wasn't she p
'She Oh, no, When I married her
she was the smartest girl on the creek,
She used to work for her father, and the
way she made the work stand around took
my eye. She was poor gal and her in
dustry got her rich husband
Here he carelessly took out a gold watch,
looked at the time, put it back and adjust
ed the silk fob on the front of his nicely
fitting trousers.
$50 she did well getting married on ac-
count of her industry ?"
"Why, of course, she was getting only
two dollars and fifty cents week, and she
became mistress of farm
"Excuse me, but how much are you
worth now, confdentially you know; l am a
scientific man, and will never use such facts
to your injury with the assessor"
EWell, professor, l could crowd fifty
thousand dollars pretty hard"
"That is very good. How long have
you been married p
"Thirty years next fourth of July. We
went down to Albany on little teeter, and
1 proposed the match and Jane was will
lin"
Chow much do you suppose you have
made in these thirty years p
"Hum-um-lemme see, | got the
Davis farm the first ten years, then | run
In debt for the Simmons place, got war
prices for my cheese, and squared up both
places. Well, I have cleared up thirty
thousand dollars since we spliced."
every good, indeed. And your wife
has been great help to you in all this
time"
"Oh, you bet She was rattler. She
took care of her baby and the milk from
twenty COWS. tell you she made the TIM
ware flop. Why, we have had four chill
dren, and she never had a hired girl over
six months in that time.
"Splendid And you have cleared
thirty thousand dollars in that timer"
ayes, easy"
"Now, how much has your wife made?"
'She, why, professor, she is my WIFE
II know it. But what has she made !?
You say she was poor when you married
her. Now, what has she made ?"
"Why, by gum, you beat all. Why, she
is my wife and we own it altogether. y
"Do you? Then she can draw on your
bank account? Then she has horse and
carriage when she wants one? Then she
has servant maid when she wants one
Then she rides out for her health, and has
watch and gold chain as you do. Is that
so2"
professor, you must be crazy, No
body's wife is boss in that shape. Who
ever heard of such a thing ?"
aNow, look here You say she did well
in marrying rich, and cannot see it. If
she was getting two dollars aud fifty cents
per week when you married her, and had
saved her wages she would have had now
three thousand six hundred dollars. IF she
had invested it she would have had five
thousand dollars. Now you tel me she is
broken down, used up and miserable, and
looks SO bad she makes you sick, and she
has no money, no help, and will get proba-
bly, nothing but Scotch granite tomb
stone when she dies,p
professor, if you was younger man |
would lick you QUICKER than spring lamb
can jump thistle.
aWhat forP lam stating this case
fairly, am not -FOUR wife is no longer
young. She is no longer handsome Her
hands are as hard as local editors cheek,
and she has stopped over milk can until
she has lump on her back like ped
dler."
nShut up, will you2'
'.She has raised four children. One of
them is at college. One is taking music
lessons in Boston, The other two are
teaching school. She is at home alone,
going around in a treadmill life which viii