The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-10-09
A MISERABLE WIFE.

nave to rent or sell the farm. My
wife is so miserable. / cannot carry
1t on without hiring, and hiring eats
Hp:all the profits"
i looked at the speaker admiringly.
I1f was about fifty. and as robust AS
afllan of thirty. His whiskers were
realty trimmed, showing a full red
cneek. He wore jaunty hat and
natty cutaWay coat and below his
Yest hung silk fob and heavy gold
seal. i was proud of him. He was
aperfect picture of the New York
gpntleman from the rural district. ]
waited to imprint his picture on my
memory.
So your wife is miserable ?"
YVES. kinder droopin', with dry
: "a and no ambition. She just
Kinder drags around the house and
looks so peaked and scrawny it gives
me he blues. 1t does, swan if it
don't"
Naturally weak, wasn't she ?"
"Se? Oh, no. When I married
her Sc was the smartest Girl on the
creek She used to work for father,
and tie way she made the work stand
rOundtoOk my eye. She was a poor
gal, and her industry got her a rich
husbam."
Here he carelessly took out a gold
watch, looked at the time, put it
back ad adjusted the silk fob on
the froit of his nicely fitting trous.
ers.
$50 se did well getting married
on account of her industry ?"
"Wh, of course; she was getting
only tyo dollars and fifty cents a
week, sld she became mistress OF u
farm"
"EXcse me, but how much are
you wrth now, confidentially you
know; lam scientific man and will
never lse such facts to your injury
with tie assessor"
"Well Professor, L could crowd
fifty thossand dollars pretty hard"
"Thaf is good. How long have you
been married ?"
Thirty years next fourth of July.
We went down 10 Albany on little
teeter and | proposed the match and
Jane was willin'."
"How much do you suppose you
Cave made in these thirty years?"
"Hum-um-lemme see. l go;
Ithe 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 dol.
lars since we spliced."
every good, indeed. And your
wife has been a great help to you in
all this time"
"Oh, you bet. She was a rattler.
She took care Of her baby and the
milk from twenty cows. l tell you
she made the tin-ware flop. Why
we have had four children, and she
never had hired girl oyer 6 months
in that time"
"Splendid! And you have clear.
ed thirty thousand dollars in that
time?"
"Yes, easy"
Nov, how much has your wife
made ?'
"She. why, durn it, professor, she
is my WIFE,"
II know it. But what has sht
made? You say she was poor wher
you married her. Now, what ha;
she made? ?"
"Why, by gum, you beat all, why
she is my wife and we own it alto
gether."
"Do you2 Then she can draw or
your bank account? Then she has +,
horse and carriage when she wants
one? Then she has servant matt
when she wants one? Then she
rides out for her health, and has I
watch and chain of gold AS you do
Is that so?
professor, you must be crazy
Nobody's wife is boss in that shape
Who ever heard of such a thing 2"
"Now, look here. You said sh
did well in marrying rich, aud l can
not see it. If she was getting TIVE
dollars and fifty cents IA week whel
you married her, and had saved he
wages, she would have had now thre
thousand six hundred doliars. Nov
you tell me she is broken down, use'
up and miserable, and looks so ba'
she makes you sick, and she has n,
money, no help, and will get prOma
bly, nothing but IA Scotch grant
tombstone when she dies"
"Professor. if you was younge
man, l would lick you quicker thai
spring lamb can jump thistle"
"What for? | am stating this cas-