St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-11-23
Too Many Don'ts.

It was one of my comfort loving bachelor
friends who told me once that one reason
he did not marry was because there were
too many .'don'ts" in the married life of
most men. He was afraid he would de-
velop into a real bear of man if restricted
in his freedom of will by the ''don'ts' i'm
posed upon their husbands by too exact
ing wives;
his comfortable room, 81 do as please,
sit in any chair | like, lie down where
please, smoke if | want to, | 60 down
town when like and come home when
please. I dress as l please-I do as |
please generally without breaking any of
the Ten Commandments, and without
being made irritable by petty and per-
petual 'don'ts.'"
Now l like to be comfortable myself. ]
like to feel that can do as please in my
own home, and think most men feel that
they ought to be allowed to do as they
please under their own vines and fig trees,
particularly when these desires are limited
to some very harmless and Innocent per-
form RANGES.
| do not smoke like that mythical and
very good boy of McGufey's "Third
Reader" fame, Master Charley Reed; do
not use tobacco in any form, because it is
"a filthy weed" but if did smoke think
| should smoke under my own roof if l
cared to do so, even though Mrs. Dane
said ''don't" again and again:
| once spent a week with friend OF
mine whose wife is "a beautiful house.
keeper" but she has attained this degree
of perfection through such series of
6on'ts that his orderly home is not very
restful or peaceful place to her husband
If it is raining when he comes home she
meets him at the door with:
"Now, James, don't come in at the front
door to day; it's only step or two to the
rear door, and my front hall is so nice and
clean you mustn't come into it all wet ;
and don't forget to clean your feet we'll at
the back door, and please don't sit in any
| of the upholstered chairs if your clothes
are damp"
James is limited to certain chairs if he
sits down on others his wife futters to
ward him with reproachfuI "don't" on
her lips, and says:
"Don;t sit on that little fancy chair,
James you'll be sure to break it, and I'm
sure there are other chairs on which you
can sit, and-oh, please don't lean BACK
against the tidy on that chair, you'll muss
4 III So tASIS 10 youi Snoh4 w. N ~
/ corner II
James goes sulking into his chair. Per.
haps he leaves it for the sofa little later
and If he does he bears the pleading per-
emptory voice of Mrs. James saying
Don't put your head on that fancy
pillow, James How often must l tel
you to always spread your handkerchief OF
the pillow before you lie down? Ane
please don't put your feet upon the sofa
don't see why you should lie down any
how, right in the middle of the day |"
James, under these circumstances. il
hardly guilty of treason to his wife II ~
thinks regretfully of the comfortable Ole
sofa in his bachelor quarters, on which h
'tlopped down" and kicked up bis heel
whenever he felt like doing so, withou
the protesting esdon't' of any woman i
/ his ears. He whistled once in a whil'
there, too, but if he does it now he hears
sharp "don't' from his wife. She say
sdon't" If she catches him giving nickl'
to the wretched hand. organ man, and it
s.Now don't be gone long every time h,
goes down town: and Don't stay late,
when he goes out at night; Don't bu.
this and 81 wouldn't buy that" ar