The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-08-01
AND WIVES WHO LOVE
EACH OTHER AND YET QUARREL.
Painful Scenes at Coney Island Hotel and
Their Moral,

HUSBANDS AND WIVES WHO LOVE
EACH OTHER AND YET QUARREL.
Painful Scenes at Coney Island Hotel and
Their Moral. . -.
l am guest in seaside hotel. Never
mind what one, suffice it that am most
comfortably lodged in room which
can see the un rise in the morning, the
surf tumbling on the shore, aud the peo-
pie as they go to and fro like wild beasts
in menagerie where 1 can hear mag.
nificent harmonies from a well-equipped
and expertly directed band, and where,
fortunately, no sense is offended by dis
cordant noise or unwelcome odor.
But the people.
Ii we could see ourselves as others see
us would we not be apt to change our
manners, our programme, our conduct
toward our associates in particular, and
strangers in general This is fashiona-
bic hotel. Among its guests are million
aires with their families, distinguished
politicians with their families, men of
note in the realms of finance, of art, and
of that greatest of professions, journa-
lism, with here and there a preacher, a
prize fighter, doctor, and that great
many featured institution known as hoi
polloi. ........
Precisely why men and women who
love each other quarrel never could un-
derstand, That they do we all kno y.
Our own experience furnishes many il
lustrations of that assertion, our obser
walton multitude more, and step fur
ther in the realm of wonder brings us to
a harvest of public quarrels, of demon
strations in the presence of strangers,
which are amazing in their audacity and
in their Ill-timedness.
Let me give you one or two instances.
have, with friends, a very pleasantly
situated table and a first-class waiter,
made so partly by nature, largely by
long experience, and more especially by
reason of the fees which foolishly from
one point of view and wisely from an.
other, give him regularly. This after
noon, while enjoying a well-served re,
past, l, in common with the other guests,
looked up in astonishment as a family,
consisting of husband, wife and children,
came to their table, quite near my own,
in evident anger .'..
The husband is self approving indi-
vidual.
judge him to be a sef-made man,
worshiping his creator first, last and all
the time. His wife, a very pretty and
much younger woman, evidently his
second companion, is quite attractive
and enormously made up. One of the
children, a bright lad, is well-behaved
and quiet, the other, younger, utterly
spoiled and not well bred. The first
shot, the report of which bounded from
wall to wall and carromed on every ear
in the room. was this from the husband
''Ill have no more of it. The woman is
known to every person here" The wife,
a little shame-faced, made some inaudi-
BILE response, whereupon, with ridiculous
pomposity, and with phrase long
stretched out, in resonant tones the hus-
band rejoined {: "I-beg-your-pardon-
madam"
The children looked up, evidently
waiting for a scene, to which, | doubt
not, they are accustomed, to pass ere
they ask for something to eat, and the
husband and father thus continued "If
| catch that man to whom that woman
introduced you speaking to you l will
cut his ears off. I'll drive him from the
island. You should be ashamed of your
self, and, in any event, if you are will
ing to disgrace yourself you shall not de-
grade lne.n
Now, mind you, this was in public.
The man was absolutely right in his
Judgment of the woman of whom he
spoke. She is an unquestioned adven
turess, and having made the acquain-
tance of his wife, spoke to her as she en-
taral tho and 81, 49,:
etfrontery took the liberty of presenting
a gentleman, well-known man in the
city of New York, whose acquaintance
she had also made in coming to the ho-
tel, to the lady who foolishly stopped at
their table as she came along, and, de
laying her husband and children as she
did so, entered into conversation for per-
haps minute. 1t would have been very
well for the husband to caution his wife.
and indeed to be very much annoyed
with her, in private, but it was hardly
necessary for him to go on and on and
on, as he did, during the entire dinner
hour, not only attracting the attention
of everybody within ten feet of him, but
embarrassing strangers who naturally
felt sympathy with the little woman
whom he bOmbarded mercilessly. She
was at first excessively annoyed. After
a little she became angry and the odds
were even, she gave him quite as good
as he sent, and before the dinner was
ended everybody forced to hear, knew
perfectly well, first, that she was his
second wife, and that he was her second
husband, and that neither of the child.
rem was hers.
Everybody there also knew that he
was well-enough meaning fellow, but
utterly without self-control, and that
she being fond OF admiration and little
given to flirting, was quite as much a
thorn in his side as well balanced indi-
vidual even could get on with.
My friends are smokers,
Being smokers, they naturally sought
the retirement of the broad piazza, and
l, though not a smoker, went with them
where We could here the music and en-
joy the fresh bright moon, as it shone
full upon the dancing waters, and revel
in the magnificent ozonic income from
the wide-horizoned sea unimpeded, that
reaches 5000 miles away.
Some men, and nearly all women, have
penetrating voices.
Nothing is more desirable in a woman
than a sweet, low voice but l have
known sweet, low voices which under
certain circumstances become acrid, high
voices. As we sat listening to the music
with but occasional interjection of COM
ment, this sentence darted into every
ear. 81 don't care what you say, no
man should allow lady to take his arm
unless she is his wife, or engaged to him. &.
You know that perfectly we'll. and this
is the fourth time have spoken to you
about that particular woman"
Not head was turned.
We sat like statues. Obviously a sec
ond lesson in matrimonial development