Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1893-06-09

! stir her careless lord to frantic jealousy.
If she persists and from the mere love OF
! power goads and leases him too far, he
may break loose from those bonds OF
/ morality which every decent man as
sumes with his marriage vows and &c
TO the bad generally, revenging himself
upon iis giddy wife by Haunting before
her face rivals whose very rivalry is a
degradation to her.
Or perhaps her foible is an inordinate
precision. Her home is like nunnery.
Her own apartments are like those of an
old maid. She cannot have smoking
anywhere in the house because it scents
the walls and furniture. She cannot
have newspapers or paper novels thrown
about on chairs and tables. II the hus.
band. manlike. pushes the furniture this
way and that. throws open a window
and rudely twists the lace draperies like
a rope to keep them out Of the way, the
precise woman replaces everything the
moment his hand leaves it--perhaps
silently and with a long suffering air OF
patient martyrdom. perhaps with cold
and formal request that Mr.. So-and-so
will not turn her parlors into a caucus
room or worse.
The precise woman carries her preci.
sion further than the furniture. Her hus-
band. coming home from his all day asso.
citation with men. tells his wife what he
thinks good story or funny Jest OF
tells what some man has told him about
some other man. The precise woman is
shocked. Perhaps she ought TO be
shocked: perhaps she ought to make hef
husband feel that he has come home &c
purer and more refined atmosphere
than he has been breathing through the
day. but her foible of precision comes l.
to aggravate his vice Of coarseness, and
she rebukes him in cold and bitter
fashion that only disgusts and annoys
him, instead of acknowledging the fun
and then gently and deity suggesting
that il might have been more delicately
put: or else by certain surprised and
panied look and a softly breathed "Oh,
Nedr or perhaps with caress and q
whispered word like "Oh. darling, don't;
please don't"-in one of these ways or in
some similar fashion a sweet, natural
woman Will soon make Der husband
ashamed of being coarse. at least in her
presence. and she will have helped in
stead of hindering him.
But Just SO sure as a coarsely genial
man marries precise and intolerant
woman. Just so sure is she to drive him
from home and from her presence. He
may not become unfaithful. as the hus
s o H. l,,s hsaa lie ,,.h
hours of leisure the society of other men
or of women who. as he puts it, don't
care what YOU say TO them" Or he
lounges behind the scenes of the theater,
or in the stables or at social assemblages
far below his own level, anywhere, in
fact, that he can feel free and untram-
meled.
once demonstrated with man whom
/ had known before his marriage as q
very genial. good humored fellow, with
the capacity for becoming a really charm
ing man.
why do YOU so TO such places? Don't
you see that you are letting yourself
down terribly? What would your mother
have thought if she had heard of your
being there last nighty demanded l. with
the freedom of long friendship, and he.
with sort of groan, replied:
IL know it, it's all true; you can't tell
me more than | sometimes tell myself.
But what can | do? I'm fellow thai
likes good joke and a jolly laugh, and
TO let loose generally when business is
over and play begun. But you know
my wife-that is, you've seen her-you
couldn't know unless you lived with
her how horribly good she is
Horribly good" echoed i.
Yes. just that" doggedly responded
my friend. She's neat and nice, of
course. In fact, fell in love with her
look and air like a white lily, but if
were going to call her pet names, dar-
ling now, Id change White Lily into
Ice Woman. When l get home AT
night. want to throw down my hat and
coat, and kick OF my boots, and I'M
buckle the armor I've worn all day, and
lay off generally. | want a sweet, low.
ing little woman to come and give me
kiss and say she's glad to see me and ash
if won't have something TO drink-why,
I'd be grateful if she offered me cup OF
tea even! But, no; it's Why, John,
what noise you make, and pray don't
throw your hat down Oh that chair.
Have you cleansed your feet on the door.
matt
"Then if | try to tell her joke. or
story. or something lively. she pinches
up her mouth like wise and says in
suit her, and, oh. dear! feel just like
that fellow who was shut into an iron
cell and saw the walls close in and in
upon him till they crushed him fat. |
have to get out of it somehow, and you
know when a horse kicks over the traces
he generally bolts to finish up with"
A similar foible TO this is that of reli-
gious intolerance. Almost every man
wishes his wife 10 have some religious
belief and practices. In fact, think
good many men look to their wives to
take care of the spiritual concerns of the
family just as they do after the house
keeping or the mending. 1t is part OF
their duty to the marital firm. But a