Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-10-18
LED BY LOVE.

anu commanding
He stood feet 2 inches in his stockings
and turned the beam of true and trusted
Fairbanks at 2l0 pounds avoirdupois.
He was the acknowledged leader of his
party in our town, and his party was in the
ascendant.
The major was not quarrelsome, but he
was opinionated and unyielding. He was
too big man to quarrel and too conscious
of his own powers to yield point in any
thing.
Major Sparhawk had lived bachelor to
the age of 40. At length, however, the
erotic dart touched his heart, and he offered
to take wife and make her mistress of the
wife's appropriate department of his house.
Sylvia Aspen was small, delicate wom-
an, pretty and accomplished.
For several years she had taught the
primary department of our common school,
and the experimenting committee were
forced to acknowledge that by no other
teacher had the sche%Ss ever been so thor
oughly governed as by her.
She had seen 80 years of life, and for rea.
sons best known to herself she had refused
all offers of marriage
And now Major Hannibal Sparhawk Of
fered her his hand and his heart.
miss Aspen" he said in his blunt, die,
tatorial way. ''you have known me long
enough and we'll enough to know some
thing Of the home l can provide If you
take me, you will take a rough, blunt man
who must be his own master through life.
have my own peculiar views of the true
marriage relation. The man is the head oil
the household. can love and provide and
protect, but l must be master. As l am
offer myself. You will not be deceived"
Sylvia smiled one of her sweet, eccentric
smiles, and with her small, white hand rest.
ing confidingly upon the majors arm she
told him she accepted the situation.
you are sure?" he queried.
II am sure of this" she said looking up
into his face with candid fervor. II love
you we'll enough to marry you, and as fo1
domestic government the result must be
as the result is the world over-the weak
must depend upon the strong"
Hannibal Sparhawk kissed the little
woman and assured her that he would never
be tyrannical or unjust, and the day for the
wedding was fixed.
People wondered, when it was published,
that Sylvia Aspen was to become the wife
of Major Sparhawk.
"She will be slave and drudger' was
the general opinion.
In due time-in early autumn-Hannibal
Sparhawk and Sylvia Aspen became man
and wife. The major had planned to have
the wedding grand affair-to have his
military friends present in full panoply
with full band Of music and appropriate
fixings, but Sylvia persuaded him not. She
said but little-just enough to make him
understand that it would please her tc
have it different, and he concluded to please
her.
They had been married two weeks when
the major proposed that he would invite
the officers of his regiment to dinner-stafl
and line-about so of them.
II suppose such dinner means wine and
tobacco, and plenty of itf" said Sylvia.
"Certainly," responded her husband
when invite my friends to my house, l
expect to treat them according to the fash
ion Of the times"
"Then, Hannibal, would rather you did
not invite them"
The major laughed at the absurdity Of
his wife's within. Sylvia was mild, but
firm.
"Of course" she said, with smile, "you
will do in this matter as you please"
'Of course-I WILL" declared tho hus
dand emphatically. "You know what
told you in the beginning. must b'
master in my own house."
But" interrupted Sylvia, with thu
sweetest smile Imaginable, suppose
could show you that the greatest possible
amount of comfort and joy you can fine
will come from pleasing me?"
"Eh?"
She kissed him and then ran away.
Already Major Hannibal Sparhawk felt a
nipping at his ear as though something
were biting it.
Days and weeks passed, and the officers
of the grand old regiment were not invited
to the proposed reunion at the majors.
1t was whispered that his wife would not
allow it, and yet when the officers individ
ually had occasion to call at the majors
residence Sylvia treated them SO kindly
and so considerably and bestowed upon
them so much careful attention as friends
of her husband that they went away loud
in her praise.
1t was on a pleasant afternoon of the fol
lowing spring that the social circle con
nected with religious society met at the
majors house. Late in the EVENING" knot
of gentlemen were seated in the great oriel
of the back parlor, while at the center ia
BILE near by were few of the ladies at
work.
In the oriel the conversation turned upon
national affairs. Deacon Rich advanced an
idea in opposition to the cherished political
opinions of his host. The major was fired
III q moment.
II tell you, sir" be exclaimed, shifting
his huge fist upon his knee, "the political
sentiments which,
Harkl
1t was the tapping of knitting needle
upon the arm of Sylvia's chair. The major
looked up and met the glance of his wife
He coughed and stammered and then
smiled as he said:
I'VE won't enter into a political discus.
sion in the presence of ladies'. At another
time, deacon, will give you my opinion
upon the matter"
On their way home Deacon Rich and
Squire Lewis walked together
well, deacon, what do you think now
about poor little Sylvia's daring to say her
souls her own in the presence Of her hus
band?"
II am amazed" confessed the deacon.
"Why, bless mel she rules him with a rod
of iron."
"And yet," suggested Lewis, "he seems
happy and contented."
AYE, and there's the wonder. can't
comprehend it, can your"
II think can. There is one way, and one
way only, in which small, weak woman
can entirely subjugate and control q
brusque herculean husband. The major is
not governed against his within fact, his
wife does not directly govern him at all.
She leads him to govern himself"
Other people wondered as Deacon Rich
wondered, for it was apparent to all that
the doughty man Of war and buster had
hpcor,e a ,nrNle1 husband