Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-08-27
PETRUCHIC.
By A. NJ. Mcmillan.
CHAPTER I.

Ten COMMANDMENTS, ana kept I06m 10
a comma. He was enlightened, toO
and women, whose husbands did not
believe in the intellectual advance
ment of the sex, whom he took down
to dinner at suburban parties, envied
Mrs. Lee, and wondered she did not
care to go out with her husband. In
dress he was irreproachable; his shirt
front was always a shirt front and
never a badly inflated balloon. AS an
after dinner speaker, he was happy,
and his little volume of essays entitled
''By the Way and Otherwise gave him
just a suspicion Of the glamor of au-
thorship.
At tWenty-three, being in the receipt
of an income of $500, James had taken
unto himself one Sylvia Moore to wife,
and had said to her, Thou shalt have
no other gods before me-" Sylvia, sew
enteen, an orphan, penniless, with
careless guardians, pretty, with peach
like bloom, soft gray eyes and masses
of waving dark hair, fresh from
boarding house with it's dreams of an
earthly paradise, followed James into
his suburban villa and took up life's
burden.
There, in the course Of the next sew
enteen years, were born eight children,
the youngest a puny thing, living but
to die in an hour. During these years
Sylvia's life had been one long task
The yearly income was still $500, and
James was the only member of that
household who felt it enough Sylvia
had made and mended, brought the
children into the world and kept them
quiet; had cooked, washed and was
responsible for the perfection of her
husbands linen. At thirty-four she
was no longer beauty. The peachlike
cheeks were sallow, the gray eyes less
soft and bright, the once rounded fig
ure was lean and angular and the dark
hair was now gray. In return for this
her husband had given her his name,
food, clothes sometimes, hard words
often and, of course, he had made her
the mother of his children. Good
times, cOmpaniOnship, sympathy,
laughter, books, music and sunshine
were for other women.
Sylvia was no fool, and many a long
night, as she trOd the nursery, with
the perpetual baby, she had pondered
over the inequality of the sexes in a
marriage such as hers, and had asked
herself a thousand times if the names
wife" and mother" were an adequate
return for the pangs, the monotony,
the loneliness, hardship and utter
weai ness of her life Many a time she
owned that all unwittingIy, she had
sold herself for a mess of uncOmmOIly
thin and bitter pOttage, and felt that
in a wOman's pennileSSneSs and de-
pendenCe lies the secret of her endur-
ance. At "a, then, came her first
breathing space. The two eldest boys,
now 16 and Is, had already gone out
into the world, and a cheap boarding
school had been found for the eldest
girl. The last baby too, was dead, and
Sylvia had time now to sit by the fire
of an evening, sew leisurely and think
much
So she sat one evening, ever and
again casting chances at her husband,
who sat opposite, looking languidly at
the evening paper, preparatory 10 going
off to his own particular sitting room,
the drawing room of the house.
What are you staring att" he de-
handed, catching her eyes fixed on
him
Il am merely wondering" she said
slowly and meditatively. and not reply
ing to his question. IF men are really
entitled to the best of everything"
= I,oI,,
he said witheringly. and expecting to
see her subside, as she usually did.
Sylvia threaded her needle afresh.
by the way" she said presently,
with seeming irreleyance. Mrs.
Brownlow called today for a moment.
''Ah! did she?" complacently. We'll,
and what did she say?"
Just what she always says-that she
envies me being married to YOU" said
Sylvia, with seeming simplicity.
Mr. Lee bridled, pulled himself out.
and then, seeing an unusual look in his
Wife's eyes. disguised his feelings in
fit Of coughing.
she wants you to go there to dinner
on Monday next" Sylvia went on.
Il don't think | have any engage
ment that evening; no. l have not. Did
she say who is to be there?'
Sylvia's heart beat shade faster
4 only know one otherr'
And that isl
Myself" quietly.
Eyes. L." returned his wife. Mrs.
Brownlow, as she always does, said,
I suppose it's no use asking you? |
wish we could tempt you You can
said L; 1 shall be delighted
Sylvia looked at her husband, who
returned her look with CONSERVATION.
Il am sure she doesn't want you" he
said, bluntly. He could think of moth
ing else to say.
L am sure not" said Sylvia, cheer
fully, but | have never been to a din
ner party in my life, and I do want 10
see what it's like"
Surely you will not force yourself
on woman who does not want you,
he replied, weakly.
He did not understand Sylvia in this
mood
Then surely you will never think of
going where l am not welcome
Kindly leave me out of the question.
am different. You know you hate go
ing out"
We'll, you have always said so, "
said Sylvia, but then, as l have never
7