Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-05-03
A MISERABLE WIFE.

eyes, professor, I am afraid I shall
have to rent or sell the farm; my wife
is so miserable. I cannot carry it on
without hiring, and hiring eats up all
the profits. !"
I looked at the speaker admiringly.
He was about 80 years old, and as TO-
bust as q man of 80. His whiskers were
neatly trimmed, showing full, red
cheek. He wore jaunty hat and natty
cutaway coat, and below his vest hung
a single fob and heavy gold seal. I was
proud of him. He was such a perfect
specimen Of New York gentleman
from the rural districts that wanted
to imprint his picture on my memory.
$50 your wife is miserable?"
"Yes. Kinder dropping, with dry
cough and no ambition. She just kindec
drags around the house and looks so
peaked and scrawny it gives me the
blues 1t does, 1 swan"
Naturally weakly, wasn't she?"
She! Oh, no. When l married her,
she was the smartest girl on the creek.
She used to work for my father, and
the way she made the work stand around
took my eye. She was a poor girl and
her industry got her rich husband. "
Here he took out gold watch, looked
at the time, put it back and adjusted
the silk fob on the front of his nicely
fitting trousers.
$50 she did well, getting married on
account of her Industry"
"Why, Of course She was getting
only So. so a week, and she became mis-
tress Of farm.
Excuse me, but how much are you
worth now-confdentially, you know?
I am scientific man and will never
use such facts to your injury with the
assessor.
"Well, professor, I could crowd $50, :
900 pretty hard"
'"That is good. How long have you
been married?"
"Thirty years next Fourth of July.
We went down to Albany on little
teeter, and I proposed the match and
Jane was willing
GLOW much do you suppose you have
made in these 80 year,"
"Hum-um-lemme see. I got the
Davis farm the first ten years, then I
run in debt for the Simmons place, got
war prices for my cheese and squared
up both places. Well, I think I have
cleared up $50, 900 since we spliced. "
Every good indeed. And your wife
has been a great help all this timer"
sob, you bet She was RATHER!
She took care of her baby and the milk
from 20 cows. I tell you she made the
tinware flop! Why, we have had four
children, and she never had hired girl
over six months in that time"
Splendid, and you have cleared $780,
900 in that timer
eyes, easy"
"Now, how much has your wife
made?"
"She? Why, durn it. professor, she is
my wife.
II know it. But what has she made?
You say she was poor when you married
her. Now, what has she made?"
"Why, you beat ALL Why, she is my
wife, and we own it all together -
"Do you? Then she can draw on your
bank account? Then she has a horse and
carriage when she wants them? Then
she has servant girl when she wants
one? Then she rides out for her health,
and has watch and gold chain as you
do? Is that so?"
Professor, you must be crazy. No
body's wife is boss in that shape. Who
ever heard of such u thing?"
Nov, look here. You say she did
we'll in marrying rich, and cannot see
it. If she was getting 81 90 per week
when you married her and had saved
her wages, she would have had now
SO, 600. If she had invested it, she
would have had $4,000. Now you tell
me she is broken down, used up and
and looks SO badly she makes
you sick, and she has no money, no help
and will probably get nothing but a
Scotch granite tombstone when she
dies"
Professor. if you was younger
man, I would lick you quicker'n a
spring lamb can jump thistle. -
what for? I am stating this case
fairly, am not? Your wife is no longer
young. She is no longer handsome. Her
hands are as hard as local editors
cheek, and she has stopped over milk
can until she has a hump on her back
like a peddler. =
Shut up, will you?"
"She has raised four children. One
Of them is at college. One is taking mu-
sic lessons in Boston. The other two are
teaching school. She is at home alone,
going around in treadmill life which
will end in rosewood coffin and a first
class country funeral
"Stop that, professor, will your"
"While you are still handsome
man, with just enough gray in your
whiskers to make you look interesting.
No doubt you have been thinking Of
some nice young girl Of IS who would
jump at the chance to marry your 80
COWS and 20 acres Of hops. /"
Professor, I won't stay here if you
don't let up on that. Z
And your wife does not look well in
that new Watertown wagon, SO you
take your hired man and neighbor's
girls to meeting. Your wife never goes
so you do not get her watch
1:i- .. x,,,,., 800, :. ,,o,,, e;1l> .l,r,c, nov