Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-26
The Story Of a Quarrel.

| INC otUTy VI d QUARREL
| ITO be wroth with those I'VE love
doth work like madness on the BRAIN
which is perfectly true indeed, and
the little rift within the Lutte" and
various other quotations recur to my
mind
But / mean to be master in my own
house; ] will put my foot down. How
dare my wife look at me with blazing
eyes, and defy me to my face!
What have we Guarreled about ?
| Upon my soul forget how it began,
! but the quarrel has turned into a regu-
| lar war, and we are both at fever
point.
Mary has been haunting, sarcastic
! and sneering; everything that person
| possessing the soft name of Mary
| ought not to be. And I-well, after the
| first five minutes my temper got the
| better of me, and / just let her have it
| Il shall never speak to you again,
until you apologize, Frank" she says,
with her head held high, and I retort
with heat Then silence is likely to
| be the order of the day." and leave her
| for the first time in our married life
| without a kiss.
| But l mean to conquer her, though 1
can not bear to think of the little
| tremble / had seen on her lips just
when 1 turned away.
'Yes, l will lunch at the club and
show my independence"
l do lunch at my club, and confide
in an old bachelor, who gives his ad-
vice.
Wont speak to you? Cad. Frank.
| two can play at that game; pay her
out in her own COIN"
And strong in the righteousness of
my cause, return to my home. 1t is
evening; Mary is in the drawing room,
arranged in pale pink tea-gown, a
garment got up with lace or chiffon
| Her face is like an icicle; her eyes
meet mine with cold Indifference. She
does not speak; neither do I.
| Mary. to give her her due, sulks to
perfection, and breaks the silence by
humming all the taking airs from the
latest opera.
Dinner is announced in due course
1t is even a better dinner than usual
1t is distinctly awkward for two people
to sit at table in silence with a servant
watching. Mary is equal to the occa-
sion. The cat, a large and beautiful
black specimen of his kind, called Lord
Salisbury, is seated on chair. Mary,
with spoon poised in her hand, ad-
dresses the animal.
will you have some stewed kidney,
Lord Salisbury"
| And / follow her lead like lightning.
"Yo our tastes are the same as mine,
| Lord Salisbury; l am going to have
stewed kidneys, too
| Mary turns to the servant. Your
| master!' she says sweetly: and per-
haps Jane understands, for I, not Lord
Salisbury, get the stewed kidneys.
All through the meal she keeps up an
animated conversation through the cat.
Lord Salisbury is told Of the charming
day she has spent, of the delightful
afternoon at the house of her bosom
friend, Mrs. Dean Mosely, woman
| detest-the very woman | Quarreled
with my wife about this morning.
woman who wears rational dress and
attends lectures on woman's rights.
| All this is poured into the ear of Lord
Salisbury, who brinks his great green
eyes and purrs loudly. 1 retaliate by
saying in an off-hand way to his lord
ship that l have had a jolly day at the
club and mean to go out again in the
evening
| To which Mary responds: MY poor
pussy, you will be quite lonely, for
am going to meeting with Mrs.
Deane Mosely. and don't wait up for
me, Lord Salisbury, for l shall have my
latch key
Away she goes, her rosebud draperies
| trailing after her. l feel somehow she
has scored. 1t was really very clever
of her to have talked to me through
the cat. In rage go to my club.
It is the same thing next morning,
Mary is as cheerful as possible, and
keeps up a one-sided conversation with
Lord Salisbury. Scraps of letters are
| read over to him. He is given a full
account of the charming lecture at
which Mrs. Deane Mosely has spoken.
an atheistical and abomfnable per-
| Torrance, quite too much up-to-date
for my taste. l long to tell her so; the
| words leap to my lips. But am MOTH
ing if not determined and say nothing
beyond remarking casually to the in
fernal cat that women are unsexed
creatures nowadays.
So a week goes by, and We have
| never spoken to each other except
| through the cat. My bachelor friend
gives me every credit.
You'll break her in, Frank. She'll
come to your feet yet
I have my doubts, for Mary Is very
obstinate. Not like my determination.
which is a reasonable quality belong
ing to man, but obstinate in an absurd,
lwomanish way.