The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-03-24
THE WYER'S STORY

ing TO get along without me. Must be
story here
"Of course there is. Don't you know that
an old family lawyer is the greatest depCsi.
tory on earth for stories! lie knows far
more about the ms and outs OF real life than
either the doctor or the preacher. Ills con.
hdences have to do with avarice, love, jeal
ousy, passions and the skeletons that it is
sought to conceal from every one else"
But did my parents actually agree to
separate as this document would indicatey'
Ii was one of Detroit's most prominent cit.
Gems that nervously handled the paper. vel.
low with time.
Precisely. Don't YOU recognize the sig
natures? forgot that the agreement was
there when ! allowed you to go through
those old files. 1t happend long time ago,
you know. But the facts are a good deal
less serious than ycur imaginings would
probably be. Your father and mother were
exceptionally fine people He had one of
the best little pieces of land in Oakland
county and was good Woodworking farm.
er. ! recall her as a pretty young woman.
Where her complexion was not an apple rcd
it was milk white. Her features were on
the classical order her forehead broad and
low, her wavy brown hair abundant and her
1.-THE figure one that made no demands upon
the assistance of fashion. thought ! was
in the running myself, at one time, but your
father carried off the prize
Because Of some memory the old lawyer
dropped into a reverie and had to be
prompted before proceeding. How well he
could remember the mother of this now
famous man when she was just at the end
OF her teens, and what pain it cost him to
realize that she was not for him. He had
submitted to the inevitable like the strong
man that he was, but no other woman had
ever taken her place in his affections.
Well said the younger man, seemingly
impatient at the delay, and not realizing
what memories the subject brought back to
his older friend.
Lets see, where was !? Oh, yes-well,
they were married and settled down to
farming. When you Come to review the case
dispassionately, they never had any real
trouble. In my opinion, she was given to
talking too much, perhaps On the other
hand, he was too taciturn. She spoke when
silence would have been better, and he was
silent when it would have been promotive
of peace for him to speak. When you come
to review the bare testimony it seems al
most incredible that they should have ever
thought of parting. But what may seem
trifles count for great deal in this world.
Besides, words repeated do not convey the
thoughts, the tones and the locks that ac-
company them.
Zone article of their household outfit was
a bright tin milking pail with a strainer at
tached. She liked to see it hanging up as
kitchen ornament, but, without consulting
her, he appropriated it to milk in. Size
sharply told him not to do so again and
added quite volunteer little discourse on
the rights of woman in running her house
hold affairs. That was where she talked too
much. He said nothing by way of explana-
ton or Cancellation. That is where he talked
too little. Later the same evening they dis
agreed on the subject of predestnaton, one
greatly discussed at that time, and next
morning he used the tin milk pail again.
Then she not only reprimanded him. but
laid line upon line and precept upon precept
till he left in silent disgust.
"Tour father was very fond of dogs and
had a fine one of the Newfoundland breed
Your mother was particularly partial 10
cats and had no earthly use for dogs. She
could keep no cat because the dog would
not permit it, and this afforded another
bone of contention. They failed to agree as
to the amount of work they should do on
Sunday and she talked and his silence was
construed as sullenness. Meantime the tin
pail was driving them apart. A tin pail
is small thing in itself; but so is an apple,
and you know how it figured in an episode
| that placed the trail of the serpent over
| us all.
One evening he sat down to mend some
harness in front of the stting-room CRATE
where she was knitting and she informed
him that the proper place for such odorif
ernus employment was in the Kitchen
Then it was that he calmly suggested that
| they did not seem adapted to each other
and that it would probably be best for
| them to live apart after dividing their pcs
sessions. She sarcastically stated that
| they were at length in accord as to one
thing, and dropped stitches while he
jammed the awl into his thumb. Their
she delivered quite an opinion on the sub
ject of divorce, holding that the only
right thing for them to do was to sep
ali ate, the marriage bond remaining unim
paired. Again they agreed He said that
they would better proceed with as little no
tDriety as possible, and asked what she
thought of me as a man to divide the prop
erty. She thought | would be fair, and that
was all she wanted.
Both lay awake most of the night Boil
would have liked to escaped the impending
crisis. But both were proud. In the morn
ing he couldn't go to see me because ther,
was the balance of the corn to husk, HI
said, and then he went TO do the milking il
a wooden pail She announced the mex
morning that it would be impossible for he
to leave home because the cream woulC
spoil if she did not churn and get the butte
ready for market. Then she patted the dog
he looking as mutely surprised as did you
father The next day they came, for neithe
had an excuse for not coming, and told me t
draw up the agreement of separation.
could see that neither wanted it, but dircc
interference on my part would have beef
fatal, so | wrote that paper and they signet
| it.
"Then came the division of property
There were five cows, and each insisted tina
the other must have three. This showed
tenderness that did not comport with thei
action, but kept right on doing business
She could outtaik him and he finally con
scented to take the three cows, mentall
resolving to drive one over to her father
barn, when she was settled at home again
They could agree as to nothing each want
~, ba ntbor TO bopa tho lipn'a sho ra an