The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-11-03
Managing a Sick Husband

wv / won't answer for the conse-
quences," replied Mrs. j. Matrimonial
Bliss, laying down her lace work and
shaking her head solemnly at the At
lantic ocean,, rolling its blue summer
waves before the veranda on which she
and Miss Emily Lonely sat gossiping.
For my part, l think she is a very
tender, devoted wife, and he's a surly
brute" retorted Miss Emily. THE par
titions in these summer hotels are so
thin | couldn't help hearing when he
said something about a devilish bore,
and she replied, in the gentlest way:
Dear, you aren't WE'LL and then his
language became perfectly awful. /
simply put my fingers in my ears. |
can't help thinking how in the past
Few days all her ideals must have be-
come shattered by his behavior, and
they have only been married two
months. Men are such treacherous
creatures. Sometimes one does appre-
ciate ones dignified independence"
and Miss Emily gave her water color
version of his majesty the Atlantic, a
mocn hat looked like a white celluloid
poker chip gone astray.
Mrs. Bliss laughed cheerily. He isn't
Il brute, Miss Emily. He's just a little
run down, poor, young man, and his
confiding, adoring, pretty little wife
evidently hasn't got far enough along
in her knowledge of the sex to realize
that there is a mighty big difference in
the best methods of taking care of a
sick woman and a sick man. Now. we
coddled and cuddled, petted and fused
over when she is i'll. She grows quite
fond of her medicines, loves to tuck
up among pillows and discuss her
symptoms, and speak in a still, small
voice, and make large, pathetic eyes
of a suffering gazelle at her relations
and the doctor.
IF there is one insult that a man
more acutely resents than another"
Mrs. Bliss continued, 1t is illness. and
he deeply objects to being reminded
of it. He knows that he is then I'M
manned and more or less an object of
amused pity to his own sex. so a sick
husband must be handled with gloves.
1t is wifely tact that tides him over.
and that is what our little friend
should learn. She really is painfully
obtuse. Last night she tried to put her
white worsted shawl about his big,
broad shoulders, made him change his
seat. because she suspected he was in a
draught, and reminded him of his pills |
right before all the other men. Do you
wonder he used winged words; that is
TO say, direct colloquial language;
though. being newly married. he spoke
in a tone only she could heal and COM
piled with all her requests except the |
use of the shawl. In consequence. she
was hurt and huffy, and her eyes grew
pink. and then he got madden and went |
out, by way of revenge, and stamped
up and down the wet beach, reveling. |
no doubt. in the knowledge that she
was %wringing her hands on the piazza
and longing to rush out. and on her
knees to offer him his overshoes, but
her pride and fear of his manly wrath
held her at bay"
And you think that's kind and ten
der and noble and" began Miss En-
lily Lonely, in wrathful amaze.
No, Miss Emily" chuckled Mrs.
Bliss; but it's masculine and natural, |
and I've been all through it with my
John. Did l ever tell you about the
time that John Matrimonial Bliss, Esq.
banker, broker, after-dinner speaker
and retired warrior, came down with
the German measles?"
Miss Emily shook her head.
HE doesn't dream to this day that
he ever was the victim of so pesky a
ailment, but sometimes. when he
chooses to reminiss about his won
Gerful escapes and daring adventures,
he mods across the table at me and re-
fers to the summer of his return from
Cuba. when he had a very close call,
and l say. with a sort of break in my
voice: oh. Jack, don't talk of it, and
he leaves the impression with his ap-
p~reciative male listeners that he has
faced worse things than San Juan hill.
That summer l knew Jack was
droopy when he began running down
the cook, but 1 didn't suggest there
was any loss of appetite From being