Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-11
Mrs. ]. Matrimonial Bliss Tells What
She Did.
HER GOOD CARE OF A SICK HUSBAND
A Cross One, Too, But She Man.
ages Little Things Like That.
MIG HTY GOOD LOGIC


Atlantic 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 very ten
der, devoted wife, and he's surly BRUTE
retorted Miss Emily. THE partitions in
these summer hotels thin l couldn't
help hearing when he said something about
deviish bore, and she replied in the
gentlest way, Dear, you aren't we'll and
then his language became perfectly awful
l simply put my fingers in my ears l
can't help thinking how in the past few
days all her ideals must have become shat
tered by his behavior, and they have only
been married two months Men are such
treacherouS creatures Sometimes one does
appreciate ones dignificd independence,
and Miss Emily gave her water color YER
sion of his majesty the Atlantic a moon
that looked like a white celluloid poker
chip gone astray.
Mrs. Bliss laughed cheerily. He isn't a
brute, Miss Emily. He's just a little run
down poor young man, and his contidins,
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 TAX
ing care of sick woman and sick man.
Now, we all know that woman wants to
be coddled and cuddled petted and fused
over when she is ill. She grows quite fond
of her medicines, loves to tuck up among
speak in still, small voice and make
large. pathetic eyes of a suffering gazelle
at her relations and the doctor.
Must Be Handled With Gloves
IF there is one insult that man more
acutey resents than another" Mrs Bliss
continued. 1T is illness, and he deeply OBJ
jects to being reminded of it. He knows
that he is then unnamed and more or less
an object of amused pity to his own sex
81 .j.l h,t,-IN
gloves. 1t is wfely tact that tides him
over, and that is what our little friend
should learn. She really is painfully OBJ
fuse. Last night she tried to put her white
worsted shawl about his big, broad Shout
ders, made him change his seat because
she suspected he in 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 COLO
qual language; Enough being newly mar
ried he spoke in d. tone only she could
hear and complied with all her requests,
except the use OF, NE shawl. In conse-
quence she was Rurt and huffy and her
eyes grew pink, and then. he got madden
ana went out, by way Of revenge, and
stamped up and down the wet beach, revel-
ing. no doubt, in the knowledge that she
was wrnging her hands on the piazza and
longing to rush out and on her knees offer
him his overshoes. but her pride and fear
or mis- manly wrath held her at bay"
And you think that's kind and tender
and noble and'-began Miss Emily 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 ]
ever tell you about the time that John
Matrimonial Bliss Esq, banker. broker, af-
ter-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 little all
ment, but sometimes, when he chooses to
rpminiSS a mi
daring adventures, he mods across the table
at me and refers to the summer of his re-
turn from Cuba, when he had very close
call and | say with a sort of break in my
voice. oh. Jack, don't talk OF it and he
leaves the impression with his appreciative
male listeners that he has faced worse
things than San Juan Hill.
When the Crisis Came.
That summer l knew Jack was droopy
when he began running down the cook but
l didn't suggest there was any loss of appe-
tite. From being an entirely sociable
creature he seemed to find pleasure in sit
ting alone and glowering good deal and
when 1 assumed a more cheerful air than
usual he tried to explain himself by saying,
in the weird vernacular of down town, that
the street had cold feet.
me last familiar phase that always
leads to some sort of attack with my
husband is when he. mild a man as ever
paid bills or dismissed tipsy cooks, began
to, excuse me, Miss Emily. but to damn
things. Then | knew John was ILL., and the
crisis came when he got into a perfectly
towering rage with the end of a palm leaf
that tickled his nose while he sat reading
his Sunday paper. l apologized for and re-
moved the palm. and when the racking
headache developed / lightly suggested the
hot weather, touch of possible malaria,
and invited the doctor in to tea.
We'll the long and short of it was John
spent four days in bed, and l bundled off
the children and covered myself with glory
trying to keep my lord in spirits, and at the
same time in his room. We never once let
on IL was meaSleS-that would have hurt
his dignity; 50 the doctor and 1 talkei on
basis of incipient typhoid. brought on by
Cuba and overwork, and alarmed him into
obedience. while l kept up his courage by
wondering at his superb constitution Poor
Jack. He was scared into fits at the sight
of his temperature, for. man like once per
suaded he Is Ill, he glooms over tbs future,
and could easily have given him a serious
setback by watching him with panied, anx-
ious eyes. by uptoeing around the room,
tickling his poor pulse. pleading with him
10 eat, huShing all normal, familiar sounds
and begging him every ten minutes to tell
me how he felt.
How to Manage n Sick Man.
Treatment of that sort drives a man
either In a rage, out of his bed or puts
him into alternate nervous chills and fe-
Vers of sheer fright. The proper nursing
for ones husband is to make his sick room
iooA SHeeiIui anu aSTeedDle, walk around
as if there was nothing to be afraid of and
speak in a pleasant, buoyant tone of voice
G!oat over his splendid resistive powers
when he gets down in the mouth for no
man likes his constitution to be impugned
any more than his honesty or his courage
and by proving to him that, though 1t sur
fers terrible strains, it comes out always
ahead, you can flatter and stimulate him
TO his great benefit. When the time comes
for the nasty dose allow him to dedicate
1t with all the naughty words in his yo-
cabuiary. It helps him, he thinks, and
then, when 1t goes down with a whoop
and gurgle and more language and ia
clal contortions, assure him you don't see
how he does it, that, being a woman, YOU
would faint over the ordeal. and then he
hes back, feeling himself strong, even in
his weakness.
As to feeding a sick husband, 1 don't
think there is bigger mistake than to
poster him with requests as to what he
would like, to wall at his loss of appetite
ana to get up attempting invalid dishes
Men are sociable creatures, and If John
Is taking any solid food at all 1 dine and
lunch and tea and breakfast with him. IF
eat with him he doesn't feel as II he
were being dieted, and, to tell you the
truth barring few really injurious things