Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-01-15
A fearful Young Wife instructed In the
Gentle Art.

4 Wv 'N~' NA'AF1NANiS
81 often feel perfectly queer and in
explicible myself. and yet we are no
half so unreasonable. and, yes. cross
grained as men," snapped Mrs. Dhoma
Honeymoon, who was haf-enviousl!
observing Mrs. Bliss's industry from
the depths of her rocking chair.
Now what makes you say that? p
innocently inquired the lady on the
floor, trying to colonize bunch of rec
velvet roses on an old green felt shape
and seize the effect by means of a hand
mirror.
Lots of things" assured the caller
Before | married, you know, / cher
ished pretty high ideals about the mas
culine nature. l thought men so vastly
superior to details, so big-minded,
meyer put out of temper by little
things leaving trities to women and so
on"
"Well2' came a gentle interroga-
tion from the amateur milliner.
''Well," answered the bride, with a
distinctly fearful quaver in the laugh.
1--WE lived to learn that a man can
be petty enough to disturb a house
hold, to lose self-control. to wound ir-
reparably the feelings of those nearest
and dearest to him, simply because
his pyjamas were hung two nights in
succession in a different place"
Here Mrs. Bliss very suddenly began
to laugh laugh Of such relish and
vigor that the green felt and the red
roses hastily slid over her nose to the
floor and momentarily obscured sight
of the bride, who, without more ado,
dissolved into hearty sobs that any less
sympathetic woman than Mrs. Bliss
would have failed to understand; but
Mrs. Bliss did understand, and. scram-
bling over to the rocking chair full of
misery, she took the weener in her
arms. administering apologies, kisses,
pats and hugs and an explanation that
won the offended visitors interest and
attention.
Il was not laughing at you insisted
Mrs. Bliss, with an honest countenance
and yet twinkle in one blue eye, "but
if you will forgive me, at recollection
your remark about the pyjamas called
up a FUNNY recollection of my own
rbridehood and some of its difficulties.
Why, my dear woman. when | married
/ did Just what SO out of every 100
normal women do: l sought to reform
my husband of his one and only fault
-untidiness.
"You know, of course. that all wom-
en- are more or less born foreign mis-
sionaries, blessed with special talent
for leading others back to the path of
rectitude, and l couldn't bear to dis
cover flaw on Johns ideal character.
But, CHI hCw discreet / was. No one,
not even my dear mother. should know
how John hung his expensive neckties
on the gas fixtures; put his sponge just
where it would drip on the mahogany
washstand; decorated his pretty dress
ing table cover on which had eXpend'
ed my finest skill as a needlewoman
with hideous damp shaving tools; kept
his top chiffonier drawers in a perfect
pie and hung his night clothes on the
back of his dressing room door, just ex
actly where any one coming up the
stairs would see them waving wildly in
the breeze.
mo, indeed, it was an ugly situation
but hugged my secret, making up my
mind that with tact and sweetness |
could wean him from his unfortunate
habits. First, / determined to arouse
all his pride and interest in beauty by
doing UP his dressing room in the dain-
tiest style with frilled muslin curtains
and flowery chintz. and then one by
one, in silent, gentle object lessons,
prove to him how easily his things
could be tidily kept.
81 worked the whole scheme as a de-
lightful surprise. In one day, while he
was away at his office, transformed
that little dressing room into bower.
hung a lovely little cabinet against
the wall and put the ugly shaving
things in it. l went through the chif-
fonier drawers, placed the clothes in
neat piles and put the neckties, gloves
and little things in a wonderful series
of lacquer boxes that only opened when
you touched certain flower on the lid
! put all his shoes in a window seat,
draped in ehintz that did not look in
the least like stupid, clumsy shoe
box hung his nightdress on hook in
the closet. and when had finished,
from the appearance of that room, you
could easily have guessed it to be q
young girls bower.
my lahOrs were ju-t over when
man on horse dashed uO with the
news that mamma ,Uas III and turantad