The Washington times., 1903-07-05

matter what little vexations had tor
mented the day. you would put them
away. You would not dream of worry
ing him with all the details of the
cooks failures and the children's bad
ness, and still less would you vent on
him the temper and crossness and
spleen that you had been accommodating
on account of your dressmaker falling
you and the cat breaking your best vase.
On the contrary. observing that he look
ed tired and worn you would exert your
self TO entertain him. You would tell
him all the funny stories you had heard.
you would give a sketch OF your latest
club meeting that would make him laugh,
and you would retail TO him ali the
CHEEKY personal gossip you know Of your
intimate friends.
Perhaps the man is fond OF talking
himself. You would ask him q deft
question or two to get him st l-ted on
his hobby. and you would listen with ap-
parently rapt attention while ne ex-
plalned the situation. in Manchuria, OF
prophesied about what the Democratic
party was going to do. and If b. told
some stories. no matter If you had
heard them from your infancy up, you
would laugh at the right spot II you had
TO take laughing gas to do 1t.
But how are you going to treat your
own husband? II you feel like dress
ing, Won will do II, but not for him.
Oh. dear. no. Any old rag is good enough
for your husband Also anv sort OF a
dinner. and II he don't like what is set
before him. he can lump il. that's all.
Men-at least husbands-thlnk too much
about ea.ing. anyway. Whom he comes
in you won't raise your head to more
than grunt out. That you. John? Be
sure TO latch the door. you'll let the cat
out. Then you commence the jere-
miad of the day about how the coal is
out, and the cook says she's got to have
more wages. and the baby bumped its
head, and the meat didn't come. and the
plumbing is out of order, and saIlie' S
got to have new shoes, and Bobby is
threatened with the measles. and Tom
is so bad he needs a whipping. and good
ness knows what makes a woman get
married. anyway!
And If poor John survives this deIuge
of woes. and heroically tries to tell a
story. you break right into the best part
of ii with some perfectly irrelevant re-
mark that shows you haven't listened to
word Of it. And poor John. thinking
Of the charming way you treat perfect
strangers. must wish with all his heart
and soul that he was a casual guest in
stead of fixture in your house.
Worse than all, and the rock on which
the matrimonial ship is oftenest wreck
ed, is the fatal mistake women make in
supposing that marriage gives people a
right to speak the truth to each other.
No woman IS dull enough to fall into
that error in regard TO other men. No
daughter of Eve was ever so stupid as
TO even dream Of pointing out his faults
to a stranger. Imagine a woman telling
Mr. Brown to his face that his taste is
atrocious. OF Mr.. Smith that his long
winded stories are a bore, or Mr.. Jones
that he is a pretentious prig. or Mr..
Cray that his vanity makes him laugh
ingstock Why, a jury OF her peers
would convict such woman of insanity
on the spot, but plenty Of women have
the nerve to say such things to their
husbands. and then wonder that love
pans out. If women would only use
half the compliments in holding a hus-
band that they use in getting him. we
should hear very little of recreant