The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-03
A Maffsr of
Merlin oy1Y
ATELY I have been rondering 8

ATELY nave been POnder1ng 8
curious. very serious problem
Te begin. have returned from .
short stay in the country. One family
in whose home I spent SOME time has
charming house. 1 really couEdn'e
wish my heaven to be more beautiful
than that place is. There is actually .
clear view all around of the glorious
dome of the sky, shining blue and
white. 1t was year since I had seen
the sky all around free and unobstruct-
ed when 1 beheld it there. Trees, lofty
and waving, shimmering in many shades
of radiant green, are there. Lawns Of
emerald grass more beautiful in theiP
smoothness than any velvet sheen
stretch far as eye can see. Clumps o8
flowers meet the eye. Laden fruit trees
and a vegetable garden are in the
grounds at the rear. There is Ear
riage house. too. and in it are stylish
vehicle and a handsome, gentle horse
that can go like the wind They even
possess chickens, this fortunate fam
ily-shining, red combed White Leg
horns.
The house is furnished with every
comfort and shows artistic fitness from
the table china to the Turkish rugs.
There are no money troubles to disturb
the husband and wife, and nobody has
| to strain the soul out of Kim and toll
slavelike to maintain this comfort and
prettiness. Moreover the fan1ily's
health is above the average. And they
have no poor relatives. How happy
that husband and wife ought to be-.
| Yes, but they are not do not Enow
why. ] have been wondering why ever
since / was there. They are both
| agreeable. we'll bred, exceptionally in
telligent persons. The man is student
of sciences. Get him by himself, and
he will talk by the hour most etrter-
| tainingly of places he has visited. OF
| the marvels of nature he has delved
| into. He is suave and chivalrous tie the
point of gallantry to every womaIs ex-
cept his own wife.
The lady is warm hearted, sweet tenn
! pered, sincese and hospitab1e, pr feet
hostess and -housekeeper. W llingiy put
ting herself out to any extent foF the
comfort of other people-ak excepf her
own husband
Each would consider it the u1par-
| donable sin to contradict, interrupt in
conversation or be rude to other per-
| sons-all except just each other. In
| each others presence a veritable evil
spirit seems to enter in ana thrust out
of the soul of each all fornearance, all
good temper, even common good man
ners. She is quick and nervous. apt to
| lessly. He is phlegmatic and slow, with
a tongue from which cold venom seems
to drop when he holds his wife Up to
ridicule before folk, which he is fond Of
doing.
When the husband feels welB ac-
quainted with an individual he enter
tains that person with sly, cruel 4digs
at his wife, mayhap telling how she
! followed him up when she. was al girl
| and would marry him in spite of hirn-
| self. One thing he is sure to say, aid it
| is that his wife takes to herself alz the
credit for the beautifully kept house
and grounds, whereas I'M reality he
himself. and no other is: ''it' about
| there. He takes pains to leave OF the
! visitors mind the distinct impress sion
that he is the tortured victim of 1ag-
ging wife. He also seeks to give the
| impression that he is a silent, uneom-
planning victim, but this plan hardly
works.
With the wife there are no sly ianu-
endoes, nor is there any attempt at pos
ing as the silent accomplishing fnar-
| tyr. She talks right out in meeting
of the husbands shortcomings, Of the
evaporation his presence is to her, of
his deliberate, cold blooded intention to
make it so.
1t is plain they detest each other.
! They claw and snarl at each other
whenever they are together: they Of
fend every instinct of kindness and
good will; they violate the rules of
common courtesy, these two who are
perfect in their behavior toward every
one else. Why is it?
JANE MOSES.