The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1905-08-18
A Realistic Picture
toriginal.l

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nns had been so shocked, so mortified.
We had Known each other ten years
with nothing more serious between us
than few lovers spats, andlno that
we were united for life we had made
tho discovery that we were incom
patible. l saw IN store for us series
Of Outbursts lasting through lifetime
FASTENED to my friend Merriam--a
singular friend for a man Of twenty
| FIVE, since he was seventy-to pour my
trouble In his ear.
What is it, BillyF he asked sym
patheticany.
I'VE have quarreled," l replied, al
most In tears.
Well" he said with smile, did
you expect to go through life billing
and cooing"
mo, but have always been used
after quarrel with any friend to be
the first to offer my hand and make it
all up would have despised the man
who would refuse to meet me half
way"
The man, yes, but did you always
meet with such response from wo.
MANI
II never had such quarres with
women. was not sufficiently init
mate with any Of them"
'Ah, there's the difference. A man
never becomes as intimate with anoth-
er man as with woman Besides,
woman Is not man. Sit down, light
your pspe, and IN tell you what have
neYer eOrah1ed to any one before.
"My marriage, htse yours, was a love
match. l had had a great many men
friends and one man chum. The night
after our return from our wedding trip
l took up my hat to go out Where
are you gulngr asked my wife. Pm
going round 20 Tom Noyes' for few
minutes just to say How d'you do?'
after my absence And you expect me
to spend the evening here alone on the
Arst night after our return2 If Tom Is
to take you 80 early, what will be the
result after you have begun to get tired
Of meT i didn't suppose marriage
meant giving up my best friend But
what need to give dialogue that led
up to violent quarrel?
1T was very plain to me that If /
had tried to find the most unreasonable
woman In the world could not have
better succeeded. At first after our
Quarrels we made great ado about
making up, but pretty soon we sulked
after the paroxysms, growing less and
less sulky every hour till tranquility
was restored. At times | would apollo
gize for what had done and occasion
ally for what l had not done, but after
awhile l discovered that the best way
was to ignore the causes of our difficult
ties entirely. They were all shocks re-
Sulting from the efforts of two currents
to blend
II did not spring from the grub bach
elor into the butterfly married man.
1t took long while to change me. As
the years went by let go more and
more my bachelor instincts and devel-
oped those of husband and father
A new world was growing into exist
aIize how fully had become part of
1t. and at times cast longing eyes back
to my bachelor independence. But the
day came at last when l looked upon
my bachelorhood as an undeveloped ex-
istence in which the heart had no part |
and my own sweet VIII was the current
in which l drifted aimlessly.
''1hen came children to live and chill
dren to lose. Each child was like Il
tender shoot springing from my heart.
Those who passed from us are as dear
today as those who lived. In the fam
lily. with all its cares. its responsible
ties. its grtefs, we found the only hap
piness that never died.
And now that those of our children
who have lived have left us to form
their own worlds we are alone to-
getheT, as we were when the current |
Of our lives first met and mingled. |
Do you suppose we never quarrel? If |
you do, you are mistaken But we
know that our quarrels are part of |
our imperfect natures, and we accept |
them as we accept our other Ills. Thus
we do not magnify the evil they do, |
which is In itself insignificant"
PRANK" called sharp, querulous
voice from another room, ARE you go
ing TO talk all dayY
what do you want, dear2"
you know very well that l have
been wanting to speak to you about
something Of Importance for half an
hour"
"I'il be with you In a moment. Don't
get into q stew about nothing"
/ pressed the old mans hand and
withdrew. 1t seemed to me that in his
brief story and the bit of sequel con-
tanned In the few words had heard
be had given me picture OF what my
life would likely be. The PomAnces l
had read of tho happy period Of young
love, the beautiful drifting together of
two souls, q gradual decline without
chatting, all seemed to me to be lncom
patible with our imperfect natures.
Beautiful examples there doubtless are.
but when consciousness Of my own
doomed up before me
had no hope that mine would be one
OF them. Going home, l found my
newly welded wife and said to her:
Lucy, have Just been talking with
my old friend Mr. Merriam, and he
has said things that expect are true"
What did he sayY'
HE said that must gradually get
over my bachelor habits. must be-
gin to live far different life"
II should think So"
And he says that you and must
expect occasionally to have little tiff.