The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-10-06
TIE EVENING STOR Y
a Brutal Husband.


Mrs. Parmelee. you are the envy
Of all our set in having a. husband
who is the imDersonation of amiabli-
did it ever occur to you, my dear
Mrs. Bingham that too much amta-
bflity may be as disagreeabIe as too
much irritability? by husband is
wearing me out with his perfection of
temper"
you surprise me-
Would that 1 could find way to
make him speak one harsh word
Prod him? Why. I've goaded him.
I've tried"-
your mother?"
Certainly She was with us for
months. Arthur became fond of her
Have you tried a rival %
Yes, L encouraged Ned Sparrow to
make love to me. One morning Arthur
returned suddenly from business for
something he had forgotten at IL
O'Clock in the morning and found Ned
here. I trembled for fear Of having
gone too far. Arthur begged him to
stay all day, saying that 1 was so
lonely
HIM. 1t does seem to be a peculiar
case. L have it. Hire an organ grind
er to stand in front of the house and
grind whenever your husband is at
home
so have. I engaged one to begin
at in the afternoon and keep it up
week. When it ended Arthur hired
him for another. At the end of the
second week I had nervous prOstra-
ton
you poor woman. Such perver-
sity is positively brutal
Men are so provoking"
IT should think so. A man who
won't get angry when his wife really
wants him to must be very hard to
live with. I'd leave him.
70 tn 4
year, and what do you think was the
result? He was delighted. He said
he would take rooms at his club and
be cheerful till I returned. I didn't
''Of course you didn't"
HE would have had a beautiful
time
why don't you try nagging?"
81 never thought of that"
Its infallible. A man who can
stand everything else will at last break
down under a persistent nag. I al
ways use it when my husband stands
in the way of anything I set my heart
on and I never knew it to fail When
the Folwells invited US to dine, Jimmie
vowed he wouldn't go You see, he
hates Alice FolWeH as much as 1 love
her. The invitation came two weeks
before the dinner. [ began to nag
the day after it came and carried my
point in time to accept week before
the entertainment"
How NIGEL I wonder if I could
break down Arthur's good nature in
that way"
TRY it,
Il must go now. Don't give up too
soon. Remember that persistency is a
jewel"
Mrs. Parmelee. I'm so glad to see
you. You naughty woman! Why have
you not returned my call sooner? It's
three months since you've darkened my
doors. What have you been doing with
yourself? You're looking miserable"
It's all Arthur"
You poor, dear thing. 1 remember
now you were telling me when | called
on you how obstinate he was Did you
try the remedy suggested2''
Il did,
wen. sit down and tell me about it."
After you called I began persist
ent course OF nagging. [ objectedSto
everything Arthur wished and STOOD
firm for everything I wished myself. 1
scolded and scolded. keeping it up
from the time we woke in the morning
till we went to sleep at night. Arthur,
you know, is stone deaf in his right ear,
and he was mean enough to lie on MS
left side while I was talking. The re-
suit was that he always went to sleep
in the middle of my most effective nag
How provoking
well, I fancied he was beginning
to give way He did look as if he had
something on his mind, though it
wasn't my nagging. I was disappoint-
ed in that. At any rate, had hopes
that the game would soon be mine
One morning he appeared nervous and
when he went out forgot to kiss me
as usual I watched him from be-
tween the Stats of the shutter and saw
him 90 in an opposite direction from
his office. In half an hour he came
back wild with joy and told me that
he had Just been to the doctors
asked him what for and he said that
for three years-ever since we had
been Inarried-he had had a blood
tumor, or something of the sort. which
had threatened his life. The doctor
had told him that if he permitted
himself to get excited he might die
suddenly, but if he treated the annoy
|ances of life philosOphically and kept
cool after awhile the thing might be
absorbed and he would be as well as
ever
And he kept you in ignorance OF
his danger all the while?"
yes; he said he didn't want to
"A pretty excuse. How has he be-
haved since ?"
like a madman. He broke up the fur
niture and smashed my dresser mir
TOR"
'since then he has been dreadfuily
overbearing.'
How do you like that?"
much better than his abominable
mo THOMAS BARBER JUDsON.
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QUAKER REFLECTIONS.