The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-10-04
A REASON FOR
INCOMPATlBILITY
tOriginal.l

The lighthouse keeper had shown q
visitor over the premises. and the latter,
instead of departing after seeing all
there was to be seen. sat down on 4
bench and began to ask questions.
do you lighthouse keepers get lone
ly?"
II don't"
"How about your wife,"
81 never hear her complain"
"Then you're contented and happy"
The keeper turned and looked out to
sea- without reply for some time, then,
turning again, said:
Were both miserable"
The stranger changed position, the
movement and his manner indicating
that he had a purpose in view and had
struck itsNrail.
"Wife pine for company?' he asked.
81 don't think so; she says not
"Then what's the matter?"
"I'll tell you. Dolly Markham was as
see in the village where l married
her.
shes pretty as a peach now" inter.
rupted the visitor
I'VE loved each other just naturally
fell right into it as soon as we met. l
didn't have any trouble to get her and
she didn't have any trouble to get me.
We We're married and came to live in
the little house just up on the hill.
had told her that there was dearth
Of neighbors here and she'd have to be
satisfied with me. She said l was all
she wanted, and when she came was
delighted with the house, which is very
coy and comfortable. | was looking
forward to happy life here by the
sea. which l have always loved.
81 don't know how it was, but we
hadn't been here month before she
began to say sharp things to me, she
who had been q model of amiability,
and 1, who had always prded myself
on being able to keep my temper, sur
prised myself by giving it back to her
Within half an hour after saying dis
agreeable words to each other we'd
both be sorry and would kiss and
make up. But we kept getting into
new quarrelS, and at last we didn't
take the trouble to make up. We just
let it all go without either of us eX-
| pressing regret and began over again.
| We loved each other just the same
and would have been happy if we
hadn't fallen into Il habit OF quarrel
ing about every little thing that came
up. We tried to stop it, but we
couldn't.
cat the end of six months Dolly went
back to her native town. We had to
separate. We didn't say anything
about Il divorce, but just separated l
pinned so without her that after awhile
got my brother to take my place
here, and l went to see what Dolly
| was doing. I found that she pinned fol-
me as did for her l stayed month
in the town. We both had plenty OF
friends and went about a good dea
with them and spent some time bs
ourselves. In that whole thirty days
/ we didn't speak one sharp word tt
each other l asked her to go back
with me, and she agreed that if we
could pass another month without !;
quarrel she'd do as asked. We pass
ed another month in perfect peace
then we Went back resolved that there
should be no more unhappiness from
inc-ompatability of temper.
I'VE hadn't been back two days be
fore we had u spat. And. having hat
one we had another. Doll stood it a
long as she could, then went bacl
home again. This time it seemed nee
! essary, for the child was coming, an,
1t didn't do for her to be rasped. Afte
the child was born joined them bot
and spent a happy time with them
during which we hadn't, as before,
. single quarrel.
cit seemed that the child ought t
Y keep us from scraps in future, and w
came back. But, you know, a child TO
Y the first three months has q lot of colo
/ and it's mighty trying to the temper
Y so that now there was some eNcus
i for
"That wasn't it," interrupted til
stranger go on
cat any rate, we quarreled more tina
/ ever The little one is now three year
y old, we love her and each other, bu
{ we can't keep our tempers. There bein
Y three of us, we can't separate as he
5 fore; the child keeps us together. w
y don't want to separate; we just wan
4 to keep steady, but we can't. So1-
y times l think there's something in Ill
h sea air to stir people up. Sometime
Y think / am failing or Doll is failin
h under some hidden disease. But Coo
Y tor looked us both over and says we'r
Il all right asked him why we had t
\ fight and he said our physical malleu
i was not harmonious"
\ NONSENSE exclaimed the stranger
whats that you say, sir?"
\ I'm the director Of an insane asy
lum. Insanity comes largely from vic
lating natural laws. Man is a gIegar
n GUS animal. Deprive him OF the con
4 pany of othcrs-various others-and Il
h breaks up. Shut up two people togethc