The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1906-01-12

Every man." resumed, ''has a
Bluebeards closet--a holy of holies,
whether he keeps scalps and corpses
or only old dance programs, old
dreams, and dead ambitions, in ! it.
II is his inner temple of regret, re-
pentance and disappointment, the
store closet of his past sins and fail
ures, which he wishes to keep closed
and hidden-even from his wife"
But wife never can understand"
tegan Polly.
"Well, why should she understand"
1 broke in. "A man doesn't want to
be understood. That is a purely fem
mine longing. The man who fancies
himself entirely understood is AS un-
shanpyeas The woman who believes that
she is misunderstood. Every self-re-
specting masculine creature likes to
feel that there is little element OF
thercomplex, the incomprehenslble, the
mysterious about him. No man can
appreciate "a woman's longing to pry
into the secret chambers of his soul
or forgive her for wanting to know
things which she shouldn't / append
&c significantly.
Polly arranged herself Turk fashion
on the floor and looked at me medi-
-4atively with her chin resting in her
hand.
But suppose" she said dreamily,
Hthat the best part of the man should
be locked in that holy of holies?"
"The best part of a rose," / replied
gently pulling at my pipe, lis the
perfume; but you do not have to dis
sect the flower in order to enjoy it.
You do not have to read the recipe
look inGorder to relish the pudding;
and you do not have to know whether
a woman's complexion comes in box
or-oraa, bott1e-in order to admire it.
Besides" | added, when Bluebeards
closet does contain scalps and corpses
and other gruesome objects-which it
often does"
"He should open it on the wedding
day." cried Polly, waving my check
book triumphantly, "and-and air it,
'And send poor Fatima flying home
to her mother?" inquired sarcastical-
ly, "tnat would be eminently fool
ish."
"Orf else" added Polly,"hhe should
be,wise and clever and careful enough
never to let her know of the existence
of that closet. A woman doesn't real
ly mind not knowing things if--if she
never finds them out. But when a
secret is thrust ostentatiously under
her nose, it is like locked closet or
a closed drawer or telegram. She
simply has to open it! If Rluebeard
had never warned Fatima away from
the secret chamber, she probably
would never have thought of. looking
in it,"4and Polly turned to her work
of destruction once more with re-
Eewed energy, that sent the papers fly
ing in every direction.
81 don't believe ] IT," l objected.
trouble, which usually occurs at the
end of the honeymoon. And the wo-
man who goes hunting for trouble can
always find it, whether it exists or not.
The trouble hunt isn't real sport. The
game is too easily bagged. And nine
times out of ten when atwonan has
found out what she wanted to know,
she is sorry. She would very much
rather believe her husband what she
cnce believed him"
'.She can forget" said Polly with
conviction.
mo, she can't. She may think she
can; but the bloodstains would not
wash off Fatima's. key, and the stains
of suspicion once confirmed will for
ever taint a womans mind and color
her opinion and soil her love. Now"
and l glanced insinuatingly toward
my desk, "if you had happened to open
that secret drawer, for instance"
Polly's eyes twinkled strangely.
81 should have dispelled the mys-
terry" she suggested.
"And destroyed the perfume of the
flower" | agreed, pulling comfortably
at my pipe.
"And seen the gruesome scalps and
corpses."
"And desecrated the holy of holes."
"And found this!" cried Polly, hold
ing up a filagree box.
l caught my breath SO suddenly
that the smoke from my pipe choked
me. The box7was from nay secret
drawer!
"Where-how-4did- did-.you--get-it!"
gasped, clutching at my pocket and
drawing out my key ring.
'Pooh!" laughed Polly, seornfully,
what woman ever needed a key
when she possessed hairpin!'
/ closed my teeth unsmiling.y. At
last l knew how Bluebeard had felt:
had to pull on my pipe several times
beforn 7 coIld seq o11itp r1parlV. When