The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-12-13

An An1iable Man.
lOrignaLI

lJrIg2lai-l
When l married Beatrice / BATTERED
myself l was getting an amiable wo-
man All her friends said that she WIS
very lovely, especially those of her own
sex, which counted great deal with
me, for women have the same Of be-
ing able to detect each Others faults.
At the wedding I was met rs Que uni
versal remark. You've married an an
gel"
After several years of married life
have come to the conclusion that men
are as good if not better judges Of
| women than women are Of each other
have discovered my wife's good
traits, but cannot say that amiability
| is one Of them.
We had scarcely got to housekeeping
when I noticed that Beatrice was die
| posed to circumscribe me by a number
of petty rules. For instance, she both
cred me as to the place Of deposit for
burnt matches. l had been used to
throw them where I happened TO be at
the time. had thrown my cigar ashes
on the floor. Beatrice insisted on their
being put into receivers. Waste paper
was also a source of trouble. If II
tore up letter and did not throw the |
fragments into a basket. Beatrice. |
though she said not a word Of re- |
proach, would pick them up. This ir-
ritated me, because 1 considered it a |
reprOof. 1t seemed to me that an
amiable woman with tact would have /
left them to be removed by the maid.
If she asked me to bring home a pound
Of coffee and l, having weightier things
to think Of, forgot to do so she would
say, Never mind, dear" but would
slip out and buy 1t herself. Naturally
would feel offended, for l considered
her doing so a reflection on my neglect.
l asked her once why she didn't send
the maid, and she replied that the maid
was otherwise engaged.
l will admit that Beatrice seldom
asked me to do things for her, but
this only rendered me more liable to
forget them when she did. l did not
become habituated to the work. Final
" l noticed that she never called on
me to execute commissions for her, and :
when pressed her to tell me why she /,
said that my mind was, as it ought to
be, on my business and that this rem
dered me unfit for trifes. Her expla-
nation nettled me, for | am not in
business. We are living on our in
come Of 1880 a year | have been
long looking for position, but there
Is just enough for me to do in home
matters to prevent my taking on any
Bile other work.
My wife finally showed plainly that
she was not the angel her friends pro-
bounced her after a little matter Of
.orgetfulness on my part which
brought serious results, though any
'ne is liable to forget a trife and
should not be blamed simply because
he consequences happen to be unfor-
innate. She had an aunt, an old lady
without children, to whom she was
sincerely attached and who was much
Lttached to her. The aunt did not live
n the same town with us, and my wife
wrote her regularly. If | forgot to
'ost letter my wife had committed !
0 me and l discovered the fact later, r
ny wife would insist on going out even
t midnight to post it. OF course /
let her do so; consequently.
10 matter how tired l was, l must I
walk half a dozen blocks TO the post I
flee. This naturally ruftled me. 4
Well, one day Beatrice received word I
hat her aunt was i'll, and l was Of
curse charged with a letter to post at 4
nee. 1t contained an offer from Bea-
rice to go to nurse her aunt. Several
avs passed, and no reply came. Bea-
ice wrote again. Several more days
assed, and still not a word came from
er aunt. Beatrice made up her mind
go at once herself to learn what
as the trouble when she received a
.legram announcing her aunts death.
We went to the funeral and learned
lat Beatrices letters had both mis-. =
'rried Her aunt, who looked for
er by every train, was at first much
lrt and finally turned against her IL
cry bitterly for her seeming neglect
eatrice was more troubled than l had =.
'er seen her. She asked me if l was
Ire had posted her letters, and when r. r.
told her that to the best of my re. ~
1 surely had she said moth es
g and hid her discontinue as best vo
e could -
After the funeral the old lady's will
as opened. 1t had been made on the
y Of her death to replace one that
ID been standing for years. Her LII,
oney, some $4,000, she left to char
=. BY the previous will she had left III
all to Beatrice.
Beatrice said nothing to me, but it Is
IS plain that she was greatly disap-
inted After we reached home / :
ard her rumaging upstairs and pres ere
thy she came down holding out to
the two letters she had given me Wn
mail wv
Stupid" she exclaimed angrfly.
gu are only fitted to drag a donkey
t."
instead of fiaring up and giving her K
bitter retort her words merited I disc
lpIy replied: r..
My dear, l would have sworn that 81
osted both of them Where did Won =
them" "
In your coat pocket" "a
ow, the reader can judge by my :
e's insulting charge and my soft ri
wer which of US has the amiable WI
position. ~
nd still her friends regard her the =
ell Of the family. When they init c ,,L
e. as solce Of them who don't fancy a ene
sometimes do intimate, that she is Tsss
lovely for n man as tba,- ov,race L.