Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-04-30
A WIFE TO ORDER.
TrfbuIations of "A Man Who Tried to
Raise One.


Raise One.
To most men-and most women, too
--matrimony comes rather suddenly.
They meet. and presto! After that they
gradually accustom themselves to each
others eccentrlcities.
Not so with Thomas Day. the author
of that schoolboy classic, "Sandford
and Merton" Day had ideas Of his
own, says John Fyvie in his volume OF
Literary Eccentrities," and proposed
to have a wife to suit him. He was de-
termined that she must be simply
neat, with none of the deceitful glare
of a town nynph, but with a healthy
bloom on her cheeks, and lustrous eyes,
which spoke the genuine feelings of her
soul"
She must be needless of the praise or
blame of all mankind, save only her
husband. She must despise dress and
fashion, and must come with him to
live in simplicity and retirement, where
nothing should be sacrificed to fashion
or vanity. She must have taste for
literature and science, for moral and
patriotic philosophy, be fearless and
intrepid as Spartan wives or Roman
heroines, and simple as mountain girl
in dress, diet and manners.
Failing to find all these charms in
general circulation, Day determined to
have a wife made to order to his own
plan. Accordingly he adopted two little
orphan girls from asylums, and had
them bound out to one of his friends
who was married. He gave bond him
self to have one placed with some good
trade-woman and to marry the other:
OF if he did not marry her, then to
give her an ample dowry and see her
well married. And the matter thus
arranged he set about educating Luz
cretia and Sabrlna to develop a woman
with the necessary virtues.
Unfortunately like all other little
girls, Sabrina and Lucretia were very
feminine. They did not take kindly TO
the simple diet and the plain clothes,
and philosophy did not appeal to them
In any way. Lucretia proved hopeless
" stupid, and was soon apprenticed to
a milliner and on Sabrlna, the selected
one, was conferred the whole force of
the education.
Days methods, however, did not
seem to be entirely suited to the needs
of the case. To make her Spartan he
dropped melted sealing wax on her
arms, and was much panied when she
did not endure it heroically." When
he fred pistols at her petticoats she
could not refrain from screaming or
Jumping aside-which in Days eyes
was a sign of fatal weakness. She was
general favorlte in the neighborhood,
jolly little red-headed girl, who loved
1nery, and wore t-when Day was alb
sent-and who could not keep the Sc
.rets Day told her.
He persisted for year, but at last
gave up the task as too great for one
nan, and cast about for a ready-made
wife. The one whom he selected seem
ed, however, no more amenable than
Eabrina to his schemes She insisted
that he must shape himself to her no.
tons; and he was forced, to win her.
to go to Paris and spend eight hours a
lay learning fencing, dancing and
craftsmanship, and to spend other hours
IN a stocks, to straighten his legs.
The legs would not straighten. and
when he came home in his new finery
and danced for her, the young woman
would have none Of the made-over
Day, and he was compelled to return
again to a futile courtshiD of sabrina.
Youths Companion.