The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-06-28
A REASON FOR
IOriginal. I

tnere was TO De seen, sat down on 81
bench and began to ask questions.
do you lighthouse keepers get lone
""
II don't"
"How about'your wife?"
II 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:
"We're both miserable"
The stranger changed position, the
movement and his manner indicating.
that he had a purpose in view and had
struck it's trail.
"Wife pine for company?' he asked
Il don't think 20; she says not"
"Then what's the matter?"
"Ill tell you. Dolly Markham was as
pretty and as nice a girl as V er you'd
see in the village where I married
her,
"She's pretty as a peach now" inter.
rupted the visitor.
1--WE loved each other just naturally
fell right into it as soon as we met. |
didnt have any trouble to get her and
she didn't have any trouble to get me
We were married and came to live il
the little house just up on the hill. |
had old her that there was a deartb
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. l was looking
forward to a happy life here by the
sea, which l have always loved.
II don't know how it was. but we
hadn't been here a month before she
began to say sharp things to me. she
who had been a model of amiability.
and l, who had always prided 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 jus,
let 1t 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 a habit of quarrel.
Ing about every little thing that came
up. We tried to stop 1t, but we
couldn't.
AT the end Of six months Dolly went
back to her native town. We had to
separate. We didn't say anything
about a divorce, but just separated. !
pinned SO without her that after awhile
I got my brother to take my place
here, and l went to see what Dolly
vas doing. l found that she pinned for
me as l did for her. l stayed a month
In the town. We both had plenty OF
friends and went about a good deal
with them and spent some time by
ourselves. In that whole thirty days
WI didn't speak n sharp word to
each other. I asked her to 60 back
with me, and she agreed that If we
quarrel she'd do as l asked. We pass.
ed another month in perfect peace,
then we went back resolved that there
should be no more unhappiness from
incmpatability of temper.
I'VE hadn't been back two days be-
fore we had a spat. And, having had
one, we had another. Doll stood it as
long as she could. her went back
home again. This time 1t seemed nec-
essary, for the child was coming, and
It didn't do for her to be rasped. After
the, child was born l Joined them both
and spent a happy time with them,
during which we hadn't, as before, q
single quarrel.
ut seemed that the child ought to
keep is from scraps in future. and we
came back. But, you know, a child for
| the first three months has a lot of collie
and it's mighty trying to the temper.
20 that now there was some excuse
for
THAT wasn't it." interrupted the
stranger. go on"
"At any rate, We %quarreled more than
over. The little n is now three years
| old, we love her and each other, but
we can't keep our tempers. There being
three OF us, we can't separate as be-
fore; the child keeps us together. We
don't wan, to separate; we just want
to keep steady, but we can't. Some
times l think there's something in the
sea air to stir people up. Sometimes
I think l am failing or Doll is failing
under some hidden disease. But a doc
tor looked us both over and says we're
al right. l asked him why we had to
light and he said our physical makeup
was not harmonious"
"Nonsense!' exclaimed the stranger.
"What's that you say, sir?"
"I'm the director Of IN insane asy-
ium. Insanity comes largely from VIC
lating natural laws. Man Is a gregari.
Gus animal. Deprive him of the con.
pany Of others-various others-and he
breaks up. Shut up two people together
TO pass through the same scenes day
after day. month after month. and they
will have to quarrel; they can't help
=. That Is my theory and I'm testing
It. Thus far I've proved It in every
case"
Arising. the visitor shook the hand OF