Daily Arizona silver belt., 1908-04-08
Their Wedding Silence.
Goriginal.l


Singular custom. isn't it? How would
you like to adopt it when we are mar
ried?"
! Her father and mother were sitting
near. the father reading his paper the
mother sewing. The latter Said THAT
reminds me of the Eight we became
engaged. Do you remember l made
YOU wait a long while for your sn.
swer? kept you whole hour with
out giving you word"
Happy day" observed the husband
dryly and without lowering his paper.
A smile passed over his wife's face,
and tender light shone In her daugh.
| picious glance at his prospective fa-
| ther-in-law.
! Nothing would do for Mabel but to
Introduce the Korean custom ut her
! wedding. On account of the recent
death of an aunt who had made her
life miserable, but had left her $4,000,
the ceremony was to include only the
family. Alec protested against the IL.
PRODUCTION of custom taken from O
degenerate eastern race. but Mr.. Bur,
nets remark, Happy dayw had fas-
tened the idea upon Mabel, and RI
could not be removed.
On the day of the wedding the birds
did not speak from the moment of her
awakening. After the ceremony she
kissed the family all round. but spoke
never word. All agreed that her 81.
lence added solemn charm to the
most impressive occasion in a woman's
life.
Mr.. and Mrs. Alec Hicks started i'm.
mediately after a wedding breakfast
lat which the bride sat mute) on their
wedding journey. AS they rolled along
in a parlor coach the young husband
remarked upon the presents they had
received, the interest taken in their
marriage, the concourse of people who
would gladly have been present had
not the ceremony been private. His
wife listened, but spoke not Then he
directed her attention to passing OBJ
jects. There was happy, dreamy
look on her face, but she uttered no
word. They dined In buffet car; but
though there was bottle OF wine. her
tongue was not loosed. After dinner
Alec surprised her by telling her that
he was going into the smoking room
for an after dinner cigar Half an
hour was enough for the cigar, but he
touk an hour. When he returned she
received him with lowering brow.
How long" he asked her coldly, "is
this beautiful Korean custom to be
kept up?"
She made no reply. but inwardly re-
solved that it should be kept up until
he learned not to leave her for a whore
hour on the evening OF their marriage
for "a nasty cigar.
Meanwhile there was much talk
among the women left behind in ecm-
mendatiun of the custom introduced ct
the Hicks wedding. One elderly spin
ster Of practical views declared that
since men were forever commenting
on women not being able TO hold their
tongues perhaps one man woubl get
all he wanted of woman's silence. /
Many young girls said that they would !
adopt It at their own wedding. A few
feminine gabblers dissented, con slider |
ing 1t q shame that man might say
what he pleased to his wife without
retort. No such silence for them The /
matter brought about number of mar
ital differences where husbands took 4
occasion 10 sneer at their wives under 4
cover of this Korean custom. Great 4
interest certered In how long the ST. |
lence of Mrs Hicks was to endure |
The sneering husbands declared that !
the second hand to watch would MT /
divide time delicately enough to meGs
ure her silence after the first sign o. !
independence on the part of her hus- |
band. Other cynical men said the |
whole affair was paradoxical, for in-
stead of wife muz=ling herself her
first act after marriage was to muZzle
her husband. One woman forgot her
SELF so far as TO remark. How can she
get him under but checked herself.
The wedding trip was to cover the
honeymoon. but its lasted only three
days, when the bride and groom re-
turned, and, instead of going to the
house that had been prepared for
them, the bride went to her mother
and the groom to bachelor quarters.
For heavens sake, what's the mat
teri" cried the mother as her daughter
fell on her neck weeping.
Hes brute"
What has he doneF'
I'VE hadn't been gone half day be-
fore he ceased to say a word TO me-"
But you didn't say word to him.
did you"
mo"
as this all the complaint you have
to make Of him."
yes"
"Foollsh child! You have q model
husband. Would that your father were
such man! He could never have kept
silence for a single day-no, not for
twelve hours! Alec must be wonder.
Think of possessing a husband who Is
able to hold his tongue indefinitely and
let his wife do all the talking!"
The good lady sent for her son-in-
law at once. and the quarrel was made
up. Alec Hicks Is now a middle aged
man. He is deaf in one ear. He says
be finds /, very convenient. When his
wife talks to him, as she frequently
does while he is in bed and she is do
Ing her hair for the night he turns
over on the side Of his well ear, and
be doesn't hear her.
ALEXANDER ELY.