Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-04-17

. On the day of the wedding the bride
did not speak from the moment of her
kissed the family all round. but spoke
never word. All agreed that her 81
lence added solemn charm to the
most impressive occasion in wOman's
life.
Mr.. and Mrs. Alec Hicks started i'm
mediatey after a wedding breakfast
(at which the bride. sat mute) on their
wedding journey. A IS 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. Ills
wife listened, but spoke not. Then he
directed her attention to passing OBJ
jects. There was happy, dreamy
look OH her face, but she uttered no
word. They dined in a 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
took an hour. When he returned she
received him with lowering brow.
"How long," he asked her coldly, sis
this beautiful Korean custom to be
kept up?"
She made no reply, but inwardly re-
solved that it should ,he kept up until
he learned not to leavtt-er for whole
hour OH the evening Of their marriage
for a nasty cigar.
Meanwhile there was much talk
among the women left behind in COM
mendation of the custom introduced at
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 would get
all he wanted of woman's silence.
Many young girls said that they would
adopt it ut their own wedding. A few
feminine gabblers dissented, consider
ing it 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
occasion to sheer at their wives under
cover Of this Korean custom. Great
interest centered In how long the ST.
lence of Mrs. Hicks was to endure.
The sneering husbands declared that
the second hand to watch would not
divide time delicately enough to meas.
ure her silence after the first sign Of
independence OH the part Of her hus-
band. Other cynical men said the
whole affair was paradoxical, for in
stead Of wife muzzling 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 it 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
ter?" cried the mother as her daughter
fell on her neck weeping.
"He's BRUTE"
"What has he done?'
I'VE hadn't been gone half 4 day be.
fore he ceased to say word to me-"
"But you didn't say word to him.
did you:"
NO.
'Is this all the complaint you have
to make of him?"
eyes"
"Foolish child! You have a model
husband. Would that your father were
tuch man! He could never have kept
silence for single day-no, not for
twelve hours! Alec must he wonder.
Think of possessing 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 middle aged
man. He is deaf in one ear. He says
he finds it 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 we'll ear, and
he doesn't hear her.