Arizona republican., 1909-06-17

John Gordon. her husband. had become intensely practical It had been Jack in those days when the blood burned and the heart was prodgal with vows and protestatons; but that time long past, and the erstwhie dashing Jack had developed into the stout somewhat prosaic entirely unromanc JOlr a man emincntly unsuited to play Romeo to Ediths Juliet
 Edith herself had not stood still the advancing years While, of course, the freshness of youth longer shone her face the classic features about which Jack had been wont to rave but which |" John viewed with such complacency had been left unravaged by the course of time The gloss and sheen were gone from the abundant chestnut hair that waved above her sweet low brow but the soft light of the somewhat premature gray of advancing years provided substitute scarcely less charming.
 Her figure too was not quite what it had been The fulness of rpe-Edith thought sometimes with dismay that it was arpening- development of womanhood had overwhelmed the slender curves of girlhood but the result was still satisfactory, especially when aided by those mysterious devices by which feminine humanity successfully conceals the overlooking tendency of aging flesh No greater insult could have been offered Edith Gordon than to have said that she getting fat" No one in the house said it. either although iH-natured people outside sometimes did refrain from such ~sander and evil speaking but Ediths heart was as young as fresh, as verdant her mind as imaginative, as subty apprehensive of the mysterious the beautiful the heroic as it had been when she was girl
 In that sort of development she had stood still It was never-endng source of grief to her that John-she hated that name and never called him that except in public; in private often Jack darl something else equally afTeconate-that John changed, so unresponsive so unromantc Why he had actually de cared that he would rater be comfortable his clothes than look well in them any day of the year! That he didn't really care enough about growing stout to diet himself! That nothing on earth would induce him to never SC happy as in shabby old dressing gown and dreputabe pair of his Slippers, by his freside, with Edith more beautiful than ever he averred-and with truth too-n his eye opposite him, and the chil dren of this singular pair, six in number, clustered around them.
 But after all, John was good sort of He the best of husbands and absurdy devoted to Edith in his own quiet way He really never left her if he could help it. When he went away from the city business he always took her with him He delighted to see her beautifully dressed and while he sometimes mocked, he inwardy approved of all her efforts to maintain and tain the charms which had him to her affections many years before But he wasn't demonstratve No contingencies that could arise would prevent him from eating his dinner Edith was furously jealous times of the children, who moiled and toied about him and over him. and to whom he frequently addressed those pet names and endearng terms which she had once thought were her peculiar property
 But she never had the slightest chance to be jealous of anyone else She sometimes wished that he would give her an opportunity rise out of the placid humdrum consciousness of his steady affection and in more da
 ing flights of imagination she frequently wished that in some way without doing anything wrong comproms- ing herself in any way she could make John ragingy jealous, see him lose meal or and get thin.
 But nothing happened She often thought with a sigh that all the romance of her life past there nothing before her but live in this contented peace ful uneventful way unt; the end If Edith had had wider experience of fcand husbands-she would have known that she was blessed almost above all
 John honestly tried times to rise to the measure of her requirements He never consciously forgot an niyeEsary There more anniversaries in Edithi