The wageworker., 1910-04-15
The Husband
Explains

She threw the letter on the table
and looked over at her husband.
That's Just like a woman" she said.
Anybody would suppose that l had
been trying to do her a mean trick
from the tone of her letter. and
thought l was doing her favor"
He went right on reading the news
paper. devoting the rest of his atten-
tion to his coffee.
Don't take enough interest in my
affairs to read the letter, suppose"
she went on. getting dangerously near
the teary stage. We'll. you needn't.
then"
''You Just tell me what's in it. dear"
he said. THAT will be sufficient"
She seemed notified and picked up
the rejected letter.
II can tell you what's in It," she
went on. tits just in answer to what
l wrote her about the fat You know
Jenny Smith told me that she would
always like to take this fat OF our
hands If we were tired of it; that she
had never seen a fiat anywhere SO
good; that she would regard it as
great favor If we did let her know and
that she wanted just such an apart
ment.
Il did that and now she writes back
that she is very appreciative of my
offer. but that under the circumstances
she thinks she will not be able to take
1t off our hands, much as she would
like to be of service to u.s. She writes
as If / had implored her to rent 1t
as great favor to me.
That's Just the way with people
when you ask them to do what they
have said they are very anxious to do
once they get the idea that they are
doing you favor. It's just the same
thing that happened when asked the
Joneses If they wanted my cook
Every time they came to the house
last winter they used to rave over
Emily. They would be so happy IL
only they could get such cook. they
said. Yet when / wrote to them that
we were giving up keeping house and
that they could have her If they want
ed her they seemed to be actually
embarrassed about the matter, as IL
they were having a servant forced
on them willy nilly.
He had not indicated any great In
terest at the beginning. but listened
more attentively as his wife's narra-
tive proceeded. Then he put down the
paper and began to talk himself
Don't you remember the time you
! bought that old side table at auction
and Mary asked you to let her have It
II you ever wanted to sell it?'
She nodded
Don't you recall also how patroni-
zing she was when you told her you
thought you might let her have 1t be-
cause you didn't want to crowd your
dining room? Surely you have not for
gotten how she tried to wriggle out Of
taking 1t just as If you were deter
mined to hold her to a bargain"
She admitted that she had not for
gotten detail of this transaction.
Then she also admitted how provoked
she had been when her cousin Helen
had asked her to give her the refusal
of her old horse Sally If she decided
to sell her when they went to town in
the autumn.
"Then how can you," he asked,
with these things fresh in your mind,
put yourself in the way of being pat.
ronfzed again in such fashion? You
ought to learn that what they do not
possess often seems very attractive to
persons so long as it remains the
property of others. It is quite a diff.
ferent thing when 1t becomes attain.
able to them
1T almost invariably happens that
they have ceased to care for it and
1t Is only human nature for them to
give themselves the satisfaction OF
showing the owners that they are now
in possession of the situation. So
remember that trait the next time you
offer to anybody similar kindness"