Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-12-28
Deception

uncOmmun1catlVe, wrote Joan TO nef
mother, "but it has taken me two
years of married life to learn how
quickly that trait can develop into
full-fedged deception.
Its all sort Of funny, and | can't be
cross with Richard tomorrow, because
it's his birthday, but just now feel
that bit Of dignity on my part is the
only foundation upon which to build
a greater confidence between us.
''This will mean, mother dear, that
when you come home everything will
be as it should be and the old coun-
try place will look more beautiful than
ever because you consented to let us
keep it for you.
Richard declares that my generos-
ity is to blame for our misunderstood
ing. He says it has reached tremen-
dous proportions since we came here,
and he says that not only am l ex-
travagant, but-what is worse in his
eyes-easy! That remark was what
brought up my dignity.
"Do you blame me for feeling hurt,
when he has asked for any number of
my choicest roses TO be sent to his
aunt's hotel and for even a great
bunch Of your lavender orchids for
some of the wives of the convention
men who were here? | never refused
him flower. You had told me that
cutting was good for them and so
made him feel welcome-too welcome
Besides, his old chickens got out
once and ate up all the sweet-pea
buds they could reach before Henry
could catch them. I haven't forgot
ten that.
II say his chicken fad is responsible
for everything. Talk about tremen-
dous proportions!' He is simply crazy
about those chickens.
"Why in the world father told him
to go into chicken raising on large
scale if he wanted to l cannot see!
The influence Of those chickens upon
him is simply dreadful. Richard never
was in the least stingy before and
never did he call me easy in all his
life till yesterday
when the first incubator Matched
he was wild about it. That night he
began to talk about the chicken feasts
! we should have when the Kentucky
cousins came. His conversation was
all about fried chicken or broiled
chicken until l ached to think of the
weeks that must pass before the little
fluff balls we're big enough to eat.
after that he was with them early
and late, watching for gaps and pip,
till | begged him to stop reading those
chicken books that told about such
horrid things.
Dreams began to come true when
the Kentucky cousins came. Sarah
did her best and we had all the chick
en- we could want-broiled, fried and
a la Maryland. And still there seemed
so many Of them left that l got alarm
ed and one day asked if Henry
shouldn't dress one and send it over
to Mrs. Martin, who has been sick all
summer. Richard said, OF course;
I'll attend to it, SO sincerely that
thought he approved.
Il began to think up others to help
us out by accepting chickens. / made
out list that Richard passed on fav-
orably, but he began to be sour and
stingy when l started to duplicate it..
and yesterday, when Mrs. Martin S
daughter Katherine called up to ask
| for a broiler, as | had told her to do
whenever she wanted one, he flew into
a temper and called me easy Think
of that! And only the evening before
he had telephoned for some choice
roses to lie sent to his brother's
| sweetheart in his brothers name!
II was so stunned for a time that
wouldn't listen to thing he said, but
| locked myself in my room. After a
while I heard him telephoning the
Martins that the chicken would be
over soon. Then what do you think
! he did? He called up Hayward's chick
en- farm and ordered it from there!
/ "'Haven't you any more?' I heard
him ask Where can get some? At
! Peppers? I'll try there. On, mine
aren't big enough. No. we haven t
/ tried any yet-we've been depending
! on you. Raised 'em myself, you know,
and have a sort Of sentimental feeling
about them. A finer lot you never
| saw
THAT is how he has been deceiving
me all summer! Those scores of
chickens that we have dispensed to
our friends he has bought from the
chicken farms around here because he
wouldn't use his!
Il threw open the door of my room
and demanded an explanation. All he
did in the way of apology was to say,
Z think we're in the same boat, Joan,
| and he thrust a bunch of florists bills
into my hands! They had been sent
to him by mistake mistake I'll
never forgive-and were the bills for
all those flowers for the wives of the
convention men and the orchids that
I couldn't bear to cut to give away
| they were too lovely!
"He didn't wait for an answer, but
slammed out of the house in a huff