Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1910-02-03
The Tired Wife the Wife Who Quarrels.

A man OF my acquaintance the other
day, in speaking OF affairs at home, unin-
tentionally betrayed the fact that he suf-
fered from that great trouble "a quarrel
some wife.
He was loyal enough in every way, but
by that old process known as putting two
and two together could see that he was
seriously unhappy because the two had
gotten into that pickering way OF argument
which leads up to the exchange OF hard
and cutting words. These cut deep and
leave wounds which ache DULY long after
the two part.
1t seems perhaps hard factt face that
this condition of affairs is known in many
households. 1t is not because these two
do not love each other that they quarrel,
but because little by little they have gotten
into this unfortunate habit. AT first it was
very good joke to say smart things
which would raise little laugh, but some
times for the sake OF the joke brilliant
thing was said which left its sting after
wards. Oftentimes the glbing habit was
indulged in because OF the presence of a
third party, and one was bound not to be
outdone by the other, so the thing was
established.
II has been my observation that in the
matter OF being quarrelsome, the women
are no worse than the men. In other
words, there are just as many quarrelsome
husbands as there are wives, but some
times because a woman is more nervous
creature and because her life is one OF
many trivial things which are so exasper-
ating, she becomes worn to finer edge,
and so starts off the fracas without really
knowing her responsibility in the matter.
Then if the husband is good-natured
and well-controlled man, he reads his
paper and smiles, and does not answer
back. This, OF course, he means for the
best but oftentimes it is the worst thing
he could do, since his very silence and
absorption in his paper adds fuel to the
fire of her anger. Determined to make
him pay attention, she goes a little farther
and says things which quickly take the
smiles from his face.
II i could have advised this friend the
other day, would have told him that
what his wife needed was rest or trip
away somewhere.
| A woman that is at home alone all day
penned within the same four walls week
in and week out, with little children that
she loves very dearly, but who are really
no companions to her from the intellectual
standpoint, and who are most exacting in
their demands upon her time and strength,
needs more than anything else once in a
while little change and rest.
She is so tired and worn out with all
that she has done that sometimes she al
most feels as if she hates all these things,
when in reality she does not at all. Could
she 90 away for just little while her
sense of proportion would come back to
take up her duties not as hated burdens,
but as tasks not at all unpleasant when
one does not get too much OF them.
For where woman has her own home
and loves husband and children she never
ceases to love them in reality, but jus
gets worn out with them occasionally ;
then this feeling of evaporation leads her
into being somewhat OF quanelsome
woman, and then there is trouble for both
of them as the days 60 by.