The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-08-25
The TANNING
OF A SIRE,
A Case In Which Shake
Speare's Method Failed.

| ollSs, ludJ Tue girl III going 10 InaT-
ry is a shrew."
"You are Pete, and she is Katherine.
Why not try Petruchio's plan?"
"Who was Petruchio?"
ga character in Shakespeare's play
of the Tanning of the Shrew.' He
pretended to be fercer than his wife,
katherine, and in this way brought
her under subjection."
That's not a bad idea"
The next time l saw Peter Bliss was
at the club. His wife was in the
country, and he was living a bach
elor's life. l went up to him and Of
fered my hand, which he took coolly.
whats the matter, old man?"
what did you put me on to that
Petruchio business for?"
Didn't it work.
"Oh, yes, it worked, but in a differ
ent way from the play"
I'VE had been married u week." he
said, ''and returned from our wedding
trip. l got down that play you told
me about and read it. The first thing
that Petruchio did to show his spunk
was to complain at dinner that the
meat was not properly cooked and
send it away. l suppose this was to
starve his wife into subjectlon. Well,
l concluded to try the same scheme.
At our first meal l flourished the carv-
ing knife and cried out that the meat
was burned and not fit to eat.
Bridget l yelled, take away this
meat, and the next time you roast
piece of beef in this house don't cook
it all day.
with this l got up from the table
and went out, slamming the door.
II didn't go home till late, because
wanted to give Kate time to think
over what terrible fellow | was and
make up her mind to smooth me down
gently. When | went up stairs l
found that she had gone off into the
guest room to sleep, leaving me our
bedroom to rave in as much as | liked.
Although l was disappointed that she
had not received me humbly after the
outbreak and endeavored to pacify
me, it was plain that she was afraid
of me, and this was so much to the
good. / didn't sleep very well and the
next morning went down to breakfast
feeling much in need of good cup of
coffee. Entering the dining room, 1
was surprised to see no cloth on the
table. What l did see was a note
from Kate saying that as the servant
had departed bag and baggage the day
before there would be no meals served
in the house for the present. She
(Kate) had gone to her mothers for
breakfast and | could get mine where
1 liked
"The result of the first move was not
quite satisfactory. 1 didn't seem to
have terrified my wife, and had been
the means of losing a very good serv-
ant. The truth is that I didn't have
the heart to go any further. Never
theless, after had got miserable cup
Of coffee at a restaurant Il didn't dare
to come here for fear of having to
answer questions), went back home
and, sitting at my wife's writing desk,
wrote her a note directing her to re-
turn to the house, find a servant and
behave herself. sent it by messen-
ger. directing that the answer be
brought to me at the Office. l was
afraid l wouldn't get an answer, but
I did. My wife informed me that as
l had been the cause of the servant
leaving she would expect me to secure
another, when she would go home at
once.
"There was nothing to do but hunt
| tha inf irIc
and engage one. went through lot
of them, selected the best Of the lot
and hired her. but she never appeared.
Then 1 went through the terrible work
second time, with the same result.
The third girl engaged appeared, but
while waiting for me to get home the
servant next door told her what
frightful temper l had. and she told
me when 1 came she had decided that
she did not want to stay.
Meanwhile l had not sent a word
to my wife. hoping that my silence
would trouble her. l resolved now to
write her that she was leaving work
to me that really belonged to her and
that it was her duty to come home and
attend to the servant matter herself.
was surprised to receive very kind
note in reply, saying that was quite
right. She was the proper person to
engage girl and she would gladly do
so provided the girl was not to be
treated as the last one had been.
what l had to do in order to return
to comfort was to make simple prom
Use not to make an ass of myself
again and all would be well, but this
was surrender, and l assumed that it
meant living under subjection for the
rest of my life. However. it was the
only thing to do, and when l did it
apologized handsomely, adding that
had made the experiment of living
without her, but had found she was
not only necessary to run the house,
but it was desolate without her.
81 got no reply to the note, but when
| went home at dinner time my wife
met me at the door, threw her arms
about me and made me hannV as a