The Washington herald., 1912-01-06

was reading IN the paper yesterday.
said the woman in blue, that learned
lady near Boston, who speaks ifty-four
languages. has just become engaged to
marry man who is reported TO be the
greatest Iinguist in the world, and who
understands even more tongues than she
does"
And III wager my new hat" COM
mented the woman in white, what when
they are spooning they don't use any Of
the fifty foreign lingoes they have ac-
quired with such pains but he says,
'oo's ducIcy is ooy and she says Use 90
duclSy daddle.' and then there's long
sibilant sound that listens like, horse
drawing its foot out OF sticky mud, and
she says, wat makes 90 such a sinful
boyg and hA saws, 'oo's de boofulest
thing in de world with oo's pun jOwl
hair,' and there's another curious noise
that sounds like a smack and m-m-m-u."
'oh. that's Cupid's volapuk." smiled
the Woman in pink, you. don't have TO
learn fifty languages to understand that.
You just speak It naturally"
silence of Married People.
Wei. at any rate" said the woman
in blue, in family where the husband
and wife each hold a language record
there certainly can't be the conversation
al deadlock that you see in most homes.
To my mind, the most piteous thing in
the world is that husbands and wives
appear to have nothing to say to each
other unless they quarrel You can spot
q married couple as far as you can see
them by the frozen silence that reigns
between them.
IF, at the theater, you see a man
sitting up reading the advertisements
in the programme and the women look
ing around listlessly at the other
womens clothes, by that token you
know they are husband and wife. II at
a restaurant you see couple gobbling
down their food without a word to
each other, you don't have to look at
the wOman's wedding ring to know
they are married. II you see a couple
travelling together, yet apparently not
on speaking terms, it's 4 married cou-
pie on on a pleasure trip. Upon my
word, / believe that conversatio would
become a lost art If husbands and wives
were segregated from the balance of
humanity"
sure Signs.
That's right" exclaims the woman
in white, "and did you ever notice not
only the paucity of conversation in the
family circle, but its piffiing character?
Ninety-nine times out of hundred it's
confined to the children, or household
expenses, or the most trifiing gossip
about the neighbOrs.
Yet these people are Intelligent and
entertaining, and regular chatterboxes
out in society. I wonder why? Do mar
Tied people talk themselves out during
the honeymoon SC that they've got
nothing to say the balance of their
lives? Or do they cease to be interest
ing TO each other because neither one
is willing to make an effort to enter
tain the otherT' d
Il don't know why other women don't
talk at home" said the woman in blue,
but don't because I've nobody to lis
ten to me. The minute we've had din
ner my husband subsidies into his even
ing paper, and talking TO him is like
talking to a wooden Indian so far as
get--7g response is concerned. used
TO do monOlOgue something like this:
I'd say, whom did you see to-dayT
he'd reply, huh I'd say did you see
Tom Jones? He'd answer. huh !.
What did he say about Susie?' He,
'Um.' ], Are the children well? He.
-M-m-m-m.' I, Is Susie's mother com
ing to visit herr He, Great Scott,
Mary, can't you let a man read his pa
per in peace? 1 do now. read, too. |
of an evening. for we haven't even got
children to talk about, and the silence
that reigns in our house is so thick
you could cut it with a knife"
Conversation Below Far.
4 must confess that the conversational
output in our house is also decidedly be- |
low par" said the woman in pink, and |
I don't know whether it's my fault or |
my husbands, but the bald fact is that |
we've got nothing in common to discuss |
except the children, the expenses and
the neighbors.
I'VE don't know anything else, for he |