The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-08-09
THE RED AND
THE GREEN
A Story of Domestic Love
and Squabbles
BY EDMOND L. STANLEY


their wedding trip, to their own house,
which was very large, containing sew
eral separate suits of rooms. Both |
had their ideas of decoration, and, hnv. |
ing disputed over the colors for the in
terror of their bedrooms, they finally |
concluded that the bride should direct |
the decoration Of one suit, while the |
groom should select the colors for an |
other. The first suit was to be the
brides rooms, the second the groom's.
Mrs. Delafield-that was to be-chose
for her apartments very beautiful
shade of green. Bob Delafield, who
had no artistic taste whatever, but
thought himself connoisseur, espe-
cially in cOlors, put his suit in red 1t
wasn't even one of those rich reds
which, when put in the right place,
are often very attractive.
"By Jove! That's elaboratew said
Bob when he saw his decorations COM
plete. And appropriate added his
wife, smiling, for a member of the
fire department"
Since bride and groom don't care to
occupy separate apartments the couple
agreed that they would use the two
suits on alternate weeks. They tossed
a coin for the first choice, and Bob
won. So upon their return from their
wedding journey they occupied the red
suit.
Now, it happened the day after their
arrival that Bob accidentally knocked
a cut glass pitcher-a wedding gift
especially cherished by the bride-off
table and smashed it.
"Dearr' exclaimed his wife in a
tone of anger. what abominabe
had you break anything in the house
than that pitcher 1t was Mollie's gift"
"Do you suppose l intended to break
it?" replied the husband, with a fierce
infection on the word intended.
Get awayr'
Both had started to pick up the frag-
ments, but at this order of his bride
Bob desisted and left the room, slam.
ming the door behind him.
Bob was so infatuated with what he
called the old rose color of his suit that
he had induced his wife to order their
dinner there that same day. The
pitcher was broken at noon. Carrie
sulked all the afternoon, and when
dinner was served her eyes were red,
while on her face was the expression
of an injured woman. Only monosyl-
lables were spoken at dinner by either
This is sample Of what frequently
occurred during that first supposed to
be happy week at home after the hon
eymoon.
On the beginning of the second week
they removed to the brides suit, each
secretly vowing that should the scrap
py condition continue-and they eX-
pected 1t would-they must have rest
by temporarily separating.
1t was Sunday morning when they
first awoke in their new quarters. A
bit of sunlight had stolen in through
the window, family illuminating the
room. 1t seemed to Carrie that she
had been sleeping under the rustling
leaves of a tree and had awakened to
look upon q meadow robed in the YER
dure of the lovely month Of June.
had been very disagreeable to her hus
band, and she was heartily sorry for it
"Oh, Bob" she said, what horrid
creature l have been for the whole of
this first week of our homecoming!
"You mean that have been positive
ly brutal"
"Well, never mind whose fault it has
been We won't do so any more"
by Jove, sweetheart, l believe l like
the decoration of your suit better than
mine, after all"
yours is very beautiful"
"How lovely it is of you to say so!
You said when you first saw it that 1t
was appropriate for fireman"
"Did 1? How mean of me! l think
it's lovely"
"What a clumsy brute was to break
that beautiful cut class pitcher you
thought SO much Of. My carelessness
spoiled q whole week for us-our first
week in our beautiful home"
"Never mind, dear; Wen make up
for it in the second. We won't speak
cross word during the whole week,
will wer'
mo, we won't"
They breakfasted in the green suit,
as they called it, and with every
!, mouthful exchanged endearments.
That day was haven of rest to
them after seven days Of irritation.
, They lounged about their home read
, ing the morning newspapers, putting
little things that needed attention to
/ rights and giving each other only
} words that sounded like the twittering
r of mating birds. In the evening they
went to church, and every hymn, every
note of ths organ, seemed to strike q
responsive chord within them.
"Oh, blessed seven daysp said the
wife the next Saturday afternoon
"Im sorry they are ended, but l doubt
not that the next seven will be equally
, happy"