The herald., 1913-02-06
A Mountain
Cure
By ALBERT KENYON

the care of house and the continual
pestering of the children.
| made up my mind to turn the buSi-
ness over to my partner. persuade my
wife to turn the children over TO her
sister and 90 together on a trip. II
was winter, so we sought a warm eli
mate. | had heard a great deal of the
southwest and settled on New Mexico
as q region where we would ENJOY
warm weather. Unfortunately. there Is
so much to be attended to before move
ments take place in families that by
the time we started we were addition
ally affected by the wear and tear OF
getting ready.
ut beats ALL" said. how much
there is to do to go anywhere when a
man is married. When ! was a single
man | would throw a few things into
my trunk. call a cab. go to a station
and across the continent. my prepara-
tion occupying but half an hour"
PITY you hadn't remained a young
man." snarled my wife. Are you sure
the trunks are on the trainE
mo. | didn't see them put on
well, | suppose We'll have to live in
our travelling clothes. 1t seems to me
If | were a man
"Oh, give us a rest"
This Is a sample of the dialogue we
were going away to get rid OF. They
continued at intervals during our jour
pey and after we reached our desti
nation. There are mountains In plenty
in New Mexico. and | consider noun
tain air good for the nerves. But
cures are seldom effected In a day. and.
though my wife and | were doubtless
gaining. the improvement was imper-
ceptible. We moved about from point
to point.
The last place we struck was
pocket in a mountain spur. We were
high enough to get pure dry air. but
not high enough for cold. True, one sat
before wood fires in the evening. but
during the day the weather was de
lightful. The walks were pleasant, and
we kept out in the open most Of the
time.
On one Of three walks we found
bench on the edge of a precipice,
perpendicular wall facing us on the
other side of the gap. My wife had
arisen in the morning with a head
ache. and | had suffered during the
night with a toothache. Consequently
: .
our condition the circumstances were
not conclusive to bringing it out.
81 think I'll go home" said my wife.
There I'll get some sympathy. The
children will give it to me-"
Il thought you'd come away to get
rid of them?"
81 should have let you come alone;
that's what needed"
perhaps | needed the same"
We kept on in this vein for some
time. gradually raising our voices.
Then suddenly my wife listened.
There are persons on the ledge be
low, talking" she said
Fighting. you mean. I've heard
them"
Not caring to be overheard, we modu
lated our voices for awhile; so did the
couple below. and we forgot all about
them. But we soon got at it anew, and
in the midst Of our scrap we heard
them quarreling again.
Singular" remarked my wife, that
those horrid persons must get to quar-
reling just when we"-
Its the mans fault" said l. .
mo more than the woman's."
Hes a brute"
did you hear that? He called her
brute
And she has told him he's another"
I said as we heard the word brute re-
peated.
He says she's another"
What disgusting persons! II they
are going to quarrel that way they
should have stayed at home and de
stroyed each other like the Kilkenny
cats"
HE has just called her cat"
"And she's thrown it back at him."
Sickened at this exhibition of tenn
per, we arose and walked back to the
hotel When we were alone drew my
wife down on my lap. and her head
rested on my shoulder.
"Your headache was responsible for
your part of our quarrel today. and my
toothache last night was responsible
for mine"
"Oh. dear. | wish I could be sure of
never saying an ugly thing again.
How horrid it sounded in those persons
below usv'
1T made me ashamed Of myself"
Lets try and stop it."
Its partly habit At any rate, the
more we give way to it the more it
holds u.s."
Say we never do it again"
We'll make big effort anyway"
The next day we both felt in fine
feather and walked out to the seat
where we had heard the couple quar-
reling. Suddenly my wife put her fin
ger to her lips. Then she whispered
They're there again. but they've made
it up. Did you hear the word 'dear?' "
There 1t is again, sweetheart"
Good gracious, he's called her
sweetheart
burst out laughing
what are you laughing atT
We've been listening to ourselves.
Our words have been sent back to us