The Washington herald., 1913-11-02
Fables of Everyday Life
Mrs. James Mitchell, also, and Mostly Marna

had grown up in a sheltered home-an
Ionly child-protected from close contact
with most of the things that make child
hood dear-the icomInon, everyday Incl
dents of a normal child life. But when
James came to her II was as though a
new heaven and q new earth had been
created. He seemed so understanding of
her isolated childhood, her ambitious
girlhood, and had given her during the
days of their betrothai a sympathy so
deep and complete that Marna quite for
got all the things that she had missed In
the thing that she then haa. and was
content.
Became a Nenentity.
In the>years that had gone since the
\ hour of the little white prayerbook she
had gradually drifted into purposeless
life, for no children had come to her.
1 and James had grown year by year more
absorbed in business. less at home with
her, more self-centered and inclined to
look upon his wife as a minor part of his
| being which ran In harmony TO Its big
major theme. As an individual with sep
arate and distinct ideas, ambitions,
yearnings, and ideals. she simply did not
/ exist in his mind.
As she watched him turn his paper
without looking up, Marina was SO keen
ly conscious of her place In his scheme
| of things that II hung over her heart like
| pail. pushing the memories of the day
completely out of her mind.
She had been there in his house for
seven years, just a part OF its welI-run
| machinery. Just an incident to his com
fort. The idea slapped her thought with
! sudden blow as she remembered the
many times she had played bridge Just
to kill the time until his Homecoming
hour, or had otherwise frivoled away
her hours in nothing at all worth re-
membering.
And in return what?
A drab, inconsequential life at best,
the central interest of which was to kill
the hours of one day that more useless
hours OF another might dawn. 4
When James Mitchell finally looked
up from his paper he saw her sitting
there before him, the leaves OF n book
which had lain in her lap through the
silent evening crumpled between her
tight fists, but IL the realization that
his wife was capable of sudden and hot
emotion penetrated his obtuseness he
gave no sign.
Marina Asserts Herself.
1t was a week later when Marina
gently pusaed the evening paper aside
as James Mitchell reached for It after
dinner.
IL.
''Well?'' he questioned.
James Mitchell, want you TO know
that /, Marina, your wife, am the most
useless. the most lonely woman in all
the world.
Your" he laughed toleranty. That
is not a pretty joke, Marina"
Il am Going to work tomorrow" she
went on. ignoring his interruption.
And 10! the storm brokel
of James Mitchell, going to work! Don't
be absurd, Marina" he dema nded.
"An these years, James Mitchell. have
just been your wife; a pretty piece of
'bric-a-brac in your house: an incident in
your life; the minor nAe of your exis-
tence. You are well to do, and there Is
no need of my services in the kitchen,
and so I have killed the lonely hours
and days and weeks and months as best
could with seldom a thing worth while:
seldom an expression Of my real self. 1t
all came over me the other night as
you sat SNUG and self-absorbed without
a thought OF me, and ! have awakened
to the fact that am stagnating in these
four walls; that I am dwtndling down,
to a little bit of a pigmy, my individu-
ality completely swallowed up by your
own. that am ruffocating in this atmos-
phere Of idleness.
hau tnere peen cnlIoren- her voice
broke in a sob which did more to awaken
his understanding than weeks of argu-
ment could have done
And when he had gathered her into his
arms. and questioned her closely con-
cerning this strange purpose of hers to
go out and share the worlds work he
found that the woman who is Mrs. |
James Mitchell is also, and mostly
Marna, made of big ambitions which |
he had succeeded in blanketing for
awhile, but not in entirely smotherinz,
with heart of gold, and a keen reali- |
zation that only through interesting and
absorbing work can any one OF either |
Sex fulfill their highest destiny.
All Of which is the story behind the |
shingle of a brilliant professional woman |
who has won high honors in her field of |
work in the Capital OF the Nation.