Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-01-09
The Perfect
husband

Il should certainly like to NEE.
your husband, Mrs Tafleck," said
Mrs. SPENCER.
$50 should l." echoed Mrs. Dryden.
All the other women said the same.
Mrs. Talleck smiled beamingly. Il
hope" she told them emphatically,
that You may. really dol"
Mrs. Talleck spoke as though 1t was
treat too great for mortal to receive
except specially favored. It was quite
as though she hoped they would each
have great fortune left them, though
she doubted it. She did not seem to no
tice that some Of the glances were
freighted with dislike. II she had she
doubtless would have taken the dis
like as sort Of tribute. She did not
wonder that the poor things were en-
vfous and Jealous
At least that is how Mrs. SPENCER
explained it. Mrs. SPENCER and Mrs.
Dryden and all the rest had husbands,
Of course; husbands of sort; but
compared with the sort Of husband
Mrs. Talleck said hers was the other
husbands dwindled into such human
misfits that their abashed owners
pushed them farther and farther into
the background each time they met
Mrs. TalIeck, who had recently joined
their sewing club.
1t was not In human nature to be
otherwise than displeased that one
could not come back at Mrs. Talleck
gloriously and show her that her hus-
band wasn't SO much after all.
In the first place, Mrs. Talleck's hus-
band was a remarkable looking man.
Mrs. Talleek told them all about how
when she first married him she was
frequently embarrassed by the atten-
ton he attracted.
"And it happens yeti" she conided
to them. "If you could see the way
the women look at him! But l don't
blame them. I don't see how they
could help 1t. He has the most won
derful eyes-they seemed to draw one.
There is something overpowering
about him. I suppose you would call it
personality The minute that man steps
into room-I don't care how crowd
ed it is-everybody feels his presence.
1t is comical to see how everybody
stops talking and turns toward him. 1t
Is enough to make a. woman proud, l
can tell you!"
"Yes, indeed!" said Mrs Dryden po-
litely, because Mrs. Talleck looked at
her expectantly when she stopped
speaking. cit must be love1y!" Mrs.
Dryden had heretofore been quite sat
isfied with her own husband, but now
with a little twinge she recollected
that never in her whole married ca
reer had she had the joy of witnessing
a whole roomful of people paralyzed
by the entry of John. Everybody had
always talked right on as though moth
ing much had happened.
81 suppose" Mrs. Talleck proceeded,
''I've grown rather used to his brill
nance-still, even yet l realize how ex-
traordinary his wit Is. never re-
member his making perfectly COM
monplace remark. Whenever he speaks
he makes what he says count. / like
that in a mani"
Eyes, indeed" agreed Mrs. SPENCER,
at whom Mrs. Talleck's gaze was d.
rectei. Shs sighed. Hitherto she had
always enjoyed her own husbands
talkatiyeness. It had seemed cheerful
and boyish. It was new sensation to
be dubious on this point
sand kind" Mrs. Talleck added. s'If
t. q
polite, thought man than Henry Tai
leck I'd ike to have him shown mel"
All the women looked confused.
Their memories mercilessly tainted
them with sundry occasions when
their husbands had been none Of
those agreeable things. 1t was true,
then, what they had reluctantly given
up as impossible-there were men-or,
at least, there was man-who pos
sessed all the qualities OF the ideal
that every woman cherishes until 1t Is
reduced to a fragile before her eyes.
And Mrs. Talleck had him!
Three meetings Of the sewing club
had broken up in gloom. The mem
bers had departed sadly. apologetical-
ly, hcpelessly. The day when they
met at Mrs. Talleck's every woman's
mouth was set In firm line. Go home
at five o'clock as usual? Not they!
They fingered after tea. They ad-
mired Mrs. Talleck's embroidered nap
kins and the photographs and they IN
sisted on hearing the history of each.
Never before did women find so much
to talk about. Nobody appeared to OBJ
serve that It was more than dark out
side. Not a soul. apparently. saw the
clock that stared them In the face.
Tho silence was broken an instant
later by a falsetto voice that cried:
"Say, why don't you oil this Internal
lock? And do l smell cabbage cook
ing for dinner? You know hate cab
bage!"
An understood man, wearing spec
tacles and a peevish expression, en-
tered and stared at them in an an
noyed way. Everybody unanimously
fed.
Two blocks away Mrs. SPENCER
spoke. ''Do you know" she said, y
am happier this minute than | have
been before since first met Mrs Tai
lecki"
Safe