The Washington herald., 1914-06-09
A Marriage.
ny JOHN d. BARRY.

ny JOHN d. BARRY.
man and woman desperately strove against
obstacles to unite their lives. When they succeeded
they wVe full of gratitude and joy. Together they
bear the chances of life striving hand in hand
each thinking never of SELF but of fe other the per-
feet one.
Sometimes they forgot the world outside They
had their own world
Sometimes they were afraid of the world outside
lest it intrude on them and destroy their harmony
Sometimes they would think of the world outside
with pity. So many were there that did not love as
they did, that did not reach the fullment of life.
And the world outside, knowing the obstacles the
two had overcome, looked with wonder, not wholly
free from envy.
Each day the two were surprised by their hap
piness as it revealed itself to them anew In each
other they constantly making discoveries. reach
ing greater depths of understanding and of SYM
pathy. She had only to whisper a thought to find
it appreciated. At a glance from him she would
know what he thinking of and she would ap-
prove.
In everything they gave way to each other. They
would vie with each other in giving way.
Silently each resolved to cherish this love- So
long it endured whatever i'll might come would be
as if it not. For its sake they would make any
After the first year the man began to be used to
his happiness. II ceased to cause him surprise. He
felt of it that he gradually formed the habit
of letting it fade out Of his thoughts He had many
other things to think of, interesting and important
Occasionally however he would look his shoulder
to make that his happiness still there. He
would find it smiling, eager for word glance.
He pleased to that it could wait. With
tranquil mind he attended to those important and
interesting things. In them he became more and
more absorbed.
Meanwhile, the wife began to be troubled. In
stead of thinking less about her happiness she thought
more. She knew it needed more thought because of
her husbands neglect.
Slowly it dawned upon her that her thinking was
not enough. She felt herself in the presence of
danger. She did not know what to do. Her dis
quietude vague, elusive, she could not put
it into words. Besides, words would give il a
more definite reality She tried to assure herself that
it had no real cause. Though she resolved to resist
those thoughts, they came back again and again,
and grew more persistent.
After the second year the man felt as If he had
come out Of a strange dream. He free again,
independent He was himself. He sighed, and he
looked about, and he realized that he had wife, big
responsibility, some one to be cared for giving dig
and position in the world. He must place her
where she belonged Life serious Youth
with its folly, was So he proceeded to assert
himself. He told his wife what she ought to be-
lieve and what she ought to do He was sur
prised to find that she did not agree.
Then the man began to reflect. He said to him
self that till now his wife had always believed as
he believed. He forgot that till he had always be-
lieved as she believed. He must make her see the
truth He grew more explicit and firm in the ex-
preston of his ideas. She grew more firm in re-
sisting and in presenting ideas of her own.
Soon, greatly to his amazement, the man found
that his wife took pleasure in disagreeing with him in
showing opposition Once when he expressed opin-
ion that he strongly believed be right and she took
the opposite view, he laughed out loud. In her
face he noticed expression that he had never
seen there before 1t reminded him of infuriated
animal
He began to think that she was not the woman
he thought he had married.
At the same moment she felt that he was not
the she thought she had married.
Presently the wife began to express opinions that
her husband considered absurd. Often he would
laugh and he would that angry look in her face
To avoid the annoyance of seeing the look he stopped
laughing Instead he would either make little sound
of contempt or he would be silent or he would say:
"You don't know what you talking about"
Sometimes she would say: "You think you know
everything, don't you?"
The question would cause him such irritation that,
for long time, he would not speak. Occasionally
he would go out leaving her alone.
There were times, however when something like
the old love would come back. Then she would
tell him that he had changed. He would say that he
had not changed The talk likely to develop into
an argument Once he said: "Tm getting tired Of
this"
So the expressions of their love kept causing
more quarrels. They would be two again. each trying
convict the other of wrong, each feeling injured
and resentful.
The day came when their love grew discouraged. 1t
never came back In their minds it had reality
now. 1t semed to vanish even from memory. Any
chance reminder of it would give them, not pleasure
but pain.
And yet they went on living together In the con-
dtons of their lives there was no apparent change.
The world outside still looked on with wonder, NOT
wholly free from envy.
Copyright, b. John D. Bary).
Missouris real problem seems to be what to do
with her former governors, but it must be ad-
= - 1A L. l. It III