The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-07-25

the country air n the freedom to
run out of doors and play as they
used to on our quiet suburban streets,
l would lie awake far into the small
hours, listening to the wind moan
about the house, and longing for the
little cottage thirty miles away.
True to my theory Of un~selfshness,
l told my husband nothing Of all this,
but l tried to make him love his new
home. When bills were large he
would regret that l could not be con-
tent in the country" forgetting that l
wanted to remain there, and that he
and insisted on our coming away.
But, little by little, the city life at
tracted him, and at last he Joined a
fashionable club, after which he COM
planned less Of the barren town life"
He told me little Of his business af-
fairs until one day when he came to
me and asked me il l would go to a
notary public with him, as he wanted
to have me sign my lame with his so
that he could get some ready money.
But l don't understand" l said,
what my signature has to do with
it,"
Then, in a sudden impulse of conf
dence, he told me that he had not the
money for the rent, and wanted to
borrow something on his life insur-
ance, and, as he was insured for my
benefit, my signature was necessary.
It was at this juncture l determined
1 must do something to increase the
family income, so, without mention
ing my plan to my husband, l went to
a professor of music with whom I
had been acquainted for years and
asked him If he would tell me how to
get a few pupils. He knew of my mu-
steal ability and recommended me to
several wealthy persons who had chill
dren to be taught, and who were able
to pay the prices which he told me to
ask. When, after some months, l had
made two hundred dollars by this
work, l confessed my secret to my
husband, Just when he was again in
financial difficulty. l had hoped the
fact that I could hand him some
money would lift a load from his
mind. To my establishment. he be-
came furiously angry.
ITO think that you, my wife, should
demean me by earning money!" he ex-
claimed. 1T is a part and parcel of
the whole thing nowadays! You are
not satisfied to live simply, to econo-
mize and help your husband as the
dear, o~ld-fashioned women used to,
but you must get out into the world
and hustle, just as men do"
There was much more said. l apollo
gized and told MIN l only meant to
help him. At first he would not for
Ugive me. Then, suddenly, his within
changed, as unexpectedly and quickly
as a weather-vane will rec about In
a southerly gale.
Poor grill" he said, putting his arm
about me. What else could I ex-
pect?-I, a man who cannot supply
his wife with the %luxuries most wom-
en- have! What a failure I am! No
wonder that, seeing other women with
handsomer homes and more pleas
ures than you have, you should use
your talent to get these things!"
l fastened to reiterate my state
ment that my desire was to be Of as
sistance to him, and, to prove 1t, ]
pressed upon him the money l had
earned. He protested at first, then
took It to please me and "just as q
loan" He never offered to return 1t
and I lever asked for it.
And here l acknowledge that
made the greatest of blunders. This
is one of the things over which ]
ponder and say, IF I had acted 9th
erwise." But such speculation Is use
less. 1 appreciate that what I then
called my unselfsh duty was a sin
full error. I should have allowed AL
fred to be independent of me, since he
claimed to be. 1 might have been
happier.
For by this time I appreciated that
l was not happy. l had my children
my two bonny boys, and 1t was fol
their sakes that l had tried to make
myself believe that their father was
all that I wished him to be. Yet his
attitude toward them was n Of the
things that widened the breach be
tween US. He loved his boys in q
certain way, especially when 1 paid
little attention to them. But he was
jealous Of my devotion to them. and
when angry, was very severe with
them. l have a theory that parents
should seem to agree in the manage
ment of their children, SO when Al
fred was unjust to the boys I said
nothing at the time, but afterward
my sense Of justice would lead me to
explain the circumstances. Such ex
plantations irritated my husband.
remember one afternoon when he
came home and found lying on the
table in his room his favorite meer
schaum with the mouth-piece broken
David, our elder son, then q lad o.
ten, CHANGED to be passing the door
His father called to him. I knew
from his voice that he was angry, anC
I FASTENED to the scene. He had the
child by the arm and was asking:
"Who laid that pipe there?"
Il did, father" replied the boy. I"
picked 1t Up from the floor where
He got no further, for his father
struck him across the face. 90
course you picked it up from the hool
after dropping it there!'
but, father, l did not drop"
mo lies. sir! See here" turning L
late Emperor Mutsuhito. She ad.
Vanced In steD with her husband real