Omaha daily bee., 1914-12-14


be offered up as
sacrifice on the altar OF rcd-faced baby
and by the time found out my mistake
the mischief was done. My happienss had
gone to swell the mountainous matri-
naonial junk pile.
You remember the old French saying:
There arc women who are all wives, and
other women who are all mothers.
Whenever hear n man address his wife
as mother ! shudder. II means that ehe
has failed as a wife, and that she Is moth
ing TO him but his childrcn's mother.
when Tom and I were married we
started out with every prospect for hap
plness. We were rich. We were young
and good looking and deeply in ,ove with
each other. and. best Of all. we were
comrades We liked the same sort OF
things. We golfed together, we auto
mobiled together. We went to the theater
together. we had little suppers together.
We were the kind OF chums that two
people may be who are absolutely sym
pathetic In every taste and habit
Then my baby came. and we were
frantic with delight over him. and J. IN
particular, was mad about him, ana
not only spent the whole day hanging
over his cradle. but put In the evenings
sitting beside H.. although there wasn't
the slightest necessity for doing So for
Tommie was a sturdy. healthy little chan.
and ] had reliable nurse who knew a
hundred times more about taking care
Of baby than / did
To my amasement, BY the Tina On.
baby was a month or six weeks old
FOUND out that Tom expected me to take
up our usual life One evening at dinner
saw him looking critically at me. Aren't
you FEELING quite well again?' he asIted
me ispiendidiy replied. Then why
dcnt you put on some OF your pretty
friliy cresses and do your hair fussv
asainr he asked. oh. Tom, can,t' I
laughed; baby pulls so at my things ard
nos 30 strong he'd just tear my Iaoes 20
satters' 'Humph,' was ali that Tom ssid
py way Of reply but could SEQ that ha
WIS uneonviaced. ''
I told myself that he was sI,, a.
pecS me to dress up like I used 20 80
thet . mothers first duty was 81 ~.
chhu' ana never suspected wh.t
trump ! was degeneratinR into. nor ~,
looked to Toms beauty LOVING 49,
ne used to be no proud OF NV Iook. ~.
came. irst oaoy
was Actually Mortified when ~,
s.oposoa our joining dancing class tha,
80. 'e.ns MADE up among our friend.
my : can't go. I've got TO stay and
Ne are OF me baby. ! replied. sWhat's
s matter with that nurser he inouIred =.
sne isn't reliable. turn her off ana
ooneoody who II. don't see any
Jason tor our cutting out all our am,,sc-
baby 'e" " nave
tt Du' reluned TO even consider sucA
In,ns az leaving the baby for a whole
'fshins. suppose he should wake un
@ne cry exclaimed tragfcaIly. 'WeIi
suppose ne does; guess the nurse car
9i'c nun little peppermint and water
" well as you can' said Tom. ia ha
periecuy miserable objected. ana tha,
ended the matter. N'"'
once or twice that winter Tom a,d
manage TO drag me 20 the theater h,,,
auFhs the most poignant scene 1 would
gran his hand and whisper, Torn .,,,'-
Rose tne mouse IL on fire. and nurse ha,
Sono away. and the baby should n,
burned upT Or. In the midst ~ AZ,
most iaugh-provokinE scene wouId 81,
w with a tragicai expression. ana vyhs,
iosn would ask me what was tha r,.,,a
reply thst just felt sure that hahv,
leet were uncovered. or nurse i.aa nss
leeted TO put steriilxed minnie or ~,
bottle when she fed him. ~
Nor were our evenings Al bon,a ,,,,,o,
more cheerful, because l would snen,
nonrs putting the baby to bed. and sf,s
- was tucked In bed I would All vv,,l
one ear strained listening for ,,,.,
from The nursery while Tom yalnlv ty,s
70 interest me IN some tonic thai W..
ADsoroing him. So obsessed was I vv,,l
me baby that I was actually re,,evs
Nnen Tom took 10 going to the theate
Ni'nout me and spending his evening" !
his ciuo. OF course meant 70 70 hac
ana tahe up our life together when m
oa'y Vas a little older. but never al
ior IN the succeeding years othe
enilcfen came to Us. and became NOR
rnu more the mother and less and les
ceased to be a companion 10 m
husband lost interest In the things h
~as interested In. grew old and dn
1919 my uine' shut up In the nurser,
anu ! oo1ed people because my only lin
81 conversation was about the relat,,
merits Of baby food. and What rohr,,,
said. and Tommy did.
And Tom was a man who had m h.y
eompanionship. who had 70 be anus.,
VINO had to be admired ana petted a.
made much OF. and because i neriscss
MIN, and he found none OF these thlns
- home. he sought them abroad. sue
man never seeks In vain, ana Al last
came 70 know that while had been hoI.
ins my baby's hand OF an evening "a
Other woman had been holding myfhu,
Our children had separated us. b,
NeFe me. the real correspondent IN man
divorce suit is the siren Ia the crI
irom whom some fool infatuated your
mother cannot tear herself away Ion
enough . look properly after her hu