The Washington herald., 1917-08-31
The Pebble in the Shoe
By DOROTHY DIX.
The Worlds Highest Paid Woman writss.


the virtues-who is good and kind.
moral and upright. sober and indus
trious and sweet tempered-but that
she is perfectly miserable and has be-
come a nervous wreck because he
does all the little things that crate
upon her.
She IS very neat and tidy and order
ly and he throws things around the
house and drops cigar ashes on the
floor and scatters newspapers as he
goes.
She is very particular about her
clothes and takes good care of them.
He will wear his only pair of silk
socks TO work, and she has to watch
him like hawk to see that he
changes his shirt and collar every
day and has a fresh handkerchief in
his pocket.
She cherishes her furniture and her
household belongings as the apple of
her eye, and he scratches the piano
and muses. the sofa cushions and
spots the table cloth.
And when she tells him about what
high crimes and misdemeanors he is
committing this aggravating husband
doesn't even answer her back. He
Just smiles and says that people with
a don't-worry disposition like his live
to be 90. And his wife says that it's
all killing her. and what shall she do?
And when I read the letter / didn't
know whether to laugh or cry. be-
cause in the face OF the great trage-
dies that l have seen devastate mar
ried life so often, a soiled collar or n
pair of silk socks or a spot on the
table cloth seem so poor a thing for
one to wreck ones happiness over.
/ thought OF the wives ! have known
whose husbands feet were a shame
to them when they ca ne stumbling.
blind drunk, up the street. and
thought that these women would not
have cared what kind OF socks their
husbands had on II they had been
sober enough TO walk straight, l
thought of wives who sat up night
after night. solitary and alone. their
hearts torn by every demon Of sus-
picion and Jealousy. while they waited
for dlssolute husbands, and thought
how gladly these women would have
picked up papers and Strengthened up
after their husbands II only their hus-
bands would have spent their evenings
at home!
And l thought OF cruel husbands
who never spoke of their wives eX-
cept TO say something that cut like
whip; and Of tyrannical husbands
before whom their wives trembled ;
and of grouchy husbands who made
their homes like a funeral parlor in
which no one had the heart or cour-
age to speak above a whisper, and
thought how gladly would any of these
wives change places with the woman
whose husbands only faults are that
he isn't tidy and dressy and careful Of
the furniture.
Nevertheless. this unhappy wife's
grievance is a real grievance and il
Is true that she is letting ii wreck
her life. The pebble in the shoe can
spoil the finest outing and the grain
of sand in the eve keep us from seeing
the most beauteous landscape.
or course the chief fault in this par
ticular case where marriage is proving
n failure is the woman's She is making
| a mountain out OF a mole hill. Provi.
! dence having vouChsafed her no real
trouble, she has gone to work, WON.
an like, and manufactured a whole
bunch OF suffering and martyrdom out
of nothing. IL she had an ounce oi
common sense or philosophy she
would follow old Omar's advice ant
take the sweet and let the bitter
60" and pick up after her husband
| and wash out the spots on the table
| cloth and thank God that she hddn1
anything worse to do.
! The husband. however, is TO blamt
! this far. that he laughs at his wife''
point of view instead Of trying 10 ge
| ii. A happy marriage necessitatel
! many adjustments and none is NOR,
| important than TO. husband and wife
| TO see the little things Of daily life
/ from the same angle and get the sam,
! perspective on them. II doesn't do fol
| one TO regard them as trifes and the
| ether as matters Of life aud death.
This is particularly true in the mat
ter of personal neatncss. Women art
| always being advised as to the neces
| sity Of keeping themselves looking at,
tractive TO their husbands. and arr
! warned that frow5y wrappers anc
curl papers and sloppiness and slov,
/ enliness will disillusion and disgust
| eny husband on earth.
| Nobody ever saws a word to ner
about %e-ing themselves barbereC
| and shaved. and with spotlcss linen,
| and well-pTessed clothes in order e
| retain their wives affection. Ye,
women care a thousandfold more fol
/ looks and good clothes than men do
! and no hing is more calculated &c
| wreck loves young dream than 2
| three days stubble of beard on a
| masculine chin, hair that stracgle,
over a soiled collar. and a suit that
looks as IL It has been slept in and
that suggests that the owner ought tc
wear a bib when he eats.
How a dainty, refined woman who
always looks as il she had Just come
ou. of a band box can keep in love
with a husband who looks as il he
needed 10 he run through a steam laun.
| dry and the grass mower, is one ot
| the mysteries OF the feminine heart
that we shall never understand. Per.
haps she doesn't. Anyway. the theory
| that a wife's affection is proof against
her husbands slovenliness Is one that
men will do well not to put too much
| faith in. Other wives may secretly
be disenChanted as this complaining
wife is.
| Also it is undoubtedly discouragi gins
to a woman who is trying TO keep q