The Washington herald., 1917-09-14
The Dangerous Age for Men.
he Worlds Highest Paid Woman Writ

The old woman, whose years are as
a crown of glory to her, was turning
the heel of a stocking she was knitting
for her grandson somewhere in
France. and as her needles clicked.
she talked. out of the fullness of
wisdom and experience about men.
If you can only get man safely
through his second summer he is in
perpetual danger, and it takes a wife
who has patience, and poise. and long
suffering endurance to get him
through II alive"
His second summer" l inquired.
Yes" she replied. nodding her old
head, "men have two second sum-
mers The first comes when they
are about years old and are cut
ting their big teeth, and they are
sick, and peevish, and irritable, and
unreasonable, and like to die, but If
their mothers can worry through that
they generally grow up into big, fine
healthy children"
"A mans second summer comes
when he's shaving around the JO's
and when he's cutting his false teeth,
and that's the real danger time of
his life when he's restless and full OF
strange fanCies and does foolish things
that are apt to be fatal, but If ms
wife has got sense enough TO nurse
him along through this period Of his
existence she'll have a husband that
she'll never need to be anxious about
again"
i've lust been trying to explain this
to Betty" the old lady went on, but
every wife believes that her husband
is an especial god. or particular
devil, instead Of realizing that hus-
l. IA1V nj FA
cut of Of the same pattern, and that
most of the things that they do is
Just the working out OF the law OF
nature in them. and has no especial
reference to the particular women to
whom they are married.
You know, Betty and Jack have
been one of the model couples to
which we have pointed with pride as
an Illustration OF people being happy
though married. Betty's been one OF
the good wives who has been a real
helpmeet, thrifty and economical and
industrious. and there's been no man
who's had a more comfortable home
than Jack or been better taken care
Of. And Jack has been as domestic
as n house cat. one of those satisfac-
tory husbands whose world is bounded
by his business office and his own
front door. and whose idea of a good
time has been TO have a dinner down
town and go to the theater with Betty
once a month
This happy state of affairs has eX-
listed for nearly thirty years, and now,
suddenly. when they are middle-aged
people. Jack jumps over the pasture
bars. lie has fallen in love-or inn
aGines he has-with girl young enough
to be his daughter, and he has taken
to dyeing his hair and his mustaChe
and wearing the giddiest lot of rah-
rah college sport clothes you ever
saw"
Worst of all. the poor simpleton
has told Betty all about it, and he
wants her to give him divorce so he
can marry the little dollbaby with
whom he has been playing around,
and she's just been here to tell me her
troubles and ask my advice"
What did you tell her?' 1 asked.
"Oh, | told her." smiled the old lady,
"just to sit tight and keep a death
hold on her wedding ring. and that If
she had enough courage to realize
that Jack was going through BRAIN
storm that would pass and leave him
normal and sane again, she would win
out, and he would come back loving
her better than ever"
And l told her that she hadn't any
right to ruin Jacks life by giving him
a divorce, and precipitating him into
Il marriage that was sure to bring
him nothing but misery"
Furthermore, l told her that her
husband was simply suffering from
an ailmcnt that is as apt to break out
on men of his age as the measles is in
childhood, and that If she would just
tend him cheerfully through the at
tack. he would be immune from II IN
the future"
You see, about the time that
man gets to be 80, or thereabouts, he
has a sudden second summer of youth.
It's an imitation summer, but II looks
to him like the real thing while 1t
lasts. 1t is a false fire. but it burns
up fiercely for a little time, and py
its light he takes an appraising view
of his wife. himself, and the future.
He hasn't realized 1t before, but he
perceives with pitilcss clearness that
his wife is middle-aged. He observes
her double chin, her 30-inch belt meas
ure, her grizzled hair, her saSGlnS
checks, the heaviness with which she
walks. the fact that she prefers COM
fort to gayety.
He looks at himself and he sees
a man who is still young in spite OF
his being five or ten years older than
his wife. OF course, his hair is gray =
ing, too. and he isn't as slender as
he used to be, but by jinks! he feels
like a boy. He wants to dance. to
run about from place to place. to be
90 hrf1
excitement. He wants to love, anil
mantle fashion"
And he sees the future. by the
side of his wife, stretching along dull
ing and nodding overOthe evening
paper with their feet on the radla-
tor"
"The outlook for the future ap-
pals him, and he begins to look
around for an antidote. and he finds
1t in some pretty little slim girl who
is about half the age of his wife and
who weighs a third as much. He
begins paying her attention, and, be-
ing a cheerful worker who sees in
him a good meal ticket and JOY
rides, she opens up the batteries OF
her Irritation upon him and knocks
him dead
He thrills and tingles at the
thought that he can still make a wO-
man love him, and that even a young
girl can't resist his fascinations. He
knows that he is doing wrong, but
the knowledge gives him the same
exquisite joy that he had when he |
robbed his neighbor's apple orchard
when he was a boy. Stolen fruit isl
still sweet on his lips"
ut seems to him that he is young
again. that he is 20 instead of so. |
and that he would always be young
Il he could have this child by his
SIDE. She Keeps him stirred up,