The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-11-20
eoa u,s wIFE,s KIN.

Edith threw her arms about her
husband. John" she cried, with a
catch in her voice. How can you
saw such a thing! You know | do not
accuse YOU. You know that am
really proud of you! There's nobody
in the world who tries harder. works
harder. is SO dear and good to his fam
ily. When did I ever utter word OF
reproach to YOU"
Her husband gently freed himself.
"Your actions reproach mel" he said
with Quiet bitterness. THE fact that
thew reproach me before all my neigh
bors; before business associates IKE
Mulry, before the whole world-all
this is the least Of it. 1t Is the fact
that YOU wake my own doubts OF my
self that matters SO much. Every
man has devils of doubt in himself
to fight. It's all he can do to down
them. He looks to those who love
him to buck up his faith in himself.
But when ! see you threshing about,
trying anything, everything to make
a little money, then l know that
have fallen down on the most import
ant Job in life-the support OF my
family"
Edith ached for him. Yet she was
ever conscious Of her own hard prob
lem.
"Dear," she said pleadingly, you
must believe me when say you have
nothing to reproach yourself with.
And when say that, mean 1t from
the bottom Of my heart!"
Ferrol did not speak for a time.
"You may think / have nothing to
reproach myself with" he said. "And
l do try to hide the thought from my
self that l fall short as provider-"
John, you don't!" Edith exclaimed
yet with fainting heart.
"Well, you certainly make 1t hard
for me to believe it," he concluded.
Edith sat down by his side.
Listen, DEAR she said firmly.
LET us be perfectly honest in this
matter. Let's think with our own
minds, not with others. John, forget
for the moment what the world thinks
of wife's trying to earn money. Sup
pose l had a profession at which |
could make money in my spare time.
In my spare time remember, not work
ing away somewhere, for it would be
a different matter if l neglected my
! duties to do it. Do you mean to say
it would be a reflection on you II
used that spare time to make money!
It's the same with Jackie. There seems
a chance for our little son to earn
some money in an interesting way at
| the moving picture studio-remember
| il l saw the slightest shadow of harm
| to him through it I'd die before /
| would subject him to it. Do you really
| think it is a reflection on you as a
man or a provider if we take advant-
age of this chance for extra money?
John, look at the matter honestly. Is
| there any sense, any logic, in taking
this matter the way you do?"
| She pleaded with him, argued, rea-
soned-all to no avail. Her husband
! only listened, as far removed from
her by his silence as though he had
| left her alone in the room. When she
| could no longer be denied reply he
rose heavily and spoke in a weary
voice:
"You may be right, Edith, in what
you say But not all the right and
| logic in this world can change my
feeling on this matter of little Jack.
So suppose we go in to dinner"
Between John Ferrol and his wife
there existed the truly dignified, the
only worthy relation between human
beings-the relation of equality of
right. Where husband is the auto
crat and overrules the wife: where a
wife is the tyrant and dominates the
husband, there the marriage is not
mating but surfdom.
When John Ferrol and his wife
came to a deadlock each usually left
the settlement of the dispute to the
conscience of the other.
| Edith felt she was at least partly
right in her view of the matter Yet
she felt still more keenly that, as
John had said, it was not mere right
or logic that made him feel the genu-
inc humiliation he revealed. Had her
present urgent need of money been