The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-02-11
She Married an Average Man
BY ZOE BECKLEY

and now I'll tell you about the.
people in the little green house with
the trellis," began Mrs. Pardoe on the
day of her second visit. my sakes
alive, Mis- Salsbery, l want you to
take notice of Stella and Archie Sims!
There is woman that has been
through fire and water for perfect
COOP of a man and glad to do it!
asked her one day, l says, Stella Sims,
you're wonderful woman; how did
you ever come to marry Archie? He's
such a poor STICK l says, right out
plain like that.
Stella just smiled-such a beauti-
full smile! She didn't get bit offend
ed. Well, I'll tell you, Mrs. Pardoe,'
she says, Archie don't seem a stick
to me. It's all In what man means
to woman, you know. Archie means
love and honor and generosity and
kindness and-and-and the Riddles.
Oh, If you knew how he has remade
my life. Mrs. Pardoe, you'd see why
l love him SO and find it joy to do
what can to make him happy
That's what she said. And she
said it with Joan of Arc look in her
eyes and her hands held tight against
her bosom as if she didn't know how
to be earnest enough. But, law sakes!
! do know what her life was, Mis-
Salsbery. Everybody in the village
knows. She comes from some place
Up in Canada where they speak in
French, and she married an old skee-
zicks from Albany-a rich politician
he was. And you know what sort of
trash that is!
He treated her something terrible.
They say she stood it seven years be-
fore it occurred to her there was any
thing in life for woman but to stand
things from men. Then she woke up
and ran away to New York
n She had a tough time of it; he saw
ITO that with his crooked friends and
his money. But she wouldn't go back
to him. She got work, but always
lost it through him conniving. Final
ly she got sick and had a siege in the
hospital. When she came out she
shrugged along somehow, but finally
she went under. You know what l
mean, Mis- Salsbery. She was too
pretty to escape.
We'll, l don't know the ms and
out of it, but Archie Sims came along
and found her in some place that
She hadn't ought to be. Instead of
treating her contemplate, Archie set
uSi Oh oiSuL. HOI HSI d UldC6 WIFI
some friends of his in a Gig business
house.
she followed at Arches heels like
setter pup, poor child. They had
nothing but trouble. Arch fooled
around with art and pot'ry and such
stuff and couldn't keep a job. She
did, though. Worked like a galley
slave to support them both, and neve.
let out a peep.
Then Arch came into his money
and the little house yonder Gradual
~ Stella bloomed out, happy-like, same
as she is today There are folks who
say they never had marriage lines
said over 'em. But I'm broadminded
l give 'em the benefit of the doubt
They've got two of the sweetest
young ones that ever drew breath, and
as longs Stella's satisfied with Arch
what does it matter?
That's the way with some women
you know, Mis- Salsbery. Whatever
belongs to them they can't see nc
fault with. Just out of gratitude they
dress up their men-folks in virtues
they make believe are there. And they
end by convincing themselves they
are there.
b Stella never got decent treatment