The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1923-02-22
His First Wife's
Legacy
Observation-Disclosures

Rx MYRA CURTIS LANE


20. 1922, western Newspaper Union)
tits all very well to say ] ought 10
: share your interests. Lucian, but 90
ask YOU TO share mine? Has 1t oc-
Cured to you that woman's inter
ests must consist principally In run
ming homer
Mary Ammering faced her husband
flushed and Indignant, with the heat
OF the kitchen stove reflected on ner
Epretty face. :,
Il suppose you're right, Mary"
| answered Lucian Ammering indiner-
emily.
| He kissed her good-by-he hated
those formal kisses. They had been
married two years now. and things
had gone steadily from bad TO worse.
Lucian Ammering was an inventor,
he was at work on q glider that was
to revolutionize the science OF Night;
Mary had never understood it. she
resented their having to live in the
country, where he leased fifty acres
of mountainous tract long way from
where people ought TO live.
| At first she had been enthusiastic.
What had chilled her? Well, Lucian
had been married years before. EN-
incline and he, she gathered, had been
devoted to each other. When Emme-
line died Luclan's life had seemed
broken
Mary was jealous of the dead wom-
an. She believed that Ernmeline still
had his heart. He never spoke of her,
but Mary knew that in his mind he
was always setting OFF the one woman
against the other.
SO She had sunk quietly into the po-
sition of housekeeper, and Lucian had
gone on experimenting with his
gliders.
She felt restless that morning as
she busted and scrubbed. and opened
the oven and put things in 1t. and took
them out again. She had declared her
Independence. She wasn't going to be
tied to the tail of Lucian's gliuers.
81 guess now that I'm committed to
my job III just go upstairs and clean
out that old cupboard of Lucian's that
hasn't been touched since we moved
in here" she reflected.
1t was an old house and had enor-
nous cupboards. This one was more
like small room. Mary recoiled in
dlsmay at the first sight Of 1t, with
disused garments hanging up every
where, and the floor Uttered with pa
pers.
Then she collected herself and be-
gan to tidy up, taking down and dust
ing Lucian's old clothes. This suit
should never have been thrown away.
1t was just what Lucian needed for
his gliding And these boots--how
careless Lucian was They were per
fectly good boots. She must put those
In his room. And this package of let
tiers
Curiosity, the bane of woman, got
the better of her. She opened the
top one and read, folded back, the sig
nature "Emmeline."
And a burning desire came over her
to know what sort of letters Emmeline
had written Lucian. Emmeline, the
model wife, she sarcastically COM
nented In her mind
But to her amazement the letter was
full of bitter reproaches.
She opened another and another.
All were alike. 1t appeared that, in
stead of the ideal life which Mary had
always supposed them to have shared,
they had hated and quarreled with
each other constantly. There had
never been peace between them.
1t was the last letter that summed
up everything
II realize too well my deficiencies
Lucian," Emmeline wrote. II am leay-
ing you tomorrow with Harry, and you
win be free to get your divorce.
ask nothing Of you. i do not blame
you we have simply been unfortun-
ate.
but 1 do gather one thing from
our experience OF married life to-
gether. Either the pair must share
their interests in common, or else
there will be shipwreck. And, as a /!
man cannot enter with enthusiasm |
into the interests of the kitchen, 1t |
behooyes the woman to make her hus-
bands life and career her own.
Il understand where have erred. |
II things had not gone so far would |
begin all over again. 1t is too late
now. But. II you marry again, try to
teach your wife that lesson. Good-by."
Mary stared at the letter. For q
few moments she did not take it all
in. Emmellne divorced--then Lueian
had not cared for her. He had cared
for herself. And it was not too late
the message from the woman who had
gone out of Lucian's life had arrived
just In time.
Softly Mary went to her room. She
put on an old dress, high boots, her
slouchiest hat. An hour later she met
Lucian at the door
Well. I've finished my work. she
said. "And I'm sorry that 1 was cross
this morning. Lucian, dear. let's 90
down to the shed. and you shall show
me your new glider"
Sorely Stricken.
mfr. Jobson," said the head of the