Montgomery County sentinel., 1931-06-26
META
AND HER
HUSBAND
g g
BY FANNIE HURST


IF SHE had ever thought about 1t
at all in that light, Meta would
Il probably have thought the prob
lem of her marriage unique. AS
a matter Of fact, it was such uni
versal problem that 1t Is not at all
unlikely that In the As Identical
houses, five rooms, sleeping porch,
built-in washtubs, that occupied the
little suburban street where she had
her home and being, there was a star
tling repetition of her self-same prob
lens. Netta had been married for six
years. There were no children. Her
husband was an architect, with Of
fees in the city. He was junior partner
In a growing but not large concern
and was nice, clean, average ex-
ample of a little community Of men
who get the $40 train at the little
stucco station six mornings a week.
If he was rather deadly average
as to his politics, his religion, his
credos, his pastimes, his home life,
neither he nor Meta realized 1t.
The fly that fell into the ointment
Of the average married life of this av-
erage American couple, living the
standardized routine Of the hundreds
of thousands of other couples. ap-
peared rather suddenly in the sixth
year of what might well be called a
cOngenial marriage. Suddenly 1t came
ouor Nofto mhooo intoracto In hoP
pretty little home were normal ones,
whose activities in her little suburban
community were neighborly ones,
whose prettiness had rather increased
since her marriage than diminished
suddenly it came over this energetic
little wife in her snug little home. in
her snug little suburban development,
that she was married to husband.
It came over Meta one morning as
she stood in front Of her little dress
ing table, with her bare arms raised
in the act of brushing her smooth
coiffure Of bobbed hair, that she had
no lover. 1t was five and one-half
years since the young architect, Fra.
zler Maughm, to whom she was mar
ried, had so much as commented on
any of the personable qualities that
had seemed to capture him during
the period of their engagement and
the brief subsequent term of the hon.
eymoon.
Almost Immediately Frazier had
committed the error that is typical Of
thousands of American men of his
class In the terms of his own fa-
ther, who had once been rebuked by
his own mother for a similar detection
and had replied: after you have run
for car, you sit down." Frazier had
"sat down" He had begun the dan.
gerOus, the disillusioning mental hab-
1t of taking Meta for granted
What was taking place between
Meta and her husband was taking
place in practically every one of those
45 identical houses on the standard
ized street of that standardized town.
The women used to talk about 1t at
their bridge parties, at their afternoon
gatherings, as they rode into town on
their shopping expeditions. They
talked about 1t wistfully and vicarl-
ously The patter that took place
among them was Of starvelings. Mo.
tlon picture heroes who eulogized their
women in pleasant superlatives across
the screen fascinated them. They
we're fond Of saying among themselves
that foreign men were so fascinating.
1t WAS wonderful to have your hand
kissed. Fancy John kissing ones
hand He would explode all over with
laughter. All me. yes, foreign men did
have that something
Bitterly, there came yelling up into
the little heart Of Meta one day the
realization that Frazier's morning kiss
was a peck; that Frazier's evening
kiss was n peck that sometimes ac-
tually skidded and hit her on the top
OF her nose. Demonstration between
them had ceased. They no longer even
walked the streets arm in arm. Let
party and bridge in the neighbor-
hood, radiant in a new little frock she
had assembled for herself, and not so
much as cheep out OF Frazier unless
in the key Of, Say, you better go up
stairs and put on a petticOat,"
or, "Rub some of that circus paint
Off your lips"
Never tribute to her skill, her
economy, her prettlness Just rub-a-
dub-dub Of routine. Just lovelessness
Sometimes 1t seemed to Meta that her
heart was dying Of starvation. More
and more bitterly she withdrew into
herself, and yet, so far as Frazier was
concerned there was never a ripple
on the equanimity Of his conscious.
ness,
Their life together had just become
routine. There was no romance, no
demonstratjyeness. No unexpected
show OF interest and appreciation.
Just one day after another OF placid
acceptance Of things as they were by
Frazier One day after another of
increasing bitterness and resentment
on Netta's part.
n was FInzirr's calm acceptance Of
thirgs that was so maddening to
N"tA
>c..a was there to he pecked at
when ~ came home evenings That
seemed 10 be all that he noticed.
%etta was there to see to II that his
3lnner Wa bOi and well served, that
y c0ng.1;ed OF tbc things he liked,
tna' they were cooked to his taste.
crisp acre ha shirts His clothes