The day book. [volume], January 31, 1914, NOON EDITION, Image 15

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
THE CONFESSIONS OF A WIFE
I INDULGE IN INTROSPECTION
Chapter LXVI.
"Well, I'll just take Miss Mollie in
hand," said Dick, after he had listen
ed in more or less angry silence to
what I had said of his mother's in
capacity in that direction.
I, without thinking, spoke up with:
"How, by introducing her to married
men like Bill Tenney, as you did last
night, while you are shocked when I
even mention the name of the young
woman he has scandalized in Mollie's
presence?"
By this time Dick was so furious
kthat he got up and left the table and
I knew I had been nasty, but it makes
me so indignant when I hear such
foolish ideas reiterated as "mother
can do no wrong" which Dick has
been giving me.
If men would only get over that
silly fashion of regarding the femi
nine sex as something that is not hu
man we would advance a long ways
on the road fo civilization.
To Dick, Mrs. Waverly, Sr., is not
a woman she is "mother," and in
the same fashion Mollie is "sister"
and I am "wife." In his mind, we
have nothing in common with the
whole outside army of femininity. We
must not be judged by the same
standards, t am'afraid he will never
be able to apply "human" rules of
conduct to us.
There are mothers and mothers
just as there are wives and wives,
and I blame Dick's mother for all
this trouble that Mollie almost got
into. Between you and me, little
book, I am sure she would have been
so flattered that young Hattersly ask
ed Mollie to go with him to dinner
that she would have let her go.
With Mrs. Waverly, Sr., as -with
many other women, to get into what
che thinks is "society" means more
than getting into heaven. Her great-j
est reason of dislike for me is because
I was a schoolteacher instead of one
of the city's society girls when Dick
fell in love with me.
But I am sorry I said that to Dick
about his mother, although I know
that down in his heart he knows it
is true. However, I don't believe I
would have said it had he been my
lover instead of my husband.
Already I have forgotten the ad
vice of Mrs. Selwin that "the busi
ness of a wife is to please." I might
have found some other way of mak
ing Dick understand that Mollie was
not to blame.
Isn't it too bad, little diary, that
marriage does not make over the
average egotistical man and foolish
girl into something that can be used
as working partners?
I let my temper get away with me,
and I shall be unhappy every minute
of the day until Dick comes back,
and then it is very probable, instead
of ignoring the fuss, I'll try again to
make him see my way. Something
inside of me makes me feel that I am
right and that Dick should see it that
way, and I suppose he feels the same
in even a greater degree about me.
I am afraid I am very nasty at
times, but I am sure that I am more
just to Didk and Dick's idiosyncracies
than he is to me and mine.
I have come to the conclusion,
however, that frankness is not always
a virtue, especially when that frank
ness entails running amuck among
your husband's most cherished ideals
and, conventions.
(To Be Continued Monday.)
o o
HEALTH TIP
The habit of snoring is hard to
cure. Abnormalities and diseased
conditions of the nose and throat are
often contributing causes. Snorers
should sleep on their sides.
By the records of the latest statis
tics there are 2,000,000 French fami
lies without children.