Too Wise Wives

1
Most stories end: "And they
lived happily ever after --"

2
Our story should begin that 
      way -- but --

3
It happens that Mrs.
David Graham made
the martyred kind of
wife who lives only for
her home and husband.

4
Her brand-new husband
thought her the picture
   of domesticity.

5
She was determined not to 
nag, but she did wish he
would discard that dirty,
smelly pipe and smoke the
nice cigars she had bought
him for Christmas.

6
Truant memory suddenly
recalled a similar inci-
dent of two years ago.

7
"Good for moths, old darling.
        Do it again."

8
That old sweetheart had
certainly known how to 
make a fellow comfortable.
She had married a richer
man and was no doubt
making him comfortable that
minute --

9
-- not that she could hold a
candle to his wife, of course.

10
Knitted slippers -- his pet
 abomination!

11
"You know, sweetheart, when 
a fellow gets used to a pipe
or tobacco and his old slip-
pers they are a lot of comfort
to him."

12
"I'm an ungrateful brute,
darling. Of course, I'll
wear them!"

13
Mrs. John Daly, wholly
selfish and a poor house-
keeper, through study
and cool calculation had
made a very successful
        wife.

14
Mr. John Daly thought 
himself a very lucky 
man.

15
"There isn't another woman 
in the world as capable,
gracious and lovely as you,
Sara."

16
"Don't eat anything you don't
want, darling. You will be
just that much hungrier for 
lunch."

17
"I shall have to look for an-
other cook, dear David. This 
one is so incompetent that I
would rather get your 
breakfast myself."

18
Fried chicken again! It
seemed to him they
had it nearly every 
morning.

19
"But you told me it was 
 your favorite dish!"

20
"Suppose we stop fussing so
much about what we eat,
shall we?"

21
    Through a very excess of
     adoring, unselfish love
unable to reason calmly about
how to please him.

22
Gone -- for the first time
without kissing her
goodbye!

23
    She didn't blame him. No
       one could love such a
weak, silly fool as she was!

24
She had hours of freedom
before taking up her role
of loving wife again. If only
David Graham had not 
proven so difficult and so 
easily consoled!

25
The David Grahams, --
(Father and Son), -- did
not talk much about their
business troubles, but they 
had them.

26
She knew she should not
phone but she ached so
intolerably --

27
It was Mrs. John Daly's 
  theory that if a woman
interrupted her own husband
during business hours, it
annoyed him -- but that if
she interrupted another
woman's husband, it flattered
him.

28
"You are friendly enough 
with John, David. Why
be so stiff with me? Drive
out here with your wife
some Sunday."

29
This was the morning that
Mrs. John Daly could
usually be found at the 
Woman's Social and Political
Club.

30
Mrs. Wynn had been one 
of her girlhood pals, but
she had not married well 
enough to be sought after.

31
She had come especially
to torture herself with
a sight of "that woman",
as she always thought of
her husband's old flame.

32
"My people have always been 
Republicans so it is easy to
know which President to
vote for, but the amendments
bother me terribly."

33
"Well -- on one bill board it
says to 'Vote Yes on Amend-
ment 24', and right across the
street another one will say
'Vote No on Amendment 24'.
One doesn't know what to do."

34
"What greater argument could
we have against the bill 
board menace?"

35
She could never compete 
with a rival who would
be clever at the expense of 
her friends.

36
(As women will!)

37
"I can't ride with you but I
will meet you. I have to
drive my own car."

38
Mrs. John Daly, with
plenty of money to 
spend, enjoyed being
extravagant in the
presence of less fortu-
nate wives.

39
A twinge of conscience.

40
Mrs. David was normally an
economical, thrifty house-
wife but no woman could be
expected to keep her balance
under these conditions.

41
"It isn't only the gown! It's
all the things you have to 
get to go with it."

42
David, generous by disposi-
tion, had given her very
little money, lately. Her
instinct warned her that he
was hard up -- and she loved
him.

43
She would have to change
the figures on the tags
for the benefit of her small
salaried husband and find the 
balance of the money herself
-- -- someway!

44
"Don't wait for me -- I'm
  going straight home."

45
The dove of peace gradually
settled again on the roof
tree of the David Grahams.

46
The slippers had not been 
displaced even by warm
weather.

47
John Daley didn't know it
but he was going to buy 
a certain limousine in the 
morning.

48
"You are an angel, Sara."

49
"I'll be glad when my out of
town session is over. You
must ask someone for this 
week-end."

50
This act was to have a 
farther reaching in-
fluence than she intended.

51
"Not in front of servants,
         honey."

52
The letter was sent by mes-
senger the next day but
arrived at David's office just
too late to catch him.

53
Mrs. David was at her 
regular evening post,
waiting for her husband,
 when the bookkeeper
 brought the letter.

54
What a blind, trusting fool
  she had been!

55
"Sorry I'm late but I met John
Daly and had to talk. He
insists on us going down to 
keep his wife company over
Sunday, but I knew you
would not care to go."

56
"Certainly we will go. I'll
   phone her right away."

57
Needless to say -- they went!

58
The one dishonorable act
of her life eating like a
corroding acid at her sensitive
conscience.

59
There had been no hesita-
tion about shopping for
this visit.

60
"Luncheon will probably be
badly served and uneatable.
I am a dreadful housekeeper
but I'm so nice to John that
he doesn't mind."

61
Up to Sunday evening
Mrs. David had been
unable to nail herself to
the cross of justified
     suspicion.

62
"Sunday at last, David."

63
"Poor darling -- I am afraid it
is time for you to go if you
are to catch your train."

64
There was no dust in her 
house but she knew now
that that was not the thing 
of vital importance.

65
David could not help but
contrast her pettiness
with the comfortable broad-
mindedness of her rival.

66
"Mrs. Daly said she was 
 retiring early, Sir."

67
She had come to convict
people of evil who 
were absolutely innocent.
She was the evil one.

68
"I could not go home without 
asking forgiveness for the
wrong I have done you."

69
"Oh -- I didn't open your 
letter! It was wicked
enough to take it!"

70
"Here's a message that just
came for your house, Mr.
Daly, addressed to David
Graham."

71
"I cannot blame David for
realizing how much more 
clever and how infinitely
less selfish you are than I."

72
"You plan in every way to
do the thing that will please
your husband instead of the
thing that should please 
him because you want it to."

73
The incense of this woman's 
praise touched and soft-
ened her. She would get the
letter back and let David go 
his way.

74
This unexpected develop-
ment wholly revived
the hunting instinct. Good
resolutions were scattered
to the winds.

75
"I am greatly in your debt, 
Sara. You have cured me
of an illness that might 
have been dangerous."

76
"The trust of a fine husband 
is a mighty precious posses-
sion that I would advise you 
to keep."

77
She had had a good impulse
and had not lived up to
it. This humiliating experi-
ence was the result.

78
"Did David's telegram arrive?
I sent it to the house. The
train's late and I'm killing
time."

79
"Don't go, John dear, please.
I need you right away --
now."

80
"A less honest woman would
have read the letter and then
never confessed. It was a 
big thing to do and I'm proud 
of you."

81
His love and faith and pride
in her had become sud-
denly dear and she would
run no more risk of losing 
them.