But I have seen these same men as
cold and hard as a rock to their
own wives. I have seen these met
let their wives starve and die for a
little appreciation, a little tenderness,
a little love. I have known many of
I these men who never spoke to their
i wives after they were married ex
cept to find fault with them, never
to notice or praise anything: that was
well done, but to have an eagle eye
for every blunder and every mis
take. 1 have known these men never
to take their wives out to any place
i of amusement, never to devise any
pleasure for them, never even to
1 make them a present.
I have known men who were
spoken of as "such good men." They
were so friendly. So kindly to every
! one. They always visited the sick,
and went *o funerals, and headed do
nations. They were always so pleas
sant and companionable.
I have known men like that who
took out all the nerves and temper
they did not dare show customers
and clients upon their families. Some
times they were men who were too
much gentlemen to swear and curse,
but they held a more lethal weapon
o\er the heads of their wives and
| children. When anything displeased
them for some unknown reason they
would put into the gloomy silence, a
i lienee that froze everybody ana
everything and sent the temperature
down to zero, and this would last for
j days and weeks.
I have known plenty of men who
spoiled what might otherwise have
been a happy home with their
grouches, and made It * a place of
torment from which the children fled
as soon as they were old enough to
leave.
