His Pocket-Book is never empty when
his wife calls for money. He sits up in his bed, at night, feeding
Thomas Jefferson Smith with a pap spoon, while his wife takes
a comfortable nap and dreams of the new shawl she means to buy
at Warren's the next day. As "one good turn deserves another,"
he is allowed to hold Tommy again before breakfast, while
Mrs. Smith curls her hair. He never makes any complaints about
the soft molasses gingerbread that is rubbed into his hair, coat
and vest, during these happy, conjugal seasons. He always laces
on his wife's boots, lest the exertion should make her too read
in the face before going out to promenade Washington St. He never
calls any woman "pretty," before Mrs. Smith.
He never makes absurd objections to her receiving bouquets, or
the last novel, from Captain this, or Lieutenant that. He don't
set his teeth and stride down to the store like a victim every
time his wife presents him with another little Smith. He gives
the female Smiths French gaiter boots, parasols, and silk
dresses without stint, and the boys, new jackets, pop guns, velocipedes
and crackers, without any questions asked. He never breaks the
seal of his wife's billet doux, or peeps over her shoulder while
she is answering the same. He nver holds the drippings of the
umbrella over her new bonnet while his last new hat is innocent
of a rain-drop. He never complains when he is late home to dinner,
though the little Smiths have left him nothing but bones and crusts.
He never takes the newspaper and
reads it, before Mrs. Smith has a chance to run over the advertisements,
deaths, and marriages, etc. He always gets into bed first,
cold nights, to take off the chill for his wife. He never
leaves his trousers, drawers, shoes, etc. on the floor when he
goes to bed, for his wife to break her neck over, in the dark,
if the baby wakes and needs a dose of Paregoric. If the children
in the next room scream in the night, he don't expect his wife
to take an air-bath to find out what is the matter. He has been
known to wear Mrs. Smith's night-cap in bed, to make the baby
think he is its mother.
When he carries the children up
to be christened, he holds them right end up, and don't
tumble their frocks. When the minister asks him the name--he
says "Lucy--sir," distinctly, that he need not
mistake it for Lucifer. He goes home and trots the child,
till the sermon is over, while his wife remains in church to receive
the congratulations of the parish gossips.
If Mrs. Smith has company to dinner
and there are not strawberries enough, and his wife looks at him
with a sweet smile, and offers to help him, (at the same
time kicking him gently with her slipper under the table)
he always replies, "No, I thank you, dear, they don't agree
with me."
Lastly, he approves of "Bloomers"
and "pettiloons," for he says women will do as
they like--he should as soon think of driving the nails into his
own coffin, as trying to stop them--"cosy?"--it's unpossible!
more articles by Fanny Fern