No one reading this could possibly understand to what it referred, or what bearing it had on Johns, or his surroundings. Even if Mrs. Johns, who considered herself a very shrewd and far-seeing woman, had seen it, it would have meant nothing, unless she could have read Johns’ mind, which she did sometimes—at least she claimed she did.
Johns, after writing the above as stated, looked it over thoughtfully, and smiling a sad smile, murmured to himself, “I wonder if I can do it without too much friction.”
The facts in Johns’ life which led up to his making the mysterious entry in his diary were his marriage, and all the happenings of three years of married life with the well meaning, rather charming, but somewhat obstreperous Mrs. Johns.
Fact is, Johns had begun to realize that he was henpecked, and had decided to reform. For three years he had systematically spoiled Mrs. Johns to such an extent that she was unhappy. She wept because she had, like Alexander, no more worlds to conquer. She had developed into a very talkative autocrat, or tyrant, or something very much like that. She invaded every department of Johns’ life, regulated his smoking, drinking, eating, sleeping, clothing, and even his speech. Johns habitually dropped his “G’s” and Mrs. Johns habitually picked them up for him. Before going out to spend an evening Mrs. Johns gave Johns very explicit instructions relative to what he was to say to this one, that one and the other one, and exact details of what he was not to say; then on the return home Mrs. Johns would carefully point out the many lapses she considered Johns had made and warned him against like breaks.
Johns was pitied and despised by his former associates, and people smiled when Mrs. Johns said, “Jack, dear,” and Johns said, “Yes, my dear.” He was down and out; at least, it looked like it until he wrote: “This day I have decided things,” in his diary.
It would be wrong to conclude from the foregoing that Johns was a meek, pusilanimous, undersized, gentle and delicate man, without will or energy. Such was not the case. Meekness was not in him. He weighed 13 stone 3, stood 6 feet “in his stockings,” wore a 7 hat, a 9 shoe, and showed decision and pluck in business. But he loved peace to such an extent that he would sacrifice nearly anything to procure it, and so he had come to make the mistake of spoiling Mrs. Johns by deferring to her in absolutely everything, in the fond belief that thereby he was making home peaceful. After a three years’ experiment in this direction he became wise to the fact that peace was not his.
Johns, among men, had always been called a “good fellow,” and he was a good fellow; but not so good that he was an ass like some so-called good fellows. He was easy going and good natured; but not the type of the henpecked husband. He was a bad man to corner.
It must not be concluded either that Mrs. Johns was a vixen or a virago. No; she was simply a woman who had been made too much of; one whose path had been made so smooth that she had never been forced to think very much about anything; one who had received no training whatever in her development from a loving and gentle maiden to the equally beautiful, but somewhat sterner, married woman of three years’ standing. Possibly also she had been badly advised by sundry old women of her family who were satisfied that they were authorities on the management of a husband, and that they knew all about the animal man and his varieties. Mrs. Johns was also influenced in her method with Johns by what she had seen in her own home, where her calm and dignified, but rather shallow, mother walked on all the rights and liberties of her father, who only claimed his own soul by stealth.
The foregoing is, of course, commonplace enough. Married people are to be seen on all sides dragging out a miserable existence, just for want of a little thought about the real cause of their wretchedness. Johns did not propose to be of the many. He had given the matter thought and saw wherein he was himself to blame for the discomfort in his life. He decided to make a change, and as a preliminary wrote in his diary:
“This day I have decided things.”