“Oh Harry, I don’t want to go any place without you. Why can’t you go with me occasionally, instead of going to the club every evening?”
“Thunder, I don’t care for your stupid balls and parties. You know that very well, and I am not going to be dragged about to so-called entertainments by anybody.”
“But, I don’t care very much for balls and parties myself, and really don’t care to go; but dear, I would like to have you stay quietly at home with baby and I once in a while.”
“Quietly at home,” sneered the handsome Mr. Howard, “oh, that is a pleasant prospect. And then talk about quiet; I don’t suppose that fine daughter of ours would air her lungs more than a dozen times during this same quiet evening.”
“Harry, how can you speak so of baby Mae? You know our darling has never been well and we can not expect her to be as good as other babies on that account, but if you will only stay home this evening, I will send her up stairs with the nurse, and then you will not hear her at all.”
“No, I might not hear her, but every five minutes you would be running up stairs to see if she had turned over in bed.”
“No, Harry, I promise you I will not go even once,” answered Lucy, trying to smile, “and if you will only stay we will have some music. I will play for you and you shall sing, as you used to before we were married.”
“Nonsense; that did well enough then but it is rather stale now. Come, don’t be foolish, I hate scenes, and if you knew how dreadful you look when you put on that doleful face, and cry like a baby, you wouldn’t do it.” This remark was called forth by the fact that Lucy was trying hard to repress the tears which would betray themselves. “And besides that, I can’t stay at home this evening if I wanted to, for I promised several of the boys at the club that I would come down; in fact, they would hardly let me come home to dinner.” He did not add that his only reason for coming home was to put on a dress-suit, in which he was already arrayed.
“I don’t believe there is another man who neglects his wife as you do me,” sobbed Lucy.
“Bah! I don’t neglect you; you have all the cash you need, don’t you, and you’ve got as swell a house and as many servants as ought to satisfy any woman. Then there isn’t a woman in the city who can beat your turnout when you go for a drive. Any one would think, to hear you talk, that I was a brute of a husband, instead of one who provides you with everything your heart could wish and let you have your way in everything. I declare I am sick and tired of women; you can never do enough for them. I have seen enough of women and I must say I am disgusted with the whole lot.”