Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 259, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1911 — The GENEVIVES I KNOW ALSO their Jamies [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The GENEVIVES I KNOW ALSO their Jamies

By HELEN HELP

The Genevieve Who Is a Noble Nagger

The Genevieve that I am going to tell you about la a noble woman. And besides that, she is sure that everyone else ought to be a noble woman, too. She used to say to a flirtatious girl friend: “I do not see how yon can Justify yourself In acting to Clarence as If you enjoy his society, when only last week you told me you were in love with Wllyum. This Is not the course of a truly noble girl; and I always thought you had such high standards, too.” Then her friend would say: “Oh, goodnesß, of course, I am In love with Billy; but I can enjoy the society of Clarence; too, can’t IT Billy knows all about Clarence, anyway, and, besides, there isn’t anything to know. He is Just funny—-weH, he Is a little In love with me, but not enough to hurt. Why, it Isn’t imiy>rtant.’’ Then Genevieve would feel awfully about It, and make It the subject of serious conversation, compeUlng gay little Clara to turn herself inside out as to action, and chasing every Uttle motive to its lair with utter unrelenting. Well, In the course of time Genevieve married, and the James she acquired was one of those blunt-fea-tured, good-enough looking Jameses whp build bridges and know about construction and concreting and steel girders, and the strength of the span and things like that —things requiring Borne concentration and nice calculation, and an absolute knowledge of matters and a power of taking responsibility; because otherwise things might fall down rather disastrously. Thus, in his curious masculine way, lames had quite a himself. • v Well, one day after they had been married awhile, James happened to mention that Johnson had been in the office looking for a job. He- said Johnson was a good man and he thought they would put him to work. Genevieve looked at him in dumb horror—but-it didn’t stay dumb. “Do you mean to tell me, James,” she said, in as sepulchral a tone as so

said: “Well, Genevieve, we need our job, I am not arranging matters for my firm, thank you.” ... “Genevieve,” says James some time later, “two of the men I graduated from Tech, with are in town and I would like to bring them home to dinner tomorrow. I guess I’ll bring quart of fizz with me. They’ll like it.” “I will be very glad to welcome your friends, James,” says Genevieve, “but I draw the line at liquor. It shall never come under my roof.” "Why,” says the bewildered James, "you used not to mind—” > "That was before I had a serious responsibility of bringing up a child properly,” says Genevieve. “But Jimsey Is only three months old —what harm can It do him?” Well, Genevieve was right enough, perhaps. She knew just what the atmosphere of the home ought to be from the first, and she was going to keep it that way. And she did. Jimsey kept on growing up and the atmosphere of the home came to be something like this Jimsey being three years old and a capable young citizen. "Doesn’t little son know that it is very wrong? Isn’t Jimsey sorky? Why isn’t Jimsey sorry? But Jimsey ought to be sorry. * Oh, Jimsey, you hurt mamma so when you are not sorry. Doesn’t Jimsey know that his little heart ought to be clean and good?” And all that little Jimsey really needs Is a light but rapid hand Spiled externally a moment, and the words, spoken In a clear, calm voice, with a downward inflection: "You mind mb.” Sooa.!jlmsey would learn to recognize kindly authority, and after awhile be old enough to see the value of exercising authority over himself. But James is told about Jimsey and he, too, must look sorry and probe after finer feelings, ’While Genevieve says: “I don’t see where he got such a disposition—but, perhaps, If one appeals to his better nature —” And then she looks at Jameß and James’ better nature all curls up and* crawls into its nest and hibernates, while his worse ( nature is on the Job, trying to dbdge'this noble woman’s case of conscience. James’ firm now says: “He is a good than, but you have to let him proceed on his own lines. Well, he is worth thousands every year to us.” Genevieve’s friends say: “She is a lovely character, and isn’t it a pity that her husband has such a cold, hard nature? And as for that child, he Is such a torment” And Genevieve’s very dearest friends say: “Heavens, how she does nag that poor man! And as for Jimsey!” (Copyright by Associated Literary Press.)

"It Shall Never Come Under My Roof.* happy a new-made wife could say it, “do you mean to say that you consider Mr. Johnson a good man?” "None better In his line,”' replied James cheerfully. “He is a crackerjack at handling men, and we need such a man Just now, having to start on a big bit of construction work very soon.” r . < \ * "James,” wailed Genevieve, “James, do you mean to say that you have forgotten that Mr. Johnson jilted Dorothy Blake? That they were engaged and he flirted with that horrid Mrs. Ranbler till it broke Dorothy’s heart? Do you call a man like that a good man?” "Oh, by the way, that's a fact,” observed James obtusely, "he did rather go the pace last year. But I saw Dorothy out with young Mlllyuns yesterday, and it looked as though he was mending her heart all right. And Johnson is a peach to manage men.” "But, James, you do not understand me,” urged Genevieve. “Mr. Johnson lp not a good man. He is a very bad man, indeed, and I should wink my husband would have too much principle to employ him.” "Oh, ls’that what you’re getting at? Well, Blake is a fine executive, Genevieve, and the firm ought not to recognise little personal affairs. After all, Mrs. Ranbler was a widow, ho there wasn’t anything actually criminal about it, was there?” James heard a few of his Genevieve’s' serious views during the honeymoon and before, but he simply looked at her with admiration as a peach of a good girl, you know. B did not Interfere with business. But this time it was serious, indeed. auoGenevleve gave .James mighty little vast about U. At last, she was told that she did not understand business. Then she inquired if her husband wag to lower his standard of right and