THE 'GOOD FELLOW' OUGHT NEVER TO MARRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 12 October 1907, Page 4

THE 'GOOD FELLOW' OUGHT NEVER TO MARRY.

If I had a' daughter at the marriageable ago I'd shut her it]; in n convent ,r take her down to Tahiti and teach her to live in a grass hut before I'd let her fall in love with a "good fellow," who knows a lot of other good fellows and wants to talk about them all the time.

The good fellow is a line friend, the lest companion in the world, and more fun than one of George Adc's fables, iiut I'd just as soon think of marrying ;ne of them as I would thing of nia'rryng the .hick who jumps out of the box vhen you snap the lid. On the whole, I'd prefer the Jack in ihe box, because I could keep the lid kiwn over him, and I'd know where he was when the lid was down. One of the greatest mysteries out of ill the mysteries of human life is this: What does a "good fellow" marry for? Why does he ever persuade himself that he can be happy or make any woman happy in the sort of a [dace he calls home? A "good fellow" is as much out of place married as a fish would l>e out of place in a poultry yard. Poor fish! you couldn't help feel sorry Or it if you saw it trying to swim and !loat and dive in a burdock patch, could you? J never see a "good fellow" married but I shed two conscientious tears.

One of the tears is for the "good fellow" and the other tear is for the "good fellow's" wife. I don't know which tear is the biggest. I know a "good f, How" who was desperately in love some five years ago. He used to come and read me "parts of his sweetheart's letters, and he spent most of his time when lie wasn't reading those letters answering them. He went to bed at ten o'clock every night, so as to be up and waiting when the postman arrived.

lie stopped drinking too much, and he said that he didn't understand how he could have lived such a hollow life so long.

Poor 'good fellow!" The queen of the poultry yard had caught him in her net and he didn't know enough to struwle and I tried my best to make him understand what marriage would mean to him and to the sweet girl h e was determined to marry. I only made him angry.

I sent the bride a wedding present when they were married, and one evening 1 went to see her. It was lovely. The "good fellow" was fairly radiant with happiness; he was Imviiig a lovely time having a cold and being coddled and potted and spoiled to his heart's content.

The little wife was so delighted with •or husband and with herself and with the brand new pictures on the brand new walls, and the brand new chairing dish on the brand new table, she, couldn't possibly keep her brand new happiness to herself at all, and had to make a confidant of the milkman When there was no one else handy. I went home stilling with remorse "Imagine;" I thought, "what a fool I was. What if the "good fellow" had listened to my advice?'

A year after the marriage I spent another evening at the "good fellow's" home. He had not been home to dinner, his wife said, and I was afraid she looked as if she had been crying. He came in about half-past ten, all apologies and explanations.

The next time I saw the "good fellow" he was in a cafe with a crowd of his friends. Just as he was telling a very good story the telephone called him away from the table. When he came back he looked rather a bad fellow. "Boys I'll have to go," he said, "that wife of mine thinks she's sacred, or lonesome, or sick, or something." About a year later T heard that Mrs "Good Fellow" had gone home to her mother and that Mr "Good Fellow" was having the time of his life, trying to forget that he had ever been married.

Now, this particular "good fellow" was really what n great many so-called "good fellows" are not. He was a good man, clean, clever, decent, honest, kindly, truthful, and good-hearted, but lie couldn't live without the things that make a "good fellow" comfortable. Friends, good stories, good dinners, good wine, good clothes, late hours, little spins into the country by moonlight, and little arrivals at home by dawn. There was no harm in any of these things as long as lie lived them alone, but he had absolutely no right to expect any woman to be' happy at home alone while he was out having a good time with the hoys. There were no girls for her to have a good time with, and she couldn't have had a good time with them if there had been, so she moped and cried and nagged and killed his love for her. Poor "Good Fcll.ow!" Poor Mrs "Good Fellow!"

Neither of you is the least to blame for the wreck of nil your hopes. ]\fr "Good Follow" was a fish, and he made the mistake of marrying a pullet. What could either of them expect? There are a great many compensations in the life of a "good fellow." Why don't the "good fellows" mnke

up their minds to go without marriage, if not for their own sake, for the sake of the poor woman, who really ought to have some consideration in the matter?" .