Feminine Finesse

Now it came to pass that a Certain
Man made an Appointment with his
Wife to meet upon a certain Street
Corner,

And he duly Arrived at the Trysting
Place at the Appointed Time.
And he Waited. And he Waited. And
Still he Waited,
And then he waited Some More.

And, behold, the wife of his Bosom
came not. And the Man did mutter in
his beard many Words that may not
be used in This Place, adding: "Her
adventure she hath mistaken the Tryst-
ing Place, as many times she has
done before. I shall wait no more."

And he Went his way, using Many
Words that came ill from a man of
Culture and Superior Education, for
he said Certain Things that may not
be Here printed.

And lo, scarce had he Departed, when
the wife of him came to the
Trysting Place hurrying and greatly
out of Breath—and Temper.

And, behold, her Spouse was not
there. And she also Waited, but he
came not. And she went unto her
Home, and, lo, her Spouse was There.

And she Upbraided him, saying,
"Why met you not Me at the Appointed
Place?"

But he answered in wrath, crying,
"Why were you Not there at the Ap-
pointed Time? For behold, I tarried
for Twenty Minutes and you came
Not."

And she made answer and said, "That
is not True; for I was but Nineteen
minutes late."

But he retorted upon her, saying,
"But you Were late."

And, behold, she wept Bitterly, say-
ing, "What Matters that now, when
you would make a Liar of your Wife
for the sake of one Minute. You said
Twenty, and it was but nineteen." And
she wept anew.

And he, becoming Sore Distressed,
murmured, "There, there, dear. May-
hap I was in the Wrong. But my
Watch said Exactly twenty Minutes."

But she fell to weeping Again, crying,
"Nineteen! Nineteen! Is your Wife a
Perjurer!" And she wept Louder.

So he became Sore Disturbed and
cried, "Dear, it was Nineteen, now I
Bethink me, and I Apologise."

And she asked him, "Humbly?"

And he said, "Most Humbly, dear,
Am I forgiven?"

Then smiling through her Tears she
answered, "Verily, But Don't do it
Again."

And going into the Outer Court he
did Kick himself Hard.

Moral. Only a fool will argue with a
woman, thinking to Win.