THE VALUE OF A FRAGILE WIFE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4161, 22 August 1881, Page 4

THE VALUE OF A FRAGILE WIFE.

, There was a time when American women prided themselves on their fragility. To be healthy, strong, or plump was thought to be the height of vulgarity, and refinement was held to be inseparable from leanness and consumption. These views still obtain, eo it is said, in Boston, and especially in Bostonian literary circles, but elsewhere the American woman is growing plump and healthy, and iB actually proud of it. The late Mrs Baker — for that was her latest name — was perhaps the only fragile woman on record of whom it can be said that her whole value consisted in her fragility, but, as her story shows, her frailty was the sole capital invested in her husband's business. In January, 1870, Mrs' Baker, then a single woman, as to whoso maiden name there is some uncertainty, was married to Mr Wheelright — James G. Wheelwright, of Worcester, Mass. Her husband married her on account of her well-known fragility, but he treated her with such kindness that in tho whole course of their married life he never once broke hor, even by accident. In February, 1870, the Wheelwrights removed to Utica, N.Y., and one day Mr Wheelwright took his wife to the railway station, and had her break her leg in a small hole in the platform. He at once sued the railway company for 10,000 dols, being the value sot by himself on his wife's leg, and ten days afterwards accepted 5000 dols as a compromise. The Wheelwrights left Utica in June, 1870, and in tho following August the dutiful Mrs Wheelwright, who now called herself Mrs Thomas, broke her other leg in a hole in the platform of tho railway station at Pittsburg. Again her husband sued the railway company for 15,000 dols, and compromised for 6500 dols. Tho leg was mended successfully, and in July, 1871, we find the Thomases, now passing under the name of Mr and Mrs Smiloy, at Cincinnati, whore Mr Smiley, after long searching, discovered a piece of ragged and uneven sidewalk, upon which his wife made a point of falling and breaking her right arm. This time the city was suod for 15,000d013, and Air Smiley proved that his wife was a school teacher by profession, and that tho breaking of her arm rendered it impossible for her to teach, for the reaao2i that she could not wield a rod or even a slipper. The city paid the 15,000do!a, and the Smiley s, having by honest industry thus made 26,500d015, removod to Chicago, and cntored their names on the hotel register as Mr and Mrs il'Ginnis, of Portland, Me. On the second day after their arrival at the hotel, Mr M'Ginnis found an eligible placo on the piazza for Mrs M'Ginuis to break another leg, which that excellent woman promptly did. Tho usual suit for 15,000d01s was brought, and the hotelkeepor, fearing tho uotorioty of tho suit would injure his hotel, was glad tocompromiae by pujing 8000dols. By this time, it is understood, Mrs M'Ginnis was willing to retiro from bueiness, but her husband had set his ht art on making 50,000d015, and, like a good wife, she consented .to break some moro bonoa. It should be said that thero was very little pain attending a fracturo of any one of the lady's bone?, and that pI.o did not in tho least mind the monotony of lying in bed while the brokon bonos knitted themeelvc3 together. Thero can, therefore, be uo charge of cruelty brought against her husband. Indeed, she horaolf ontercd with hearty goodwill into tho scheme of making a living with her bonen, and would po out to break a leg with as munh ehonrfulness as if she were going to a theatre In March, 1872, Mrs Wilkins — hitherto known as Mra M'Ginnis— walked into an open trench in a street in St Louu and broke another lej,'. This time tho suit brought bv Mr Wilkins against the city did not succeed, and tho enquiries which wero put on foot as to tho antecedents of tho Wilkinses fairly frightened them out of the city. The- turned up a month later in Detroit, where tho" weather wns Hlill cola, and inuch snow hnd recontly fallen. There was atill 10,000 dols to bo made beforo tho industrious pair would have the wholo of their desired 50,000 dols, and it was decided that Mrs Wilkins— who hnd changed her namo to Mra Baker— should full on the icy pavement, and break both arms. This, it was estimated, would bo worth at leaßt 8000 dols, and it was hoped that the subeoquont judicious breakago of two legs on tho premises of a Canadian iv.ilway would bring in 8000 dols moro, after which the Bakers intended to retire from business. Early one morning Mr Baker took his wife out, and had her fall on a nioo pioco of ice, where sho broko botli her arms. Unfortunately, eho fell more heavily than was necod-

sary, and, iu addition, broko her neck and instantly expired. Tho grief of Mr Baker naturally knew no bounds, and he sued for 25,000d015, all of which he recovered. He has thus made 59,500d01s by tho aid of his fragile wife, and demonstrated that as a source of steady incomo a woman who breaks easily is almost priceless.