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Show 290 1890, maybe the cause was dead dreams as much as dead babies. Whatever his line of reasoning in not permitting either one of his professional preparations to develop into a productive career, one can almost see the set of Ellis's mouth when the full import of his decision not to practice registered with her. Its significance could not have been overlooked, either, by the two other bright women who were his wives. We cannot brush aside the strong suspicion that Milford was a dabbler and that, over time, his stature in the eyes of his wives gradually diminished as they saw the predictability of a pattern of great starts and undistinguished finishes. In the early years, while they may have viewed his willingness to drop everything to leave for his missions as a special dedication, might they not later have suspected that his departures dovetailed with his need to be somewhere else, doing something different? But perhaps we overplay the hypothesis. Another postulate, one not so extreme, might be that as the women took separate domiciles, Milford either saw himself as homeless or preferred to be solitary. His independent nature might have caused him to wish for thate freedom. Of course, the legal strictures associated with the Manifesto should not be overlooked. Perhaps he preferred the posture of impartiality as he continued to exercise his patriarchal prerogatives. Would not blessing his sick, offering them counsel, and arranging family participation in temple work be invested with a special aura if he managed them from a neutral position? Mere guesses. |
