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Show 107 even though she is an "incompetent guide" who will ultimately fail, except by "reliance upon God." A few days later, Milford has moved his family, all except Ellis, into the 13th Ward, amidst her mournful private acknowledgment that she "will miss him" but will try to devote herself to "intellectual pursuits" as he suggested. "I hope to redeem myself in his estimation both as a mother and as a housekeeper." Here may be a clue as to the cause of the lament: ONCE I WAS HAPPY FOR I THOUGHT I WAS BELOVED. Has she somehow disappointed and angered Milford in the areas of mothering and keeping house? But wait a minute: this is just weeks after the birth of a baby, with a whole year of illness behind her, plus some strong recommendations from Milford to forget about the work, quit fretting, and thus have a better chance of getting well. Such advice sounds great coming from a solicitous husband; but let anything basic not get done, and the tune changes. This, of course, is pure speculation and probably does injustice to that situation and to good husbands in general. There was not the least opportunity for the great loneliness Ellis expected, for she saw Milford almost daily and prepared for him, three days after he moved away, a birthday dinner with all of the relatives as guests. On the sixth day "Milford moved his family back home again. All glad to be under the same roof once more. The business relations between himself and [his] father are dissolved. 4 Milford feels discouraged but I think all will turn out right." Is Milf experiencing a mid-life crisis? In a short period of |