The Line of Least Resistance

Announcer:Now, the weekly Special English program, AMERICAN STORIES.

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Ourstory today is called "The Line of Least Resistance.”  It was writtenby Edith Wharton. Here is Larry West with the story.

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Storyteller: Mister Mindon returned home for lunch. His wife Millicent was not at home. Theservants did not know where she was.

MisterMindon sat alone at the table in the garden. He ate a small piece of meat anddrank some mineral water. Mister Mindon always ate simple meals, because he hadproblems with his stomach. Why then did he keep a cook among hisservants?  Because his wife Millicent liked to invite her friends to bigdinners and serve them rare and expensive food and wine.

MisterMindon did not enjoy his wife's parties. Millicent complained that he did notknow how to enjoy life. She did a lot of things that he did not like.

Millicentwasted Mister Mindon's money and was unpleasant to him. But he never got angrywith his wife.

Aftereating, Mister Mindon took a walk through his house. He did not stay long inthe living room. It reminded him of all the hours he had spent there at hiswife's parties. The sight of the formal dining room made him feel even moreuncomfortable. He remembered the long dinners where he had to talk to his wife'sfriends for hours. They never seemed very interested in what he was saying.

MisterMindon walked quickly past the ballroom where his wife danced with her friends.He would go to bed after dinner. But he could hear the orchestra playing untilthree in the morning.

MisterMindon walked into the library. No one in the house ever read any of the books.But Mister Mindon was proud to be rich enough to have a perfectly useless roomin his house.

Hewent into the sunny little room where his wife planned her busy days andevenings. Her writing table was covered with notes and cards from all herfriends. Her wastepaper basket was full of empty envelopes that had carriedinvitations to lunches, dinners, and theater parties.

MisterMindon saw a letter crushed into a small ball on the floor. He bent to pick itup. Just as he was about to throw it into the wastepaper basket, he noticedthat the letter was signed by his business partner, Thomas Antrim. But Antrim'sletter to Mister Mindon's wife was not about business.

AsMister Mindon read it, he felt as if his mind was spinning out of control. Hesat down heavily in the chair near his wife's little writing table.

Nowthe room looked cold and unfamiliar. "Who are you?" the walls seemedto say. "Who am I?" Mister Mindon said in a loud voice. "I'lltell you who I am! I am the man who paid for every piece of furniture in thisroom. If it were not for me and my money, this room would be empty!" Suddenly, Mister Mindon felt taller. He marched across his wife's room. Itbelonged to him, didn't it? The house belonged to him, too. He felt powerful.

Hesat at the table and wrote a letter to Millicent. One of the servants came intothe room. "Did you call, sir?" he asked. "No," MisterMindon replied. "But since you are here, please telephone for a taxi cabat once."

Thetaxi took him to a hotel near his bank. A clerk showed him to his room. Itsmelled of cheap soap. The window in the room was open and hot noises came upfrom the street. Mister Mindon looked at his watch. Four o'clock. He wonderedif Millicent had come home yet and read his letter.

Hishead began to ache, and Mister Mindon lay down on the bed. When he woke up, itwas dark. He looked at his watch. Eight o'clock. Millicent must be dressing fordinner. They were supposed to go to Missus Targe's house for dinner tonight.Well, Mister Mindon thought, Millicent would have to go alone. Maybe she wouldask Thomas Antrim to take her to the party!

MisterMindon realized he was hungry. He left his room and walked down the stairs tothe hotel dining room. The air -- smelling of coffee and fried food -- wrappeditself around his head.

MisterMindon could not eat much of the food that the hotel waiter brought him. Hewent back to his room, feeling sick. He also felt hot and dirty in the clothinghe had worn all day. He had never realized how much he loved his home!

Someoneknocked at his door. Mister Mindon jumped to his feet. "Mindon?" avoice asked. "Are you there?"  Mister Mindon recognized thatvoice. It belonged to Laurence Meysy. Thirty years ago, Meysy had been verypopular with women -- especially with other men's wives. As a young man he hadinterfered in many marriages. Now, in his old age, Laurence Meysy had become akind of "marriage doctor.”  He helped husbands and wives save theirmarriages.

MisterMindon began to feel better as soon as Laurence Meysy walked into his hotelroom. Two men followed him. One was Mister Mindon's rich uncle, Ezra Brownrigg.The other was the Reverend Doctor Bonifant, the minister of Saint Luke's churchwhere Mister Mindon and his family prayed every Sunday.

MisterMindon looked at the three men and felt very proud that they had come to helphim. For the first time in his married life, Mister Mindon felt as important ashis wife Millicent.

LaurenceMeysy sat on the edge of the bed and lit a cigarette. "Misses Mindon sentfor me," he said. Mister Mindon could not help feeling proud of Millicent.She had done the right thing. Meysy continued. "She showed me your letter.She asks you for mercy." Meysy paused, and then said: "The poor womanis very unhappy. And we have come here to ask you what you plan to do."

NowMister Mindon began to feel uncomfortable. "To do?" he asked."To do? Well…I, I plan to…to leave her."

Meysystopped smoking his cigarette. "Do you want to divorce her?" heasked.

"Why,yes! Yes!" Mister Mindon replied.

Meysyknocked the ashes from his cigarette. "Are you absolutely sure that youwant to do this?" he asked.

MisterMindon nodded his head. "I plan to divorce her," he said loudly.

MisterMindon began to feel very excited. It was the first time he had ever had somany people sitting and listening to him. He told his audience everything,beginning with his discovery of his wife's love affair with his business partner,and ending with his complaints about her expensive dinner parties.

Hisuncle looked at his watch. Doctor Bonifant began to stare out of the hotelwindow. Meysy stood up. "Do you plan to dishonor yourself then?" heasked.  "No one knows what has happened. You are the only one who canreveal the secret. You will make yourself look foolish.”

MisterMindon tried to rise. But he fell back weakly. The three men picked up theirhats. In another moment, they would be gone. When they left, Mister Mindonwould lose his audience, and his belief in himself and his decision. "Iwon't leave forNew Yorkuntil tomorrow," he whispered. Laurence Meysy smiled.

"Tomorrowwill be too late," he said. "Tomorrow everyone will know you arehere." Meysy opened the hotel room door. Mister Brownrigg and DoctorBonifant walked out of the room.

Meysyturned to follow them, when he felt Mister Mindon's hand grab his arm."I…I will come with you," Mister Mindon sighed. "It's…it's…forthe children." Laurence Meysy nodded as Mister Mindon walked out of theroom. He closed the door gently.

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Announcer: You have just heard the story "The Line of Least Resistance.”  It waswritten by Edith Wharton and adapted for Special English by Dona de Sanctis.Your storyteller was Larry West.  For  Special English, this is ShepO’Neal.

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