The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-04-14
MISCELLANY.
From the New York Round Table. !
Where Is MY Wife.

Mr.. EDIToR:-I ask your aid and your SYM
pathy, for / am bereaved man. 1t is now
three weeks since have laid eyes upon my
wife, though night and day | have been in
search of her. You may have seen me as
vibrated between Union Square and the ar
mory of the Twenty-second Regiment in
Fourteenth street. | have seen many of my
friends pass me-and you among them-but
my wife | have not seen. Have you seen
her?
Let me tell my story; it shall be short
The day after New Years she was seized with
the Sanitary Fair fever but in mild and
harmless form, as | thought then. 1t began
by her appealing to me to help the poor sol
diers, aud do my part in putting down this
accursed rebellion. Have / not done SO?
She knows, and you know, that went through
the Peninsular campaign, and would have re-
manned in the army until now had not been
disabled. You may not know, but she knows,
that have contributed a tenth of my income
and it is not large-to different charities
that have for their object the promotion of the
soldiers welfare. But the point was, what
would l do for the Sanitary Fair? l told her
/ would do all could, and as an earnest of
my purpose l added that l would attend to
household matters if she would devote her
spare time to working for the fair. The offer
was readily accepted, and few days later |
was made not q little proud by seeing in my
morning paper her name at the head of one OF
the most important committees on the Met
ropolitan Fair. Little did / think then how
much sorrow that would bring me- But, sir,
have you seen my wife?
For two months she was out most of the
time calling upon persons to solicit their aid
for this most deserving charity; and when she
way at home could get no chance to see her,
for she was overrun with callers, each one
having very important business. Bundles of
all shapes and sizes began to arrive. The gar
ret was long since filled with them, and the
balance has been stored in the back parlor.-
And, what was more provoking, the packages
used to come just at night, when had lighted
my post-prandal cigar and could not bear TO
be disturbed. But my wife was so earnest
she is positively bewitching in her en- thusi-
asm) that hadn't the heart to refuse, so |
went to work and helped carry the bundles in
the house and store them where she wished.
When the job was finished / was glad to re-
tire, though | had not read my paper. My
wife-but have you seen her?
My wife, / was about saying, disappeared
Just three weeks ago-no, it was three weeks
and day. She went out in the forenoon, and
has never returned. l see her name every
day In the morning and evening papers,
Yesterday | read in the Tribune: The
committee on are meeting with great
success, due mainly to the personal exertions
OF Mrs. -. We mean no disparagement
of the other members of the committee, but
we know that they all admire the sef-sacri-
fee and untiring energy which Mrs.
has displayed in this good work. Indeed the
information comes to us from one of the com
mittee, and we print it as simple act of
justice to a noble, patriotic woman" This is
very gratifying to me, but would be much
more so could | only see the lady referred to
In such eulogistic terms. have been TO the
committee rooms again and again, but she
has always just gone out" / have hung
about the building in Fourteenth street in
hopes Of seeing her, but ia vain Everybody
has seen her, but nobody can tell where she
is. This week l have been about the new
building now erecting on Union Square, and
have heard Of her time and time again, but
have not seen her. Once l thought | caught
q glimpse of her dress whirling around thH
corner of Fourteenth street and Sixth avenue,
and / started to run, but owing 10 the effect
of the wound received while l was in the ar
my, had to give up the chase. l got very
much out Of breath, too. Still / would not
have minded it so much If had only found
my wife. Have you seen her?
am sure you have. Everybody has-ex-
cept her husband. My friends meet me and
congratulate me SO warmly on the achieve
ments of my wife that | can't help blushing
with marital pride, and when inquire if they
have seen her, get the same answer: "Why,
OF course we have. She is everywhere. How
very strange that you have not met her !"-
Well, / suppose must give up all hopes OF
seeing her till the fair is closed. Three weeks
more without wife, Perhaps | may meet
her at the fair but don't count muah upon
that
have written her a great many letters-at
least two every day. Some | write in prose
and some in verse, though / don't pretend to
be poet Zone of my poems was published
In the Lyrics of Loyalty" but it was the
poorest ever wrote.) To-day l have writ
ten few verses to her, which l inclose.--
Perhaps she may see them il they are printed
in your paper, SO here they are:
TO MY WIFE.
oh chi