, 1879-08-17

| What becomes of the city husbands Of the
+; period when their wives make their annual
| pilgrimage to the country in the hot summer
| season? We mean those wretched creatures
! who are left behind,-those husbands whose
| duties keep them forever on guard, ever in
the Office, the study, the warehouse, or the
| shop Madam So-and-so is at the Springs.
Lounging indolently in an easy-chair on the
verandah Of fashionable hotel, recuperat-
ing from the effects of last nights rout, she
listens 1anguidly to the smal1-ralk Of select
coterie Of snobs and noodles. Dropping her
fan that the favorite may have the exquisite
pleasure Of restoring it to her fair hand, she
exc1aims: ''Alas my poor, dear husband is
sweltering in the hot and dusty town, sigh
ing for the companionship of his family" !"
And she brushes AWAY mosquito and makes
pass at the nearest spider about to effect
1odgment on the tip Of her precious
little *s turn-up" nose. Mr. So-and-
SO, the husband Of Mrs. so-and-so,
is indeed sweltering in the hot and dusty
town, and signing, not exactly, however, for
the companionship Of his family or Of any
body else. But he is signing, al the same,-
signing for relief from the agonies of
humping headache. His pulse throbs like
the engines Of propeller in every square
inch OF his closely clipped Uranium, his eyes
are hotter than the hot atmosphere, his lips
are parched, and he is in the act Of swallow
ing quart Of ice-water. He Will feel
better by sundown, will write letter to his
mil fo1l;1e hor hoxv du11 on7 cf1,r;d fho o;tr
is, and how he divides his time between
eating sleeping, and business. He will warn
her to avoid dancing and late hours, and
counsel her to seek only that re pose which
the seclusion Of the country affords. Then
he will shave, dress with unusual care, per-
fume his handkerchief with violet, and
take one Of his sisters, or his
cousins, or his aunts to the theatre.
Hardly. But he will go to the theatre,
and he will not go alone it would ba dull
and-se16sh. See that poor, "deserted
husband" dashiug along the boulevard be-
hind a pair Of splendid bays. The aic is ex-
hilarating; it is the cool of the evening, and
the shadows have bagun to fall He holds
the lines with firm hand his eyes sparkle
with delight at the speed of the horses, and
he almost forgets that be is deserted as he
listens to the little nothings Of his charming
companion. In q nice little parlor Of a nice
little hotel four deserted husbands beguile
the lonely hours with game of whist.
Freed from the straitlaced customs Of
society, they remove their coats, pull off
their crayats, and choose tie most comforta-
BILE attitudes. 4 generously-supplied side
board affords cooling drinks, and four fra
grant cigars perfume the air and soothe
the sorrowful hearts of the wretched
party. Their souls are bowed down
story and the joke go round, and they quaff
the flowing bowl for consolation. The
various club-rooms swarm with deserted
husbands. They take q melancholy pleasure
in assembling there to compare their separate
sud particular sorrows. There is one mis-
fortune common to them all. They agree
that it is impossible to get anything to eat at
home. Their cooks, to woman, hare
conspired against them, and they are COM
PEELED to dine out. Hence numerous little
club dinner-p parties, with champagne and all
the delicacies Of the season. These parties
would be charming were it not for the fact
that both entertainer and entertained belong
to the fraternity of the great deserted lost
sheep of the house Of matrimony.
Deserted husbands attend the races in
large numbers, and are invariably found IN
the "field," where they stare rather boldly
at other persons, invariably found in the
"feld," who are not edeserted husbands,
and-bet high to Keep up their tagging
spirits. If the deserted husband can be said
to take delight in auYthing that thing is