, 1880-03-04
Who She Was.


kins, mildly. one morning, as they sat
at tl.eir breakfast.
MIR. Simpkins Immediately put down
his newspaper and rammed both HANDS
determinedly into his trousers pockets.
Twenty years experience of married life
had made him willy, and he knew that
this bland form of address presaged q
persuasive attack og bis pocket book.
When Mrs Simpkms wantedmoney She
addressed him. Ms y"huAbH dear" in
their ordinary domestic intercourse he
was plain "NIr. s" or "5imkins.
Hubby, .darltig,R saH Mrs simp,
kins, Il really must have q new bonnet
this Spring, am ashamed to 90 out.
Mr.. Simpkins groancd. y. .. 9r
81 saw one at q Broadway store yes.
terday," continued Mrs S." beautiful
thing, so stylish and so cheap, only four
teen dollars IA ,..D .f... .-.l
'Tbat's always the tune" blurted
forth Mr.. Simpkins. "Here's corrup-
ton in every department of the govern
ment; silver worth only ninety eight
cents on the dollar; ahd-but what's the
use in talking economy to women
Mrs. Smpkins arose, and passing
over to her husband sat down in his
lap, and put her arms around his neck.
She was 10 longer young. Her cheek
had lost something Of its youthful bloom
and her figure its girlisbness, but there
was in her action. that which recalled to
him the days of long ago, when he was
proud, to hold her thus, and he would
have cheerfully paid for a hundred
bonnats every year, ifishe had asked for
them, @
"My DEAR" he said, relenting little,
edo you know what fourteen dollars'wiil
buyl"
"Yes," she said, simply 'it will buy
that IIbonne5ldspr." 'iTOJ
afheare," he said, handing her the
money; 81 cannot. see the sense Of wo-
man haFing So many bohnets.
Mr.. Simpkins arose with a gesSlretof
impatience, and jamming on his hat
stalked down town to his business, He
stopped on The way and bought a twelve
dollar box of cigars, and luhched at noon
at a fashionable restaurantsat On expense
Of two dollars and half; but then these
things vsts necessttiesg lnnda Mr. lSimp-.
kins did not have barrelful Of old ci7-
ga,s in The attic. ~s5'iCF9I i-,6 /
Whether it was the remembrance Of
his wife's little act Of girlishness that
mornips, OF, whether his heart was
tinged with a slight feeling Of remorse
for his ungraciousnets, Mr.. Simpkins
took his way home up Broadway that
night. with warmer feeling toward wo-
manhosa than he had known for q long
time. IN IN some way every woman he
met appeared attractiye-7a psychological
phenomena which otherimen beside Mr..
lSimpkins have observed in their own ex-
perience. In fact, there was scarcely a
woman who passed him that afternoon
whom Mr. Simpkins did not notice in
respect either Of eyes, hair, teeth or
dress. : III 10 l9lll'
"I declare" he said to himself" L
had no idea there were so many pretty
women in New York" NJ
p93 But when Mr. Simpkins reached
Tenth street, there descended from a
Twenty-third street stage q vision Of
such perfect female loveliness- as made
the heart Of Mr.. Simpkins fairly leap
into his throat Clad in what seemed
to him the most elegant and bewitching
of Summer costumes, and wearing the
most piquant Of hats tied beneath the
chin with bow of cherry colored ribbons,
the long ends of which foated saucily
over her shoulder, this celestial being
tripped across the street to Stewards,
raising her snowy skirts as she went,
and displaying an ankle sufficiently be-
witching to cause Hiram Powers in de-
spair to smash infnitessimally all the
craven images he had ever attempted to
make. Mr.. Simpkins stopped short and
gazed after her. He was no longer a
young man, but the fires Of youth still
smouldered within his breast, and seemed
now to burn with an ardor as fierce as
that of twenty years ago.
"By JUPITER" he exclaimed, could
o ANYTHING belmore lovelyl1l1 5U1
Without q moments hesitation he
crossed the street and entered Stewards
in pursuit Atthat momsnt he would
have given the price Of fifty bonnets for
another single glimpse of that one with
.sthe cherry ribbons BUT this search
was in vain. The lady bad disappeared.
.aUPe stairs and down, in the elevator,
around the rotunda, through every de-