Wichita eagle., 1889-08-30
THE ONE LEFT BEHIND.

Wlat Fond and Foolish Creatures Women
Sometimes Are, Bless Them.
The one who is left behind-ah, the one
who is left hehinda It is almost always q
woman. What does she do! IF she loves the
careless, happygo-lucky young fellow or the
deliberate. sanctimoaious old fellow, she will
gaze after him through vista Of tears as
long as there Is piece of him In sight and
then she viii rush up stairs and grab one Of
his old vests or coats or plunge her head into
an old hat that has been left behind too, and
cry like the big baby she is. At breakfast
her coffee will taste salty Ike tears, and at
dinner her soup Will be tastsless. If she
sleeps at all for the first few nights she dreams
that she sees her beloved afar off. He is
coming towards her with smile of love on
his face. He comes nearer and nearer. She
stretches out her arms to embrace him. A
dark cloud falls between. She calls, but he
does not answer. She gropes around in the
darkness. but she cannot find him, and she
wakes, sobbing, to find herself sitting up in
bed with her arms outstretched and the tears
streaming down her face. All, is there a
woman who loves much, who has not dreamed
such dreams when parted from her beloveda
Careless Charlie or solemn Solomon prom
ised to write from the first stopping place.
They forgot to do it, of course; but the one
who is left behind does not forget to look for
the letter. She starts and trelnbles at every
sound Of the dOorbell, and if 1t rings I'M
usually sharp and quick, she is SIRE it is the
telegraph messenger bringing the news Of
a railroad or steamboat disaster, in which
her beloved has been mashed as fat as a
founder, or blown sky high. 1t was not q
telegraph messenger. She thanks God for
that But it was not the expected letter
either and she plunges her head into the
old hat again for comfort.
In what strange ways we women comfort
ourselves when parted from beloved onel
know a woman-a literary woman-who
develops a sudden fondness for needle and
thread and thimble when her husband leaves
home She overhauls every article Of his
wardrobe and sews on buttons by the dozen
and tape strings by the yard. | half suspect
the sly man takes a short trip from home
once or twice a year just to get his clothes
mended.
know another wife who always mounts
her husbands old slippers on a pedestal Of
some kind and says her prayers to them night
and morning until he returns. l know a
woman who has vest belonging to her sailor
love who has gone on a long cruise. She keeps
it hidden carefully away in the bottom of her
trunk / caught her kissing and crying over
it one day and said: why didn't you ask
him to leave you a pair of his old boots" She
turned her eyes on me with a glare and
answered: 'Do you suppose his heart was in
his feet!"
81 hope not" replied, "but it certainly is
not in the pocket of that old vest"
''No," she answered, ''but it used to cover
his dear heart, and I'd rather have it for a
keepsake than the diamond locket Kate wears
with her sweetheart's picture in it,"
'How tastes do differin l said to myself,
thinking Of the comfort Kate gets out of the
locket hidden away in her BOSOM and what
| comfort Mary finds in the ring that her Harry
/ left her to remember him by when he went
/ to New York On business trip ten days age
and how fondly Jennie treasures pocket
/ handkerchief that belongs to the man she
! loves.
All, what fond and foolish creatures we
women are!--Pearl Rivers in New Orleans
/ picayune.