The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-13
ODD, AND SAD, TOO.
The Little Old Gentleman Who Imag-
ines That His Wife Dead a Year, ts
with Him at the Restaurant.
From the New York Recorder

From the New York Recorder.
In little table d'hote In Sixth avenue,
not 80 very far from Twenty-third street,
| a curious scene is witnessed almost
nightly, A little old man, with whitened
hair and bright black eyes, enters alone,
but his every action. his whole manner,
indicates that he imagines that he has a
companion with him. He Is amusing, yet
| pathetic. 4
When he strides into the rooms he turns
half around and says something, as If to
person following him. He stops before
his favorite table and carefully and
courteously pulls out two chairs. waving
his hand gracefully at one of them and
bowling and smiling as II inviting lady
| TO be seated Then he seats himself in
the chair opposite.
The waiter knows him we'll, knows his
idiosyncrasIes. knows his delusious, and
carefully and courteously, with perfectly
serious face, places plates, knives, forks
and the accessories of a dinner opposite
the empty chair, with the same suavity
and care he would use II stylish lady
sat in front of the little old man.
Then comes the strangest part Of the
quaint proceedings. The waiter asks tha
white-haired man what wine he prefers.
Then he walks around the table and asks
the same question, with perfectly grave
face, of the empty chair.
my wife says she prefers st. Julien"
the old fellow says, majestically, to the
waiter
Eyes, sir" replies the waiter, and
with great gravity he brings two pint bot
ties of wine, placing one before the old
gentleman and the other beside the plate
where the empty plate is. Then he
brings two portions of everything, ak
through the entire course of the dinner.
Meanwhile the little white-haired gem
tleman has never ceased TO talk and nod
at the empty chair. He is evidently car
rying on a conversation with it, He
smiles, laughs, looks eagerly across the
table, chatters volubly and listens in
tently, as If for a reply. He seems to be-
perfectly satisfied to do most of the talk
ing, and the replies which he receives
from the vacant place opposite him are
apparently highly satisfactory.
When the cheese and coffee are brought
on the urbane little gentleman takes
cigar from his case, mods apolOgetically
across the table, as If asking permission
to smoke, lights the cigar and carefully
blows the smoke to one side Dinner over,
the old gentleman escorts his imaginary
companion from the room as cerenoni
ously as he ushered her In.
When the reporter asked the cashier
about the extraordinary actions of the
little old chap that functionary replied:
ooh, that gentleman has been coming
mere IOr HNe years fOr FOUR years his
wife was with him every time he came.
She died year ago, and her death so
affected the poor old fellow that he lost
his reason. Nobody could make him be-
lieve she was dead
Finally, he got angry when a friend
told him she would never come back that
she was as dead as julius Caesar, and he
tried to stab the man; so his friend gave
II up and let him continue imagining his
wife was still with him Nearly every
night he dimes here, and he is always Just
as you saw him tonight. He talks away
at what he thinks is his wife and carries
on long conversations with her ghost, SIS
it were
HE is perfectly sRne on all other sub
jects, and is very ihoffensive, his only
crazy streak being in regard to his dead
wife, to whom he was devotedly attached.
| believe the poor old fellow has COM
Portable fortunen