Evening star., 1902-03-22
OLD LOVE LETTERS

Iney were ABOUT 10 change DodrQlnS
houses. and the young matron, while pack
ing. fell to rummaging among lot of old
letters in the bottom of one of her trunks
She came upon a bundle of his letters
written before they were married. five
years ago. He was sitting in the room, try
ing to read his evening paper.
"Um," she said, reflectively. spreading
out and holding up one of the letters
There's use in talking, Jack. you could
write the loveliest letters! Do you remem-
Der how you used to write three OF them a
day to me, most of them special delivery,
not to mention frequent Telegram mS?"
'Rot!' said he, looking up from his paper
in alarm. nevertheless
Now. listen to this she went on. turn
ing page of one of the letters to the light
Dearest, did you know that your eyes
are Of the hue of a mountain lake in au-
tumn?'-now, wasn't that funny way to
allude to a girls eyes! What is the color
OF mountain lake In autumn. anyhow,
Jack?"
"Balderdash" said he. rattling his news
paper nervously. and pretending to be
deeply immersed in It.
:" That fair little throat" she went on.
with sly look at him, " firm as a marble
column, yet tender as the doves breast
now, don't scowl so frightfully. jacket
call that real pretty, indeed l do!''
Rubbish" said he, beginning to tousle
his hair.
land we shall go hand in hand adown
the asphodel meadows of life" she con-
tinued. turning the page over and regard
ng him out Of the SlantS of her eyes Il
always wondered what you meant by that.
Jack. I don't remember ever having seen
an asphodel meadow and l never heard of
one except in the poetry of Rossetti. Is that
where you got the asphodel meadows,
Jackie?'
"Humbug!' said he. crossing his legs in
ratified sort of way.
" Among all possible things the most
impossible is that we shall ever exchange
so much as the echo of a cross word! :"
she quoted. picking up another of the let
ters. Dear me. that's funny-and the mil
lions and billions Of silly little spats we've
had-eh. Jaclk?"
'Tommyrot!" he mumbled, wrigglng
around some more.
What was the name Of that Tosti song
you sang last night?-it has been running
through my head all morning like the hum
of harps. so that I've scarcely been able
to do my work-and you sang 1t Sapho
might have sung, brooding dreamily over
the wine-dark 1Onian sea!'-mercy on us.
Jack but how eloquent you used to get. and
so delightfully."- classical in your illusions,
too!'
"Bosh.' he snorted. Intellectually attempt
ing to read his paper upside down.
Now, dearest, don't you ever make the
mistake of dreading that I shan't be able
to get on famously with your dear mother,
for [ shall. She may be little set in her
ure to be uniformly gentle toward her, as
son-in-law should " she continued. with
rollickng little laugh at the close of the
quotation. 'Humphl And poor mamma
hadn't been in the house three hours on
the occasion of her first visit to us before
you were-er-well, just scrapping like
everything.
my dear. can't you that L m making
frantic effort to read my newspaper"
She was silent for space. chuckling at
intervals as she went over more of the let
ters. and then she began again.
4" And I want to have it distinctly under
stood before we are married that you are
to have the handling of all the money
that's the only way fellow ever manages
to save anything she resumed, taking up
still another letter.
He jumped up. threw down his paper,
jammed his hands into his trousers pock-
cts and ScoWled.
Look a-here. my dear" he exclaimed
why do you keep such driveing truck
as that about you for. anyway?'
"Why. Jack. they your letters" she
said. surprised, and clutching them tightly
bright idea seemed to strike him.
"What'H you take for 'em?" he inquired
of her.
She bit her lip and reflected.
We'll. l do hate to part with them. hon
est. Jack said she, but I saw a lovely
spring jacket down town today for only
$2S. and
"The Jackets yours-you get it to-
morrow-now gimme those letters" said he.
reaching out for them. She handed them
over, and he promptly chucked them into
the open CRATE fire.
And he is fondly imagining at the pres
ent moment that she gave him all Of those
discriminating letters, as 1t were. but she
didn't. She held out about forty of them
and If she doesn't use them to Swing him
for a sealskin by the time the cold weather
comes around again 1t will be caution.