The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1907-02-21
FORGOTTEN
LETTERS

Quite recently, according to "the
public prints" a INST Ex-l-t-d
P-r-s-n-ge," as Thackeray would put it,
had occasion to regret the writing Of
certain letters.
He may, If this be true, console him
self with the reflection that there are
many, many others. There is a man
Washington who, only the other
afternoon, experienced perhaps a keen
or modification over certain letters
that he had written than any "Ex.l-t-ed
P-r-s-n-ge" ever did.
It was a rainy afternoon, and his
wife was doing some ante-C hristmas
rummaging in one of her old trunks.
From that trunk she plucked a pack
age of old, rather faded letters. neatly
tied up in cerise ribbon, and then she
came downstairs to where her hus-
band was attempting to read the
newspaper. There was a certain ma
licious twinkle in her generally ami
able eye.
"You used to care for me in those
days." was her curious way of open
Ing the conversation.
"Huh?" said her husband, looking
up vaguely from his paper. whats
that?"
FUSED to love me them" she said,
untying the packet of letters and pull
ing one of them from it's envelope.
What days? Whatchoo talking
about? Whatchoo got there?" he
asked.
ooh, some letters" she replied
placidly. Some of your"
ooh, rubbish, Matilda!" he broke in.
"Please femme alone. I'm reading
Here's one of them, written shortly
after W we're engaged" she went on
~unheedingly. "I am not a wealthy
man. she quoted from the faded page,
but I can, at least, my darling, strew
the path for your adorably dainty feet
with wild roses and poppies-'"
"Oh, I say" he broke in, flag that,
won't you? What's the answer to all
this? Please femme lone. Can't you
see that I'm reading?"
"And here's another PASSAGE" she
went on remorselessly. "tWhen 1 look
into your dear violet eyes I feel, stir
ring within me, the awakenings of a
new life, the moving harbingers Of
something higher and"
please cut it out, my dear" plead
ed the husband, his face reddening.
Horrible rot! Wish you'd lemme
lone"
Here's another one, written about
40 minutes later-you used to write
me about nine letters a day then, you
know, dear. You say here: When
hold you in my arms, and inhale the
dewy s%weetbriar fragrance of your
sunny hair, I feel as Paris must have
felt when he clasped Helen to his
heart in the golden antique years"
ooh, for Heavens sake, can that
rot, won't you, please Matilda?" the
man begged, but it was no use.
"And then you go on to say: Never
since the Chaldean shepherds watched
their focks in the dusks and twilights
of the ancient world, has woman been
worshiped as I worship my Matilda
Never since"
"Great Caesar, what a muff, what a
muttonhead, I must have been!'
groaned the husband. "What "a
why, I think it's real nice, really
said his wife, with a sort of RETROSPECT
tive smile on her face. II couldn't
understand a good deal that you
wrote, of course, because you know
you we're such a-er-forid anG
stylish writer, my dear, but Well
here is something that I understood
though: AT the outset Of the deal
journey which we are to take, hand in
hand, I promise you that never once
shall you hear so much as an unkind
word o my"
"Say, look here, Matilda, that junk
all uns for Sweeney. Please forget
it. What the deuce is your idea il
springing it on me now, when"
"This sounds nice, too: Those
precious, lily-white and hyacinth
sweet hands of yours shall never have
to be soiled with"
"Tell you one thing-I'm going tt
% out O. here, Matilda, If you dom
drop that. I won't sit here like a flat
head and listen to you u%nreeling that
kind o."
"You used to think so much IF my
ears, too. Listen to what you said O.
EN- here: They have the dainty
elusive tint of such a b%eauteous sea
!, shell as that in which Venus mus
have risen from the sea, and"
; There may have been worse lob
sters than I was when I uncoiled al
: of that superheated steam, but if there
we're I'd like to have a peek at ZEN
Just for the sake Of"
"And my nose, too, you used to b.
so fond Of: Shaped like Clytie's, ant
t with the most adorable little solitar,
!. freckle perched right on the bridge
r and"
cts hard to believe that l ever tool
my pen in hand to scribble such in
; fernal gibberish. Don't believe l wrote
such stuff at all. Don't believe l eve.
I was such a noody-naddy as to-"