Charlevoix county herald., 1907-01-26
FORGOTTEN
LETTERS

He may, If this be true, console him
self with the reflection that there are
many, many others. There Is a man
in Washington who, only the other
afternoon, experienced perhaps a keen
er modification over certain letters
that he had written than any "Ex-lt-ed
P-r-s-n-ge" ever did.
1t was rainy afternoon, and his
wife was doing some ante-Christmas
rummaging in one of her old trunks.
From that trunk she plucked a pack
age of old, rather faded letters, neatly
Fled 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?"
USED to love me then" 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.
"Oh, some letters" she replied
placidly. Some of your"
"Oh, rubbish, Matilda!" he broke in.
please femme alone. I'm reading"
Here's one of them, written shortly
after we were engaged" she went on
unheedlngly. "T am not a wealthy
man. she quoted from the faded page,
but l can, at least, my darling, strew
the path for your adorably dainty feet
with wild roses and poppies-'"
'Oh, say" he broke in, flag that,
won't you? What's the answer to all
this? Please lemme lone. Can't you
see that I'm reading?"
'And here's another passage" she
went on remorselessly. "'When I look
into your dear violet eyes l 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 femme
lone"
( Here's another one, written about
40 minutes later-you used to write
me about nine letters day then, you
know, dear. You say here: When
hold you in my arms, and inhale the
dewy sweetbriar fragrance Of your
sunny hair, 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 fiocSs in the dusks and twilights
of the ancient world, has woman been
worshiped as / worship my Matilda
Never since"
Great Caesar, what a muff, what a
muttonhead, 1 must have been!"
.groaned the husband. What "a"
why, think it's real nice, really"
said his wife, with sort of RETROSPECT
tive smile on her face. II couldn't
understand good deal that you
you were such a-er-florid and
stylish writer, my dear, but Well,
here is something that l understood,
though: AT the outset of the dear
journey which we are to take, hand in
hand, 1 promise you that never once
shall you hear so much as an unkind
word cross my"
Say, look here, Matilda, that junk
all runs for Sweeney. Please forget
It. What the deuce is your idea in
springing it on me now, when"
"1'his sounds nice, too: Those
precious, lily-white and hyacinth-
sweet hands of yours shall never have
to be soiled with"
Tell you one thing-Tm going to
% out o. here, Matilda, if you don't
drop that. won't sit here like a fat
head and listen to you unreeling that
kind o."
"You used to think so much of my
ears, too. Listen to what you said of
'em here: They have the dainty,
elusive tint of such a beauteous sea-
shell as that iq which Venus must
have risen from Nhe sea, and"
There may have been worse lob
sters than / was when 1 uncoiled all
of that superheated steam, but If there
were I'd like to have peek at 'em
Just for the sake Of"
"And my nose, too, you used to be
20 fond of: Shaped like Clytie's, and
with the most adorable little solitary
NTeckle perched right on the bridge,
aud"
ITS hard to believe that l ever took
my pen in hand to scribble such in
fernal gbberish. Don't believe / wrote