Gilpin observer., 1907-04-25
FORGOTTEN
LETTERS

o. oS iHdckeTay WOul0 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
IN Washington who only the other
afternoon. experienced perhaps a keen
er mortification over certain letters
that ne had written than any "Ex-l-t-ed
P-r-s-n-ge" ever did.
1t was rainy afternoon. and his
wife was doing some ante e-Christmas
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?"
Used to love me then" she said,
untying the packet of letters and pull
Ing one of them frcm it's envelope.
What days? Whatchoo talking
about? Whatchoo got there?" he
asked.
"Oh, some letters" she replied
placidly. Some of your"
tt.
PLEASE lemme alone. I'm reading"
Here's one of them, written shortly
after we were engaged" she went on
unheedingly. "I am not 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, l 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 1 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 lemme
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"
"Oh, 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 flocks in the dusks and twilights
of the ancient world, has woman been
worshiped as I worship my Matilda
Never since,
Great Caesar, what muff. what
muttonhead, must have been!"
groaned the husband. What "a"
why, 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 were such a1,er-fiorid 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, l 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
1t. What the deuce is your idea in
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 thihg-i'm going to
drop that. l won't sit here like fiat
head and listen to you unreeling that
kind o."
you used to think 30 much of my
ears, too. Listen to what you said OF
EN- here: They have the dainty,
elusive tint OF such beauteous sea-
shell as that In which Venus must
have risen from the sea, and"
There may have been worse lob.
sters than l was when l uncoiled all
of that superheated steam, but If there
we're I'd like to have peek at 'eni
inst for the sake Of"
"And my nolc. teo. you used TO be
so fond of: Shaped like Clytie's, and
with the most adorable little solitary
freckle perched right CT 80 bridge
and"
"lts hard to believe that ever, tool
my pea in hand 10 scribble such In
fefAal gibberish. Don't believe l wroN
A s0ch stuff at all. Don't believe eve