The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-23
WRElCHBD FOLK ON THE PIER
FEARFUL PROLOGUES Of TRIPS
TO EUROPE.


The partiass Tempered by n Good Deal
Of IIumor-Mn who Put On a De
meanor Of Brlsaueness- Couples
tIho Can't Part ut h Last ffouent.
'No. I never find myself becoming
hardened to the parting scenes between
the seagoers and the folks they're leaving
behind. though I've been on ~ hnar
docks for more than a quarter OF a CEN
tury now said a bluff. grigzied super
i~ntenden. OF piers for one OF the big trans
atlantic steamship companies. i have
to urn my eyes away from such scenes
lust a. often now as I did when | hrst
began to see them.
.Ths parting business. however, Is
tempered by o good deal OF humor. sven
in cases where the bitter tears are flowing
the hardest, and this helps q good deal.
For example. it's interesting to overhear
some OF the little colloqules between
couples standing OF by Themselves from
the ,chattery crowd. .
Both the man and the woman about
to be separated are really In q vaitable
fever Of despair. but they're doing their
noblest to pretend that they're utterly
Indifferent, even while the repreesed
tears are brimming their eyes,
~'Look a-here. yon,' says h man
TO the woman in a sort Of choked ton
and with a foolish grin on his face. II
you cry. you know. I'm going to Q
you to DEATH :
mot crying, gasps the woman.
dabbing away at her eyes with q little
wad OF a handkerchief; but you stop
looking at me that way or I will. Your
own eyes look mighty funny
Whose. mine?' says the man hercely.
blowing his nose with a lot OF unneo-
essary elaboration. You're mistaken.
Dust in my eye. that's all. Say. quit
that. / didn't think you were such q
mush. Behave. won't youT
Let me alone says h woman,
ltrying to iron out her features. Don't
YOU worry about me. I'm ell right. Why
should ! feel badly? Just because I'm
going away from you? Tut. tut. how
n~onsensical!' and then her voice begins
to ouaver, and he tries to say something,
and his voice Is shaky and giveawayish
too. and then they both reach out fur
lively and grab a-hold Of each others
hands, imagining that they're getting
away with it without anybody seeing
them, and presently. in spite OF their
fight, they're numbering to a the band
and still trying to be laughy and nom
chalant about it between gasps.
Its entertaining, too. sometimes to hear
n man cuss between his teeth over the
fact that he just can't keep the tears
back when he's about to separate from
the woman who Is everything to him
Only a fortnight or 80 ago. saw and heard
a case like that.
"A big bruiser Of an athletic man who
looked like a stock broker who kept
himself in physical trim was sending his
pretty little five foot wife away with
some folks: They Hove their party
to 70 aboard ard stage 1 on the pier over
by some bales TO have II out. They
were both in a pretty bad way over the
separating business. w
Presently l saw the little woman's
hands covering her eyes and her shout
ders began to shake in q silent sort OF way.
The big chap patted heron the arm and
said things to her in a low tone, but it
was no use. Her misery had become too
strong for her and she was past help
ing. She Just had to cry.
He saw that and then he looked up
and glanced around in a despairing
sort Of a way and began to tug at his
mustache. Then Of a sudden three or
four huge drops splashed from his eyes
on to his coat and he brushed angrily
at his eyes and growled in hs throat
like a bear. He took up a trudge-.big
strides-up and down in 'front.' Of his little
wife, who sat on a box, her face still COW
and l heard him growing to himself as
ha kp,Icklad at his ewes.
DANCED zap. that's what ! am, he
muttered hoarsely to himself as he walked
up and down. f%1ourishing his walking
stick. Softly. Mush. Slob. Pinhead.
Ought to be in the Old Women's Home.
self 1 wouldn't do this. Lummox.
Here / am bellering and boohooing
around here like a big fool rum, hey!
Make a man sick. Disgusting. Silly.
Demned rot. Nothing in IL.
shes only going away on a boat for
two or three months. blast it all. and I'm
ing, and, dammitall, what's the matter
with me, anyhow and he knuckled an
other big batch OF tears out Of his eyes,
and pulled out relays of fresh handker-
chiefs from different pockets n blew
his nose like a siren whistle and then he
sitting and made out to bully her some
thing terrific. but she paid not the slight.
est attention to him and then he just caved
and sat down on the box beside her n
put an arm around her apd became just
as limp and wretched rs she was.
@The men often try to put on that
brJisque. choppy manner with the women
folks they're about to part with in order
to cover up their real feelings, but its
not often that they get away with it when
the final wrenching moment comes.
LAST summer | saw a man try that
play who deceived even me at it. For
quite a while / considered him a mean !
sort OF a hound. He seemed to be in a
thoroughly peevish. snarly humor from
the minute he got out Of the auto with
his pretty sad eyed wife and he fatty
refused TO 60 aboard with her TO see her
snugly fixed in her cabin.
Nope he said to her, grouchily, when
she asked him TO board the steamer with
her; nothing likethat. should say not.
What's the use2 Mighty busy morning
for me, anyhow. Got to be at the Office
in fifteen minutes glaring at his watch, !
or III miss fire on a big deal.
you'll be all right. Oh. say, stop that
formally imbecile before folks.
you're not going to be executed, you
know. You're just going OF on a bully
trip for yourself, and you're blamed
lucky at that, to be able to go--luckier
than | am, that have to stick behind here
and grind. Now, look a-here, behave
that ned eyed stuff, won't you, and act
lila omehod grown INV