The Washington herald., 1914-04-19

Iionship of women but a cruel reminder
Iof the happiness that he had lost, but
time, too, altered this feeling, and ht
quite surprised himself one fine evening
by asking The Practical Woman to share
his life and home.
When the engagement was announced
people marveled. Not that The Prac.
tical Woman was in any way insult,
able to occupy the Sposition left empty
by the death of The Girl. She was a
most desirable match for The Man
Everybody said so. She was known to
be younG woman of good sense with
such a decidedly practical trend of mind
that folk were sure she would rule The
Mans home with wise, firm hand. And
that was what made the world and his
wife wonder You see the softness and
sweetness and prettiness of The Girl
clung TO the memories of those who had
known her. They remembered what a
dainty. ethereal little creature she had
| been fitting about The Mans house like
giddy butterfly, clinging to him like a
soft-haired child, loving him absolutely
Naturally it was concluded that The
Man had had quite enough of the cling
| ing vine and wanted now to do bit OF
clinging on his own account
ANYWAY he married The Practical
| Woman and took her to live in the
house which The Girl had made a place
of bright color and frilly daintiness, and
in month you wouldn't have known
the place.
Had No Use for Them.
The Practical Woman had no use for
the soft, pretty things of life. She
considered frills on bedroom curtains
quite superfuous. She said that lace
scarfS were more tedious to wash than
tile plaincr ones, and that the garden
would be more serviceable if vegetables
took the place of the vivid. radiant flow
ers which had been The Girls delight.
The world and his wife sat by with
quiet smile.
But the face of The Man was grave
and still.
And The Practical Woman did indeed
make her firm hand felt in the ruling
of things. Just as folk had predicted
she would. winning a still further right
to her name. She cut down the run
ming expenses OF The Mans home at
least a third. and asked for less than
half the money which The Girl had
spent on her personal attire. and child
ed The Man when he worked too hard,
which was vert seldom now
Everybody said that it was the best
thing that could have happened to him
that he had always needed Just such a
woman to inspire his work. and take
care of his earnings. They predicted a
great future for his business and told
each other that he would owe it all to
his thrifty and practical wife.
On a summer evening when The Man
should have been celebrating the ami
versary OF his marriage with The Prac-
teal Woman: when afternoon papers
gave an account of his failure in business
in haring headlines. and newsies cried
it along the streets. he was strew-
ing the brightest poppies you ever saw
over a grass-covered grave in the City
of the Dead. When he had covered it
quite he stopped down and putting his
lips close to the head of the grave he
whispered:
Not of our garden, hut Of my heart.
dear love" and the VII took up the
message and bore il on rs way.
And when that ..;sht The Practical
Woman wonderir~ asked the why's and
wherefores Of + failure he answered: :
Il think il was the vegetable garden"
Whereupon she Immediately concluded
that The Man was taking leave of his
senses