Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-22
SUB ROSA
BY MIMI.
Old Love Letters.

Directions for treating old love let
tiers in the home. Take epistles be-
tween the thumb and forefinger and
deposit one by one, or altogether, ac-
cording to taste, in the fireplace, the
oven. the good old furnace, according
to accommodation furnished by the
home.
This recipe Is not going to be riot
with my young readers. In fact, can
hear shrieks of protest from every
direction. What? Throw away all
those beeyootiful protestations OF love
which will mean so much to me when
I'm an old lady, toothless and I'M
adored?"
And I can see bundles of letters
being tied with blue ribbon and tucked
away tenderly in the lowest drawer OF
the old desk.
What's the harm, you ask? What
possible danger can Turk in evidences of
a love long since dead and buried?
Well, you never can tell, little girls, just
how harmless these packets of romance
may turn out to be?
There are on record at least $4,000
cases of old love letters which have
sowed seeds of distrust and unhappi-
ness in peaceful little homes. Dozens
of young husbands have come on ten
der illusions packed away out OF sight
and confronted their wives with angry
accusations.
Just as many more have resented,
knowing that their wives still cared
enough for old forgotten b. is to keep
their letters around the house, clutter
ing up valuable drawer space.
And when we come to speak OF these
sentimental relics effect on the young
wives and sweethearts--then, indeed,
do we understand the folly Of holding
on to dangerous memories.
For the sentimental young thing who
has loved her dead and gone b. +. deeply
is apt to build new romances on the
old embers-particularly when the
present love is getting absorbed in bust
ness or golf or somebody else.
Peggy's little romance busted up
four years ago-and Peggy saved all the
evidence, and one fine day when her
young husband came home too pre-
occupied to remember to kiss her, she
had a good cry and read few OF
Bobs effusions-Bob being the ex-
sweetie-and felt better.
After that she always read the old
love letters when domestic crises arose,
and her sentimental soul began to crave
sight of the Wonder-man who'd gone
away and left her.
He had written beautiful letters and
John was so take-it-for- granted, and
she wondered whether Bob's eyes were
still brown, etc, etc. Not that she was
ever likely to see him again-but the
image Of him made her home life seem
awfully dull and stable and boring.
Sounds incredible, but it's an actual
fact that Peggy evolved out OF her own
imagination a sort of dream man who
made Johns personality seem dull and
tiresome. In fact, she compared him
SO much to the plain homespun hus-
band of everyday life that she grew
pretty bored with the whole thing.
No, she didn't run away from home
or do anything dramatic. She just
lived on with the dissatisfaction and
discomfort she herself had created and
nobody was the wiser and nobody was
the better.
Love letters can do harm in both
directions. They can antagonize a
young husband, they can torment a
young sweetheart-they can turn 9
young wife to folly If she be sentimental
and silly enough.
AS l said before-the old fashioned
recipe of Burn after reading" still
holds good even in these so-modern
times
Mimi will be glad to answer any inquiries
directed to this paper, provided a stamped,
addressed envelope is inclosed. a..
(copyEixht 192sl -.-.sAI42@--.