Page 193 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text

The loss of Fannie

interest underlies this objection. Most women who marry elderly men
expect and try to influence them to leave some of their property,
using shady lawyers to accomplish this greedy end. I abhor this kind
of woman who lives with you for the money, not any better than a
prostitute who keeps away from the law.
A selfish thought had been born in my mind and taken possession
of my being. I thought a certain woman was the right person, who
could be my best friend and companion. I would love her, respect
and take care of her, and provide security for her without injuring my
children’s feelings and their share in the inheritance after my passing.
Neither would the memory and veneration of my dead wife suffer,
for the only woman I wanted to have with me was my wife’s sister,
whom I knew from childhood. But I failed to impress her, and it
turned into a chimera, just more heartache and longing for I know
not what.
I never had too many friends, and I feel lonesome, but what are
friends anyway in the position in which I find myself? They ask you
to dinner, they want to hear your troubles as interesting gossip, and
you must hear their stories about their business, their properties, their
sicknesses. One can only make a few real friends in a lifetime, and
one must start early in life. Every man has some troubles on his
mind, and hears yours in order to compare them to his own, and to
distract him from them. A loyal wife is a friend, and in long years of
living together in sorrow and joy she becomes part of you. When she
is gone, part of you goes with her.

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