I carefully dusted and smoothed it,
And mutely begged pardon of Rose.
But I thought with a smile of the proverb
Which says you may treat as you will
The vase which has once contained roses,
Their fragrance will cling to it still.
For the writer I scarcely remember,
The occasion has vanished afar,
And the fragrance that clings to the letter
Recalls—an Havana cigar.