The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-09-30
#isesllauy.
A POSTAL OOURTSHIP.
[From Once a Week.

"She is really the prettiest little cres
ture l ever saw" said Mr.. Willoughb
Vane, as he turned from the whdo,
for the fiftieth time that morning
"Jane,u he added, addressing th
housemaid, who was clearing away tn
breakfast things, "have you any ide
who the people are who have take
old Mr.. Adderly's house opposite?'
"iWell, yes, sir, if you please" re
turned the handmaiden. "I met thei
cook at the grocer's the other day, an,
she said that her masters name wa
black-Captain Choker Black -an
that he was staying here on leave Q
absence with his wife and daughter
sir.n ..1Ti.a
"Oh, indeed! Did she happen t
mention the young lady's name?n
Yes, Sir. She called her Miss Eva.
EVA! What charming name 2
murmured Willoughby to himself; ant
then added, aloud: =, ,c;,'- tC,
"That will do, Jane, thank you"
Mr., Willoughby Vane was bache
lor, twenty-eight years old, rich, indO
lent and tolerably good looking. H,
lived with a widowed mother in {
pleasant house in the Clapham Road
and having nothing else to do, Aha(
fallen desperately i'm love with hi.
pretty yis-a-vis, and anxiously sought
an opportunity for an introduction
However, having discovered the name
of his enchantress he determined t.
address her anonymously by letter.
Having decided upon taking this
step, the next thing to be done was tt
put it into execution; and having shuI
himself in his little study, after many
futile attempts, he succeeded in franz
ing an epistle to the lady to his salts.
faction; begging her, if she valued hi.
peace of mind, to return an answe
to w. ", The PostOffice, Chapman
common" That done, he went out fol
a walk, and dropped the letter in the
nearest box. . 7...1.1 i.ra "
Regularly three times day, for q
week afterward, he called at the post
office to see whether IN answer had ar
rived for him. AS thu week advanced,
Willoughby began to lose his appetite,
and grew so restless and irritable that
Mrs. Vane, like fond mother, fancied
that her dear boy vas unwell, and beg
ged him to consult their medical at
tendant. But. her son laughed at the
Idea, knowing well that his complaint
was beyond the Doctors skill to cure.
He was beginning to despair of ever
receiving reply, when, to his great
lelight, on the seventh morning, a let
ter was handed to him by the post
mistress, written i'm a dainty female
hand, and addressed to "W. W. Al
most unable to conceal his emotion, he
quilted the shop, broke open the seal,
and drank in the contents.
They were evidently of a pleasing
nature, for he read the letter over
again and again, kissed the envelope,
put it in his breast coat pocket, and
hurried home to see his inamorate
looking out of he'window of the op-
posite house, as usual. ..-.
For moment his first impulse was
to salute her respectfully; but imme-
diately afterward he bethOught himself
that, as be was still incognito, the
young lady would, perhaps feel insult
ed by his action. Besides, how could
she have any idea that he was "W.
V?' So he went indoors and amused
himself for three hours, inditing a re-
ply to her letter, which he posted the
same afternoon and in due course
second answer arrived. a pa
And so matters went on, a constant
interchange of letters being kept up for
a fortnight, during which time Mr..
Willoughby Vane spent his days run
ming to and from the pOstoffice, writ
ing letters and watching his fair neigh
Dor from the window Of the dining
room. 49,. ...tf.-....
"Confound it y, he would sometimes
say to himself. "How very provoking
the dear girl is! She never will look
this way. 1 do wish / could catch her
eye, if only for moment. What
horribly sour-looking old crab the
mother is! Depend upon it, Willough-
by, that poor child is anything but
happy at home with those two old TO
gies. Indeed, her letters hint as much"
And having given vent to his feelings,
he would put on his hat, and walk to
the postoffice, or shut himself in his
room and compose another note to his
" Dearest Eva" .e.a
at length, three weeks having flown
rapidly away in this manner, he re-
ceived letter one morning from the
young lady, which ran as follows:
' "To w. ".
"SIR-As it is useless to continue a
correspondence in this manner, l think
it is now time for you to throw off your
incOgnito, and reveal your true name
and position to one to whom you are
not totally Indifferent. Believe me
that nothing inspires love like mutual
confidence. Prove to me that have
not been imprudent in answering your
letters by at once informing me who
you are. 1t is with no feeling of idle
curiosity 1 ask this, simply for our mu-
tual satisfaction. . - .rad.
Yours, ETC., EVA.
To which Willoughby replied by re-
turn of post: ..-'..-..
DEAREST EvA-If you will permit
me to call you so! Have you not for
weeks past observed q young man,
with his hair brushed back, anXiOusly
watching you from the window of the
opposite house? And although you
have apparently never taken the slight
est notice of him, trust that his fea-
lures are not altogether repulsive. l
am that individual.
" Charmed by the graceful magic of thine eye
Day after day watch, and dream and sigh
Watch thee, dream of thee, sigh for thee
alone,
Fair star of CIapham-may add my own!"
To quote, with some alterations, the
noble stanza of the poet Brown? And
now / have favor to ask OF you.
Whenever you see me at the window,
take no notice of me at present, lest
my mother observes it. In few days
she will be going out of town, and then
we can throw off all restraint. Till
then adieu? My eyes are ever on you.
"Your own,
"WILLOUGHBY VANE."
To which epistle came up the follow
ing answer: Ifia n -
, "DEAR SIR: Your explanation is
perfectly satisfactory. may also add
that your features are not at all repul-
sive to EVA"
"Bless her! What a delightful little
soul she is p calculated WillOughby.
And he went out and ordered new
suit of clothes, and had his hair cut.
"Willy," said Mrs. Vane to her son
the next morning, "I wish you would
do something to improve your mind,
and not waste your time by looking out
of the window as you have lately done.
Come and read the parliamentary de-
bates to me, if you have nothing else
to do" .,.,.- ....,...,t,
The worthy lady was a red hot politi-
clan, and for three mortal hours she
kept him at this delightful task; at the
expiration of which time he succeeded
i'm escaping to his own room, where he
wrote the following note to Eva: 3ai
&" DEAREST EVA: l am overjoyed at
the contents of your brief communica-
ton. If, as you say, my features are
not altogether repulsive to YOU, NAV
hope that you will consent to be mine