The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-08-14
THE DELAYED LETTER.

hrT'HERE goes the most provoking
man In the whole county |" said
Lucia Dare, as she stood at the window
and watched Professor Lee go down the
path" really the most provoking.
Sometimes I'm sure he's In love with
me, and going to tell me SO, and then,
again, L I'M sure I'm mistaken, and that
it's Dora he's in love with, If he's in
love with anybody. He's SO bashful
when he's with a woman that he doesn't
dare say his souls his own anyway. I'm
sure 1 don't see why he should be afraid
of me! / like him, and If he could see
two inches ahead of his nose, he could
see it,"
Lucia heaved a sigh, and sat down at
the piano, where half an hour before, she
had been singing " Annie Laurie" for
the professor.
"I wonder what he wanted to see
Dora for she thought, as she thrum-
med the keys in low accompaniment
to her thoughts. 1t can't be that he is
in love with Dora, for he must know
she's engaged. And yet, he's such an
odd creature that 1t wouldn't be at all
strange if he was. If he ever heard she
was engaged, he's probably forgotten it.
1 wonder what he wrote to her Itmust
be something that he considers quite i'm
portant, for he wanted me to be sure and
give her the letter as soon as she got
home, and it took him half an hour to
| write it,"
She got up, went to the table, and took
up the letter Professor Lee had written
| to her sister.
+" L wish knew what was in it,' she
said, holding it up to the light. " He
looked as if he might be proposing mar
riage. If L thought it tOaS a proposal
Lucia's face colored little at the
thought which came into her mind. She
laid the letter down and walked to the
window, and stood there for some time.
By-and-by she turned, came back to the
table, and took up the letter-a guilty
look on her face, as she didit-and drop
| ped it behind an old carved cabinet
which stood in one corner of the parlor.
cts mean thing to do" she said
to herself, as she went back to the piano,
"but I've done it. If it was proposal,
it's just as well as it is, for Dora would
never marry him; if it wasn't a pro-
| posal it won't matter very much, proba-
bly,"
Two weeks after that Dora came
home from visit toe friend, with the
news that Professor Lee had resigned his
position as teacher of languages in the
academy at Wilbraham, and accepted an
| offer from a new college at the West.
" Are you sure it's so," asked Lucia,
with an effort to hide all traces of agi-
tation.
"Quite sure" answered Dora. "Hel-
en- Templeton told me, and she had her
news from Professor Lee himself.n
"When is he going?" Lucia tried
hard to act unconcernedly, but her voice
sounded unsteady.
every soon,'' answered Dora. "This
week, Think
And it was only two or three days after
that that Dora came home with the an
nouncement that the professor had gone.
"Gone ~ Lucia's face was pale as she
repeated the word. AT that moment a
tender hope died in her heart.
"Yes," answered Dora, she went this
morning. think he might have come
to tell us good-by."
Lucia got up without another word
and went to her room.
"Poor Lucia Dora said. "She did
care for him, after all.''
Upstairs Lucia knelt down at her
window and had a real woman's IS cry.
She did not know till then how much
she had cared for Professor Lee. She had
always liked him, and hoped that some
day she might call him by dearer name
than that of professor. Now she knew
that she loved him.
"But it was all on one side," she sob
bed. "It must have been, or he never
would have left in this way, without SO
much as word, but L did think he
cared for me little"
X n
1t was two years after that when Lucia
happened to come across the letter that
Professor Lee had written that Summer
afternoon for Dora - that letter which
he had left with her to give her sister,
but which she had taken care her sister
should not get.
She was moving the oak cabinet, and
found it lying where it had fallen when
it dropped from her fingers, A hot flush