The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1878-11-14
but dime novels could put such stuff into

but dime novels could put such stuff into
your head"
"Never you fret about that" says
Tom. s'Stella and | know where the
dime novels have gone, eh, Stella? Stell
can do more with fellow with one
word than you can with sixty, Miss Ag-
gle. Tell mamma all you want to about
them, but if don't find out something
to tell her too, my names not Tom
Marsh.''
| And Tom runs on to join Stella, who
has walked on b. fore, while Aggie fol-
lows at slower pace, with look of
doubt and vexation on her handsome
face.
"Letters for you'll" cries Tom, burst
ing into the house the next morning.
"Letters for both of YOU Two for Ag-
gle and one for Stella. Who's it from,
Stella? I don't know the hand, but it's
some fellow or other''
| Stella takes up the letter which Tom
had thrown into her lap, and looks at
it curiously, scans the inscription and
the plain, unmeaning mucilage-fastened
flap, which, unlike the dear old tell-tale
seal, betrays no secrets Tom watches
her with eager and open curiosity. Ag-
gie's dark eyes are fixed upon her face,
too, peering over the edges of the letter
which she seems to be reading. A look
of surprise lights up Stella's beautiful
eyes as she reads the first words of the
letter. Hastily she turns to the end,
and q crimson flush of extreme wonder
rises over cheek and brow as she reads
aloud the signature.
"'C. L. Who on earth can &C. L.
be, to write to me in this stylep Itmust
be mistake.'
"No mistake at ALL" cries Tom. "Is
there more than one Stella Q. Harding in
the place, I'd like to know? and if there
is, what has she to do with P. o. Box
SIG? It's all written out as plain as a
pikestaff, you see. &C. L. p Why,
sure enough, it must be Charlie Lester;
but why in the world didn't the fellow
sign his full name? Is it a proposal,
Stell? Say, Stell, is it proposal?"
cries Tom, casting himself down on the
floor and peering curiously upon into
Stella's scarlet face.
A very scarlet and indignant face it is
which bends over the letter, and the
blue eyes fash with wrath and scorn as
they follow the written lines.
>" Did any one ever see any thing like
| it?" she cries at last. "Who could have
sent me such a thing as this! signing
Charlie Lester's name to it, too, as if he
could by any possibility be guilty of
such bosh!"
Ellis name is not signed to it, SAYS
Aggie, looking up quickly. /" At least
you said it was signed only with in
itials. &C. L. may mean good many
things"
Beloved of my soul!'n reads Tom
from the letter, which he has taken from
Stella's unresisting hand. "'Beloved of
my soul!
"I know that thou art beautiful,
But need not tell thee this,
For few unconsciously can bear
The spell of loneliness.
"'Since the moment when you first
flashed upon my enraptured sight, your
image has lowered ever before my wax
ing eyes, and tender avowal has trem-
bled upon my lips, which, yet, I have
hitherto lacked courage to utter.'''
"Just fancy" says Stella" just
fancy Charlie Lester writing such trash
as that-shy, honest, good natured
Charlie! Who could think that would
be such fool as to be taken in by it,
and answer it, as he begs me to dop"
"He asks you to answer it?' says
Aggie, with curious CLEAN in her eyes.
eyes; only fancy the impertinence of
the thing-asks me to direct simply to
&C. L. and really seems to think / will
do it."
(which you won ?" queries Aggie.
"Aggie!" cries Stella, !" why do You
ask such question? You know 1
won't"
"Not if you were sure that Charlie
Lester wrote it?" asks Aggie; and con-
tinues, as Stella shakes her head indig-
nantly: 'After all, why should you
doubt that it is from him.? He is shy, as
you say; too shy to dare to express his
passion in words, and"
What more she would have said is
drowned by Toms roars of laughter.
"Charlie Lester write that!s' he cries
"Charlie Lester write such outrageous
bosh as that! Why, you must have
taken leave of your senses to suggest
such thing, Aggie. I'll tell you what
it is, though, Stella" he continues,
turning to his cousin, "l'll bet you we
can find out who did write it, or at least
who mailed it.. Old M'Kelway has been
laid up with 'rheumatics for day or
two, and Lucy, his daughter, has kept
the Post-office for him. She's scary
little goose, and I'll bet you and could |
make her tell all she knows, and maybe
a good deal more Shall we try, Stella?''
Stella starts to her feet with prompt