The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1879-03-20
Intercepted Letters.

"Bertia. darling 'ool. up. Next
ChriStlcs> G.... 81 member
"Rcr-c' g." =. t.a.
WIZ -.e. IN coming back Chen 10
claim you - ny own never, never to
part from You again, 1t is hard to leave
YOU. darling never thought it would
he half 50 hard u par as ii is But it
is for your sake that l 90; that | may
make the happy home that you and l
are going to Share, worthy OF you. You
will be true 70 me, Bertha y
Il will be true to YOU, Philip2
And there under rhc whispering lin
ten, beneath the cloudless moon of that
beautiful june evening, the lovers part;
the passionate feryor of the farewell kiss,
the lingering pressure of the last en-
brace, bringing almost rs much rapture
as pain
Nov that - Va, really gone, and
there was noJhii4. else 10 think OF and
to do, Bertha began e count the slow
weeks that must intervene before her
lover would return 70 claim the fulfill
ment OF the pledge she had given to him.
christmas is i'll December, | wish it
came earlier
Philip, place @: destination was San
Francisco. whittier he had gone on bust
ness that promised to be rcmunerative,
but which h4- nothing to do with our
story.
He had promised to write TO Bertha
Immediately o., lis arrival, but she called
several times n tie post Office before the
welcome missive arrived. Her cousin,
Benjamin Ripley, wa, postmaster, as
well as proprietor of the village store.
She had never had letter from Philip
before, but She knew it was from him by
the post mark. ard her face flushed be-
meath the keen glance ne gave her as he
handed it TO her.
Her cousin Jane. Il sister OF Benja-
minis, was standing beside her, as slip
ping the letter INTO her pocket, Bertha
turned toward the door
fastening after her Jane linked her
arm into her cousins saying, with Il
laugh that sounded rather forced and
unnatural:
Are you eagaced 10 Phil. Irving
Don't answer. ,ow, f YOU don't want
TO-
Bertha had half Il suspicion that Jane
had more than n friendly feeling for
Philip. and her tone was little sharp
aS she SAID
I am engaged to Philip Irving. And
| don't know why should be reluctant
to tell il, either
We'll. | hadn't the least idea that he
was serious | knew he was very atten-
tive before h. went away, but | thought
it was all Irritation"
Philip never tlirts.
Don't he Z
Bertha was lot n little irrltated by
that toss OF head and tone of Incredible
". but they now reached the gate of her
fathers house.
Eager to learn the contents of her let
ter, she snatched her arm from hey com
panion's. and ran in, going directly to
her own room.
Blushing, and half ashamed OF her
inIpatience, she tore open the letter.
1t did not take long to read it, being
very brief, containing little more than
the announcement OF his arrival There
were none Of the protestations, the ten
der assurances that she expected and so
thirsted to hear, and she read il with
feeling of disappointment that WAS akin
to pain.
1T don't sound one bit like Philip,
she said to herse; after the third pc
ulsal.
Then her heart began to reproach her
for this momentary doubt, and TO make
excuses for him. He was tired from his
long Journey, too busy to tell her more
than Of his safe arrival; his next letter
would make up for al that this locked.
In her reply, Bertha poured out all
the tenderness OF her young and loving
heart, playfully allading TO the brevity
and unsatisfactory character Of his let
ter, and for which she expected him to
make due amends.
Two, three, four weeks passed, and
no answer came; and at last, unable to
bear any longer the torturing suspense
and cruel doubts that assailed her.
Bertha wrote again, stating how long it
was since she had heard from him, and