The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1881-11-11
ENGAGED TO BOTH.
OR HOW THE TANGLE WAS STRAIGHT
ENED.

OR HOW THE TANGLE WAS STRAIGHT
ENED.
Dick Powers dropped his letter with
a groan. 1t fell by the side of its long,
slim envelope by the table. The en-
velOpe bore upon its back the faint
impression of a dove holding in its
bill floating ribbon, upon the ends of
which was written, in quaint, but
fine little hand, the direction, To Mr..
Richard Powers
Again the young man groaned,
throwing his arms on the table and
hiding his distressed face in his sleeve.
The other occupant of the room sat
with his heels on the window-sill and
his chair tilted back at fearful angle.
He smoked, raised his eyebrows, looked
at his miserable companion, and then
went on smoking. a
The letter, half folding upon its lady
like creases, lay face upward, and the
lines betrayed the same quantity girlish
handwriting, all the down strokes
primly shaded, each capital fancily
twirled: Dear Richard it began,
Quakerishly. and it said, tearfully, Il
haven't heard from you for so long,
There was a touch of tenderness in
every sentence, and something that
old how simple the writer must have
been. Somehow it all gave rise to a
picture of sun-bonnet and calico
dress, pair of timidly affectionate
eyes, and peaked chin with a dimple
in it. On the next page the letter went
on plaintively: Grandpa isn't very
we'll since he had the sickness last win
ter, and when he coughs so it shakes
him all over. And OIL Richard, I'm
afraid he is never going to be well
again. Wouldn't it be dreadful to
have him die and me alone without
yOu?' Then followed wealth of con-
fde ice i'm the words, But if grandpa
should die, l should come straight to
you, and oh, how happy we would be
then, wouldn't weY Wandering on in
this loving strain till the end of the
third page, the letter closed with:
'Affectionately, your own Marthy.'
By-and-by the young. man in the
tilted chair, cycling his friend medita-
lively, said:
Your letter don't seem to make you
happy, somehow, Dick
'Oh, ah! if you could only know
what a villain ann was the rejoiner
in muffled tone from the folds of his
sleeve.
At this one eyebrow went up and
one came down. We'll, it's very like
ly.' He looked lazily through a win
dow at group of loungers before the
hotel opposite, and then continued in
differently: whats it all about, any
hOwY
Just read thatv was the reply, as
Dick passed 'affectionately, your own
Marthy's' letter toward him.
Fisher read the letter through care.
fally. Il should say this was very
sweet little girl he remarked musing
| y.
so she is, so she isl said Dick
Strengthening up. She's just the sweet
est and most confiding little thing in
the world, is Marthy. That's what
hurt me so. She hasn't doubt thai
I'm as true as blue, because she's trutl
all the way through herself. And I'm
worse than brute am, AL
If the state of affairs which nov
dawns upon me dimly is as it seems
rather think you are myself
'Confound it! You're so hanged coo
it riles me- said Dick, blushing. Jus
, imagine yourself in my place for an in
slant. Six years ago, when / wa
nineteen, first fell in love, and Nv
been doing it ever since with decen
intervals between. Little Mary wa
fifteen, a little wild rose, Vermont girl
/: just as shy and as sweet and unsophir
ticated as that letter, and all her Othe
letters seem to say she is, yet / fee
Ikea boy Of nineteen in love with he
! again to talk about it to you. Lik
. the great calf that I was, with dolla
! in my pocket. and no prospects ahea
| of me, up and told her how felt on
day i'm the spring, when the grass wa
80 green, and the birds were singing 8
: loud-I had to tell something to some
9 body. She looked up to me for a me
Q ment with such smile full of tear
Q coming into her eyes, and such mill
; ambrose blush glowing upon he
r cheeks, and / just took her right in m
: arms then and kissed her as I'd bee
q longing to do ever since I first met he
n six weeks before. Ever since that sh
e has considered herself engaged to me
q "A precocious youngster you were q
nineteen / must say, and ripe a.
8 quaintance 1t must have been tn,
4. rooted. blossomed and fruited in 81
If weeks
We'll, make fun as you please al