The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-04-01
THE LOST LETTER.
BY A. NJ.

They had been engaged for somo
time, but Leonard Harding's position
was too uncertain to marry upon, though
Nellie would have trusted herself to hin,
without scruple, fearless of poverty so
it was shared with the man she loved.
Better prospects opened to him, how
ever, and they were able at last to look
forward with certainty to a time When
they were to be married. But, alas.
that time vas to be spent apart. Leon
ard was going to Melbourne. in the in
terest of the firm of which he was ut
turn he would be made a junior part
ner, and would be able to marry COM
lortably.
In her secret heart Nellie wished that.
poor as he was, Leonard would ask her
20 marry her then and there, and go on
the voyage with him. But q girl must
Seep her thoughts to herself. And now
she had driven with him to the station,
TO see him off; and the train had come.
and he stood on the platform holding
her hand, and whispering these words:
1T is SO hard that l cannot kiss you
ut the last. Goodbye, darling, good
bye"
Nellie was trying not to cry before all
those strangers. She almost wished
that she had not driven down to SEQ
Leonard off. though if she had not como
she would never have forgiven herself.
Goodbye" she whispered family.
Then Leonard jumped into his car
riage, not an instant too soon, and in q
moment more Nellie only saw q hand
kerchief fluttering from the window as
the engine pulled its way out of the sta
lion, and disappeared round the curve
of the road.
"Drivc home. Peter" she said to the
boy who held the reins; and happily
she had power to keep the tears from her
lnshes, until the people who had stared
at her at the station could stare no
more.
On tho platform hats and bonnets
were gathered in a group discussing the
fact III Nellie Pearson had been down
10 sec ner lover of. and that there Wa
no longer any doubt hat they were en-.
gagged; but Nellie did not know or pare
for that. She was crying softly in the
back of the little light chaise, while
Potter drove on whistling Goodbye,
Sweetheart" all out of tune, and now
and then stopping to break off a branch
full of blossoms. 1t seemed SO hard
that Leonard should be going away for
n year-a whole, long year. It was al
most as dreadful as though he were
dead, for what might not happen in a
ycarP No one could ever tell; and the
tears fell again.
However, it came. Grandpa brought
it in his pocket and gave it to her with
a slow nod and a slower laugh, and
Aunt Martha inquired, with her usual
downrightness, whether that "was from
her young manpn And Cousin Bessie,
by and by, in the privacy of their W
room. asked if she would let her see 1t,
and was offended that she did not
These relatives of hers were not always
delightful to poor Nellie, but her father
was a busy man, who travelled the world
over, making a fortune for the daughter
he scarcely saw twice a year, and hei
mother died in her babyhood, and Me-
lie had no other home than ''Grand.
fathers"
They were very good to her, that old
man and his widowed daughter, Aunt
Martha. And cousin Bessie was soft
and pretty, and silly as n little white
kitten. 1t might have been very much
worse, yet who can blame Nellie for
looking forward to the time when sho
should have u home Of her own-a
home that suited herP Papa sent her
plenty of money now; she could do
what she pleased with it, and she
bought smart caps for Aunt Martha.
and gay ribbons for Bessie, and slip
pers for grandpa-but the home was
not under her control. The prim par
lor was not to be touched by her hand;
the blue shades, and red and green
carpet, the wax fruit under a glass, and
the portrait Of tho Duke of Wellington
over the mantlepiece, remained as sho
had first seen them when, as a child.
she regarded that front parlor as a sa-
cred place not to be played in. Sho
filed her own tiny bedroom with what
Aunt Martha denominated jimcracks,
but the family disapproved of vines
about the house, and there vas not a
tree within tho small, prim garden pal
ings, and good as they all were. the
people who lived in the house were az
actly like it-they had no sense Of tho
beautiful, and no yearnings for it.
So Nellie dwelt inwardly alone, and
built her air-castles, and lived on ono
letter until she had another; and the
time Of her lovers absence wore on
YEARLY, until six months were gone.
and then came q letter which mado