The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1881-06-03
THE LOVE LETTER.

nWell, whoever heard the like, cried
Fanny Harper, as she entered the parlor
And threw herself on the sofa 9 Guess,
mamma. il you can, what has just hap
TIN sure I don't know. Perhaps
San and Tom have been quaTeliug.
Dear me, what torments those children
arep
"No; they are both at school. Guess
again, mamma.
.cWell, then, l dare say that odious
Mrs. Sharp has been limiting that wear
false hair. False hair, indeedl then,
Why"
"No such thing, interrupted Fanny;
s'ten times worsel'
"Ten times worse" cried Mrs Harper,
turning pale. "Oh Fanny, tell me-
Well, said Fanny, sobbing, 'Julia
Somers is engaged.
Engaged? We'll wonder what poo
pie will come to next!
EYES, really engaged. If there was
girl III whom / thought could place
perfect confidence, it was Julia Somers.
Onlya month ago she joined our anti
matrimonial society Oh, mamma, how
can girls be so foolishl Poor Julial"
"Why, what can you mean, Fanny?'
asked 4 lady who happened to be present.
"Is it possible that Julia is about to
marry man unworthy of her? Who is
the dreadful creature to whom she is
engaged?"
His name is George something
Thornton, believe"
els he intemperate?'
Mercy, mol How could you think OF
such a thing? His, morals are good
enough.
''Pcrhaps he is an ignoramus, then,
or"
''No, no, no; he is very fine young
man, as rich as Crmsus, very sensible,
and 50 handsomel Half the girls in town
are doing for HIM
Indeed Then why is Julia 50 much
to be pitied?'
''Why, because she is to be married, :"
said Fanny. impatiently (she had turned
an old maids corner)
u confess / cannot see the great hard
ship, after all, suggested Mrs. Harper.
"But there's the dinner bell"
Fanny declared, however, that she had
no appetite for dinner, SO to her own
room she went to write long letter to
julia, in which she pointed out the
trials Of married life, and warned her
against the fatal stop. What did Mrs.
Somers do with this letter. She read it
to George, and George twisted it into
twenty lamp-hghters, and the twenty
lamp-lighters were in requisition on a
certain evening Of the next week, when
IN Ia TtFlf lfa
Months passed away and Fanny. at
Julias earnest desire, came to spend a
few days with the youthful bride. The
bright color and the playful smile still
dwelt tupon her cheek and lip as Of yore,
and Fanny might have forgotten tina
this was not the Julia Somers Of hel
early love had not the apparition Of a
mans hat and coat in the hall recalled
her toher senses.
''Well, y thought Fanny, "Im deter
mined to have as little to do with her
husband as possible. Nota word will
speak except when he asks question,
for am determined to hate him with
all my heart"
To hate George Thornton-the man
who adored her julia who was SO hand,
some, so sensible, so brimful Of love and
kindness for every living thingl RasE
resolved In the space Of one hour Fanny
had opened out her heart to theintiuence
Of his thousand-and-one good qualities
and he understood her The weel
passed pleasantly, and Fanny went hom'
and wrote verses.
II was very odd, she thought, and my
feader, you must think as she did tina
certain persons Of the masculine gendel
We're constantly interfering with he
private reflections. If she walked sh,
feared meeting some among the mum
Der; il she remained ut home she wa
sure they would be there to torment her
If she read, the hero Of the novelist o
historian would take the shape of tn
Mr. Thompsons, the Mr.. Smiths am
The Mr. Jones of her acquaintance;
she visited, what if Mr.. So-and-s'
should be there? Poor Fanny
The years Of the life of Fanny Harpe
We're many. Her younger brothers an
sisters wondered that she had never ha
an otfer, and Fanny herself wondered
and reioiced-at least she said so. Or
morning Mrs Harper and her fly
daughters were seated together in Il
parler, when aviolent ring was heard
the door. 1t was not time for papa's r
tprns but that was not papa's ring, the
were all sure. Great, therefore, was the
surprise when Mr.. Harper, putting al
painting, rolled into the room, bearir
nigh above his head letter with gre
masculine seal. W