Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-12-09

| "FOrRivc me Tor boring you WIN so mucn
about myself. Pray write TO mo again.
Your luxurious stationery, with the faint,
delicate perfume pcrvading II, is In Itself q
delight
'Slnccrely yours,
"Mtss FRANCES BERTRAM SCREvEN.
As read this letter fclt myself n
scoundiel. My first impulse was to
wIito n letter of confession to Miss
Screvcn; but the desire to keep up the
correspondence and try my hand at
composing letters that should be sweet
ly feminine overcamc my scruples, and
l sent of the following reply:
"DEAR Miss scREvEN--Instcad of boring
me, the glimpse you gave me OF your lie in
terosted me moro than l can tell. But, nt
the same time, the contrast bctwees your
life and mino made me cnvious. Perhaps
your lot Ia q hard one, but u Is at least brave
and independent. Here am |, an only daugh-
ter, potted and spoiled TO shameful de-
gree, and bound by fetters OF luxury. Yes,
L envy you. Sitting here this morning in
my silly pink -curtancd boudoir, with n
Dresden shopherdess simperlng ut inc
from the top OF my escritoire, feel my idle,
luxurious life hcmming me In and over
powering me, rs the perfume OF tuberoscs
makes heavy and slckoning the atmosphere
OF room that should be flung open to the
fresh air aud sunshine. I would change
places with you to-day II could. ~
When reached this point of my let
ter, read over approvingly what 1
had written. Arrived mt the lines
descriptive of my imaginary boudoir,
smiled as my glances fell on boot
jack in one corner and the shaving-ap-
paratus in another. CHANGING at the
place where the Dresden shepherdess
ought to have been. my eye fell in
stcad upon pipe, which l took down
and filed, and then resumed my writ
ing with considerable complacency.
"This may sound to you rather school
girlish, and may rs well confess that 1t Is
more accurate--since l left the precincts OF
n finishing school. Finishing school. in
deed! Much learned there besides the art
OF doing UP my hair! However, the defects
Of my education must remedy myself, and
L try every day to devote u few hours TO
serious study. But it is very hard to
seclude myself long enough to accomplish
anything. People call; must 20 to garden
parties; / must hold solemn cOnclave with
the milliner and dress-maker: In short, ]
have constant demands of most frivolous
nature upon my time.
IAN this you will probably laugh Mt; and,
lest write yet more foolshly, will bring
this letter to close. III you are not quite
disguised with me, do write again soon.
Faithfully yours,
JANE BELL"
/ may as well confess that thought
this letter successful imitation of some
of the epistles that l had myself re.
ceived from feminine hands. 1t sounded
enthusiastic and very Missish," and
sent it Off that afternoon with bold
heart.
Jack" quoth my uncle, who met
me as 1 came from the post Office, 81
verify believe you are making an ass of
yourself over some girl. l don't be-
lieve it is the muses. you are courting:
it is no muse; it is miss" And with
this he passed on, chuckling at his own
wit.
AS the davs went on, however, my
uncle's words seemed in n fair way to
prove true. l thought only of Miss
Screven. My novel left untouched.
and my rhyming dictionary accumu-
lated dust slowly. but surely. Fled
were my visions of astonishing the
world with my genius. / lived only
for the mail from Boston.
AS re-read the letters / received
from Miss Screven, L can make some
excuse for my infatuation. Thev were
frank and outspoke1, and sometimes.
indeed, tinged with cynicism; but
through them there breathed sympa-
thy, tenderness, that touches me even
now as read them over. Finally, at
my solicitation, she sent me her photo
graph, which showed her to be q regu-
lar-featured, large eyed woman, of
rather n serious cast OF countenance,
indeed, but with lurking smile in the
mouth that ] could not but confess was
a large one. She was not a beauty,
saw that, but she had an earnest, in
teresting face that grew upon me every
day.
Little by little | gave myself up to
thoughts of her by day and dreams of
her by night. Her letters l awaited
with feverish impatience, and if one
were delayed | was in torment. l
make no excuses for my folly, dear sir
madam; but pray do not forget that /
was only one-and twenty then, and had
fed myself plentifully with novels and
poetry.
The correspondence was kept up all
the summer and autumn; but in De-
cember there befell what was to me an
awful calamity. Miss Screven did not
write. sent imploring letter after
letter, but no response gladdened me.
"Has she Tilted youP" said Uncle
Dick, heartlessly, when he noted my
pale face. In truth, could not sleep
nor eat; was consumed with fear and
anxiety. What could have befallen
herp
endured 1t for just ten days, and
then packed my sachel and went to
Boston. Bah what day it was when
l arrived there! 1t had showed little,
and then thin, cold rain began to driz-
zle down despairingly. The weather
suited me better than the garish splen-
dor of the hotel, and wandered forth
that evening, half-unconsciously wend-
ing my way toward the street in which
Miss Screven boarded. found myself
opposite the house. From an upper
window q light struggled faintlys be-
tween the closed shutters and thrilled
me through and through. Perhaps she
was there, ill and alone, uncared for.
save by the mercenary landlady, or,
worse still, by slatternly servant. l
went up the steps and rang the bell. A
slip of a girl opened the door to me,
and handed her my card, saying me-
chanically: "Ask Miss Screven if she
will see me-
trusted that the name, John Bell,
would perhaps lead her to suppose
that | was cousin or the father OF her
friend.
The slip of servant.maid looked at
the card and then looked at me.
Frances ScrevenP" she said, inter
negatively.
YES" ] replied. Then 1 took the
card. ran my pencil through the en-
graved name, and scrawled my illegiblc
signature below it. The servant took
the card again and skurried away, leav-
ing me standing there in the cold, dark
entry.
1t was several minutes before she re-
appeared, and then it was only to say
in a sing-song tone, "Three flights up;
first door to the right
went up the three flights and raped
at the first door to the right.