The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-08-13
A TANGLE STRENGTHENED.

A TANdLE DTRAldHTENAU.
Dick Powers dropped his letter with
a Prosn. 1t fell by the side of its long,
slim envelope on the table, The envelope
bore upon its back the faint impress
sion Of dove holding in its bill float
ing ribbon, upon the ends of which was
written in n quaint and fine little hand,
the direction to Mr.. Richard Powers.
Again that man groaned. throwing his
arms on the table, and hiding his dis
tressed 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 went on
smoking.
The letter. balf-folded upon its pre-
else and lady-like creases, lay face mp
W rd, and the lines betrayed the same
quantity girlish handwriting, all the
down strokes, primly shaded, each capi
tai fanciiully twirled. Dear Richard, /"
it began qparkerishly, and then it said,
tearfully, II haven't hoard from you
for so long" There was a touch Of
tenderness in every sentence, and n
something that told how simple the
little writer must have been. Somehow
it all gave rise to picture of q sun
bonnet and calico dress, a pair of
timidly affectionate eyes, anG pefked
chin with dimple in it. On the next
page the letter went on plaintively !:
Grandpa isn't very well since be has
had that sickness last winter and when
he coughs so, it shakes him all over
And oh Richard, I'm afraid he never
is going to be well again. Wouldn't it
be dreadful to have him die and me
here all alone without yonP" Then
followed a world of confidence in the
wc1ds But if grandpa should die, l
should.come straight to you, and oh,
how happy we would be then, wouldn't
weP" Wandering on in this loving
strain till the end of the third page. the
letter closed with "Affectionately your
own Martha"
Bye-and-by the young man in the tilted
chair, eyeing his friend meditntively,
said
Your letter don't seem to make you
happy, somehow, Dick"
"Oh. Al if you could only know
what a villain am y was the rejoinder,
in muffled tons from the folds of the
sleeve.
At last one eyebrow went up ard one
came down. Well, it's very likely.
He looked lazly through the window al
group of loungers before the hotel op
posite and then continued indiff,rently
Whats 1t all about, anyhow"
'Just read that !" was the reply as
Dick passed " Affectionately your own
Martha's" letter toward him.
Fisher read the letter through careful.
ly II should say this is very sweet lit
tie girl, " he remarked, musingly.
80 she is, so she is |" said Dick
Strengthening up. ''She's just the
sweetest and most confding little thing
in the world, is Martha. That's what
hurts me so. She hasn'ta doubt that I'm
as true as true blue, because she's truth
all the way through herself, and In
worse than bru'e, l am, Al !"
'Ifthe state of affairs which now dawns
upon me dimly is as it seems, l rather
think you are myself"
"Confound it You're so hanged cool
it rifles me-" said Dick, blushing. just
imagine yourself in my place for an in
stant Six years ago when / was nine
teen, / first fell in love, and I've beer
doing it ever since, with decent interval:
between. Little Marthy was fifteen then
a little wild-rose Vermont girl, just u!
shy, and as sweet, and unsophisticatet
as that letter and all her other letter,
seem to gay she is yet feel like boy
of nineteen in love with her again TO tall
about it to you. Like the great calf tina
/ was, without a dollar in my pocket, ant
no prospects ahead of me, up and told
her how felt one day in the spring
when the grass was SO green and thu
birds were singing so loud had to tel
something to somebody. She looked NJ
at me for moment with such a smile
full of tears coming into her eyes, ant
such milk and rose blush glowing up
on her cheeks and just took her righ
mp in my arms then, and kissed h r, a
I'd been longing TO do ever since l frs
met her, six weeks before. Ever sine
that she has considered herself engage,
to me.
"a preeocious youngster you we're q
nineteen, must say, and a ripe acquaiu
tance it must have been that rooted
blossomed and fruited in six weeks
"Well, make fun as you please" an
swsred Dick, gloomilyi yoa have th