St. Landry democrat., 1882-02-04

will forget that such person exists by
the time YOU reach home
Every we'll; if [ forget you I shall
not write. If I should happen to re-
member you, may | remind you of Thy
letter?'
"You do not know but I am a mar
ried woman, with an invalid husband
and nine small children"
cit is not written on your face"
"Well, then, perhaps l have lover
waiting somewhere for me.
Then you will tell me so. Perfect
frankness is true courtesy, and surely
YOU would not jest when you can see
that / am in earnest
There was no withstanG;ng his SINGER
itv. said:
81 am ashamed of my foolish jesting.
seem determined to do myself all pos
sible injustice; and if your persistence
astonished me at first, it amazes, Devil
ders me now.'
Il see it does, and that expression,
made up of pique, surprise and incredu-
lily, is charming, really your most be-
coming one think"
cit promises to be my only one while
I,talk with you" retorted
"And I shall write to you, and you
will write to me, and your name is
ssMargaret Doyle" l said. Write
to me, and be sorry for it, for prompt
ness IS my failing. When my first letter
comes, YOU will read it with pleasure
/ and answer it soon; the second, you will
i saw, Oh, another letter from that Miss
4 Doyle,' the third, : Bless me! this is
getting to be monotonous, a bore' IN
| fact-see if it is not SO"
=" Miss Doyle, we have reached Ham
II mtond. 70 want to thank you for the per-
mission you have giyens You do not
J know how sincerely l thank you. l
have no faith in you as a prophecies. |
shall write to you as soon as L reach
home,n and he helped nae of the cars,
8 Grave nav hand d warm, friendly clasp,
and whispered, (lood-bye, Margaret
:. Doyle.'' The next minute the ears
/, swept on, and the fact that seven music
Il scholars awaited me pressed Itself upon
, my mind. a
/ What foolish, sinprudent thing Ihad
donel all day long thought Of il. His
! lace looked up from the page Of s Rich-
!. ardson, and above the false notes and
: discords that my pupils tortured out OF
III the piano I heard his low pleasant tones.
He had that rare possession, a cultiva-
/ ted voice. But somehow | ycould not
] feelany great remorse over my mis-
conduct, The troubles Of the morning
4 were quite forgotten, and | made up
I NV nv mind chat the world wasn't such a
bad, unhappy world, after all, and
= that 4 even ! ! musie-teaching had its
brioht side. The day went by, the
g. week went by, and though ! said did
o not look for his letter, | did not sue
: coed in deceiving myself. 1t came, 2
frank, honest epistle, full OF strong
20 thought, expressed in strong, simple
q words; it contained pleasant illusions
y to our strangely-begun = acquaintance,
4 and, without being in the least love
}, letter, was suggestive of more than
y mere friendly interest. 1t made me ms
: glad. l answered it. The next week S
= mail bore letter to "Louis q. Hamll
T ton, Box 1879, St. Louis, No." which
~ was the address he gave, or which
Il read in his letter.
!, prided myself on my letterwriting
n found that writing to this new frlenc
j. was very pleasant.
,r In short time another letter came
% I thought the writing trihe different
y from the first. Neither the manne
20 nor the matter was of the same degree
r. of excellence. If it had not been that
al had the first in my possession, and 81
"a had proof positive Of his ability t.
If write fresh, bright, interesting letter
q / should have pronounced this flat AM
~ commonplace Then was piqued b.
Il the thought that he had lowered nj
~ standard to better adapt himself to m
~ capacities, and l worked myself into
ye 6ne rage at the bare idea.
Q, Again wrote, the. replies still dis
= appointing me. taking on tone {!
ty fattery which was annoying
st the extreme, and which made al
Id. swering them very difficult. Owe
or and over 1 said to myself: Ho'
nd can a man who looks and. talk
e. like a demi-god write SO like an idiot?
ali NV acquaintance with demi-gods we
s. then, and is still. very slight, in fact
til Imere fiction; but. nevertheless, | fe
Ely justified in being q tribe extravaganza.
m. he had not,written one letter which VIZ
I'll lust whata letter should be- L q hay
- wasted no more pen and ink upon hin
IT with the laudabIes intent, of reformin
rel his style by adopting a widely difere'
gu one, hoped TO bring him back to h
- senses
After the fourth letter Mr.. Louis
! Hamilton wrote to me no more. | W
81 not surprised, nor really very sorr
: ouly | was disappointed. At the san
m d time that my confidence in his protest
, v lions, aswell as in his skill in compo:
led ton and photography, was broken, II
aes faith, III my own prophetic powers W
nm increased sesgnrlo.u ~ nso1f ~ o+
ies, would gladly have been false proph
& very, very gladly.