Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-06-30
though a friendly interest shone in her
lzn.4.f.,l lnunl oIon Inu.ouor ,.o.anrl=

tIOugn a llleHuly mleIesU SuOnc Ill llel
beautiful hazel eyes. However, remcm-
bering the OLD proverb: ''Faint heart
never won fair lady, did not allow
her non-invitation to keep me from full
filling my promise to her mother. and |
fulfilled it so well that l went to Nut
wood every Saturday afternoon, and re-
manned until Monday, for three months
longer. Then, winter setting in in
earnest. | was obliged to bid the farm
house good-by, without having received
from Philippe the slightest encourage
mcnt to tell the story that was always
trembling on my lips.
December and part of January passed
away, and 1 had heard nothing of
Mouse's only sister, when, n day,
looking up from my desk, l say him
standing beside me.
give got a note for you. sir" he said,
''from Phil" My heart began to beat
wildly. at came in one she sem me,
and she told me to put it in your own
hands"
L could scarcely thank the little fell
low, | was SO surprised, and taking the
note from him, l opened it quickly and
read rs follows:
DEAR Mr.. LovEJoY,--I send you a lock of
would be ever SO much Obliged to you if you
would take it to Signor l3ialto, and ask him to
also inclose a card with date of my birth, etc.
He told Melinda Weiss i'll that way, and it's
come true, and she's to marry the very one he
described; on the 1st of March: You are 70 t, be
went blackberrying with us once and you said
looked like an Esquimau. ] wouldn't trouble
you, but Rodcrick is too young to trust with
man friend l have in New York. And the rca-
son I don't send directly to him by mail is that
it will be so much more wonderful if he reads
knowing from whence or from whom it
comes. "Yours truly,
"PHfL1ppA DAYTON.
"What nonsense!!'' said 1 to myself
(my heart having gsne back to it's usual
trot), as soon as / had finished reading
it, and for an instant l felt like throw
ing the whole thing out of the window.
But only for an instant. Then l opened
the inciosed envelope, took out the long
shining auburn tress, looked at it with
admiring eyes, came neal kissing it,
folded it up again, and put it carefully
away in my vest pocket. And while
putting it carefully away in my vest
pocket al idea came to me like a flash,
which, j~ustifying myself with the
thought that ''all's fair in love and
war;" l began to carry out as soon as
Lon came sauntering in from his lunch.
Lon said I, "do you think yourself
capable of writing out a full and true
description OF the undersigned?"
"What the deuce do you mean?" was
his rather irrelevant reply.
''Just what l say" said I. 'Alonzo
Fordyce, can you, and will you, write
out, nothing eXtenuate, nor set down
aught in malice, a full and true descrip-
ton of your unworthy friend Tom Love-
joyp"
"Certainly, if you are in earnest, and
l. begin to see you are. And it isn't to
be at all tlattered?"
Not at all. Lean a little to mercy's
side, Of course, but do the work 50 that
your conscience can never reproach you
for it,"
"Well, here goes," and Selling pen
and paper, Lon began.
''That won't do,' said L, looking over
his shoulder.
"What won't do?" asked he.
"Why, Tom L~ovejoy.' No name
must be mentioned. Begin thus: 'He is
about five and twenty"
"All SERENE" said Lon, taking an
other sheet of paper, and alternately
scribbling and looking at me for about
ten minutes, at the end of which time he
handed me the description:
HE is Rve-and.twenty; tall and somewhat
slender; with dark blue eyes; black hair. in
c an,t} TO curl; Straight nose; rather large
slightly projecting; mole near left eyebrow;
small hands, of which he takes the greatest
care; bright smile; is fond of poetry, the
country, and good things to eat; hasty in tenn
per, but soon over it; hates to work, but too
honorable to shirk; kind to animals and chill
dren; OF retiring disposition; and altogether a
MHow will that do?" asked Lon.
OTIS a little too"
''No, it isn't he interrupted; ssnot a
bit too And [ shan't alter a word OF
it,
That settled it, for I couldn't alter it
without b%etraying myself; so 1 had Lon
%inclose ii in three envelopes, on each Of
which he, under my direction, drew
some mysterious hieroglyphics, and seal
ing it with Il large red seal, L dispatched
it to Philippa with q little note:
DEAR MISS DAYToN.-I send you the for
tune evoked from your auburn tress. I hope
it may prove a satisfactory one. l will be mt
the wedding, il possible. With love to your
father and mother and Tim,
II am yours, most faithfully,
''ToM LovEJoY."
And, true to my word, l assisted at
Melinda Weiss wedding on the LIST Of
March. 1t took place early in the after
noon, and after it was over, Philippa
and 1 walked home together along the
banks Of the yet scarcely awakened
little brook. And as we drew near the
farmhouse, she suddenly turned to me
and said-the wind blowing her fluffy
ringlets all about her pretty face. aud
reddening her checks and chin:
81 must thank you for the trouble you
took with that lock of hair. l dare say
it seemed to you Il very foolish thing to
do, but he did tell so true about Melinda
that l thought thought" And she
paused, and looked shyly at me in a
way very unusual to her.
And didn't he tell you true, too?" ]
asked, with great calmness.
'No-o-o-because-that is, he de-
scribed Il person rs my--my-who has
Tor a long time been somebody else's.'