Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-02-21
! GaIts and Sketrhts.
rHE RESULTS OF 4 LOVE LETTER.
Continued from Yesterday


fHE RESULTS OF LOVE LETTER.
Continued from Yesterday
The postmaster laughed and took the
silver coin from Grandfather Hopes out
stretched hand.
''Seems as if there was resumption OF
specie payments. got five dollar gold
piece this morning."
And then the two old men fell to talking
politics. while Hettv's letter was carried
towards the post-office by the clerk. Only
toward it, for the train was not yet due.
and Miss Candor wanted four pounds Of
coffee sugar crushed in a great hurry.
The clerk pushed the parcel towards Miss
Candor and the letter with it. There was
. wide crack between the top and side Of
the counter, and into that the letter slipped
unseen. Other things had slipped down
the same crevicc before-pennies and
hairpins, skeins Of silk and pieces OF tape
but no one knew it. As for this letter.
the clerk never remembered it again.
The postmaster believed it to be in the
bag, and Grandfather Hope went home
and told Ileity that he had seen her beau's
letter safe of to ..Chiny." with no idea
that he was not telling her the honest
truth.
Harry waited at the antipodes for his
letter in vain. and Hetty waited to be sent
for. Any other two friends, relatives.
strangers. would have written again. but
lovers are always inclined to be suspicious.
TO doubt, to fear they are deserted and
forgotten, and with the world between
them these two pinned for each other.
grieved, grew angry, never forgot, and
never wrote any more.
"She has broken our engagement,
said he
"He wanted to break our engagement,
said she.
And soon the village began to know
that Hetty Hope was not going to marry
Harry Hunt.
Hetty married nobody. She refused all
her offers and lived on with her grand
father. Aunt Maria died. lilly married.
Hetty kept house for the old man still.
She was not young any longer. Girls
called her an old maid. She had left of
caring much about her dress. though she
was now rich woman, for the father she
was almost a stranger to had left her an
heiress when he died in far-off land.
The farmhouse was prettier and more
tasteful, and she had one or two chosen
friends, but her life was wofully quiet, and
over her heart she always wore locket
with Harry HINTS hair in it, and under
meath the locket lay a regret too deep tor
utterance. One saw it sometimes in her
heavy eyes, or guessed 1t from the tone
Of her voice, that was all.
II was a bright autumn day, IL years
from that on which grandfather Hope had
carried the lost letter TO the postoflice.
The mail bag was being made up again
and the carpenter was at work at the
counter.
..Hullor' cried he.
"Wellr' replied the postmaster.
"You seem to have been hiding things
here" said the carpenter. 1--we a mind
to keep all find. See here! What's been
dropped in the cracks? You needed new
counter bad"
$50 we did-so we did," said the post
master, putting on his glasses. "Well, I
want to know Cake of beeswax, paper OF
pins, hair-pins. sheets of sticking plaster
-hnllo! letter! Here! put this in the
bag-it's stamped; some one has LETT it
on the counter. Hulo let's see what else
you've foundP"
He tossed the letter to his little grand
son. This time it went'in the post-bag
this time, after laying in the dark for
I2 years. 1t was actually on its way to
China
man of 40, with his hair already sill
vered, stood amongst his employees in the
great Canton warehouse. Silks. and
strange rich, gold-,hreaded stuffs. fans.
umbrellas. screens, cabinets, were being
packed under his supervision.
'Misser Hunt" said small. shrill,
Chinese voice at his elbow. "Ship come
in-bring letters"
Very WE'LL" said Harry Hunt. ''Put
them down, Chi Foo. and see to those
fans. My yankee boy there don't under.
stand them"
Chi Foo went to work at the fans. Harry
Hunt turned over the letters.
These were mostly business missives
instructions from his senior partners, re-
plies to letters he had written concerning
sales and purchase; highly perfumed
note bearing monogram and coat Of
arms from cousin who wrote occasional.
~ to borrow money. newspaper, mag
azine, and last, but not least. dirty
time yellowed envelope with corner bit
ten of by q hungry mouse, with the sub
scription half obliterated. A thrill ran
through Harry's frame as he looked at the
handwriting. He tore it open; within lay
letter fresh as though written an hour
before. dated September 4th, 1866. and
ending thus
Il will come to China whenever YOU
send for me.'
Harry Hunt read it. understood what
had happened. though not how it had
happened and leaving his silks. shawls
and Chinese bric.a-brac to take care Of
themselves, rushed to his office. and there
indited strange. incoherent letter to one
for all he knew might be dead or married
to another-but who must know the truth
If she lived.
And SO. little later. Hetty sat in her
little light wagon at the station waiting
for train. and from that train descended
man older and darkerths the man from
whom she parted twelve years before and
this time they did not care for the COM
bined stare of all the town had all the
town been there to see. but kissed each
other with such kisses rs those who meet
IL hoo Cor