St. Landry democrat., 1883-07-14

30 at my little affairs. wish you could
see something of life. You've been
brought up like a num-
Guys real name | afterwards found
out was Gideon, but Ellen did not think
1t suited the romance she was beginning
to weave about him. She must have
written her cousin about me, for not
long after she said she had message
for me, and then read from letter she
had just received something about his
great desire to meet his cousins lovely
friend. y
OF course, you will say that I ought
to have treated this message with cool
contempt. but it seemed very inoffen-
sive. What harm could there be in it?
| thought. So / merely replied in a
bantering way: "Well, he won't get
his desire. y But other messages fol-
lowed, until one day Ellen, in great ex-
element, took me aside and said:
20 Aura! | sent Guy your photo
graph, just to look at it, you know, and
he says you're too beautiful for any
thing!n
Sent him my Photographic I ex-
claimed, in dismay. "Why, how could
you do that?''
"Oh, it was not to keep. Just to look
at, that's all. Why, anybody has the
right to look at photograph, suppose.
You have the queerest, old-fashioned
notions. I've given away dozens of
mine to young men. =
I was really frightened, but to be
pronounced beautiful, when I have only
moderate share of good looks, fattered
me to the point of forgiving the pre-
sumption of my roommate. Message
followed message after this, until one
day letter came to me inclosed in one
to Ellen. My first love-letter! 1t was a
miserable piece of bombast. but was
not disposed to be critical, though read
it with a timid. guilty feeling.
ssOf course, you'll answer il, - said
Ellen, as we talked about it that night.
"No," replied, hesitatingly. 81
think you'd better send it back to him,
and tell him he mustn' write again.
"I'll do no such thing" Ellen an
swered, angrily. ''You We given him
encouragement, you've been send
ing him nice messages and raising his
hopes, and now you want to turn
round ana insult him. You can tell
him yourself if You choose. / shall not
hurt the poor fellows feelings. =
In day or two | wrote, trying to be
very firm and decided. He replied to
that, urging reasons for writing, and
one letter brought on another, until in
the excitement and delight of a senti-
mental correspondence, | expressed
myself more strongly than intended.
In fact, I might as well tell the truth; /
wrote to man [ had never seen and
knew nothing about that there had been
stranger things than learning to love a
favored correspondent.
/ was very foolish? do you say? Yes.
Crazed with excitement and not re-
sponsiblep No. For had been led to it
against the protest of my good sense.
Let it serve as warning to other
girls. These written follies somehow
have the knack of coming back upon
their authors, like ghosts that win not
be laid.
| was to leave school about the time
OF my seventeenth birthday. As that
period drew near, I began to feel more
deeply the folly Of what | had done,
and to see the necessity of getting out
of the ENHANCEMENT into which I had
been led. To tell the truth, too, I be-
gan to get tired of the correspondence.
[ found that my admirers letters were
often ill-spelled and badly expressed.
At times he became so high-fown that
could not quite understand him. In
my ignorance thought could end the
moi or yuh Il fhn
idea that father or that my brother
Harry should find out anything about |
it terrified me. I had no mother, but
my good, kind father was mother and |
father both, though sometimes he could
be very stern when / did wrong.
I told Ellen that was going home
the next week, and should not write
again to her cousin. She must tell him
that | wanted the correspondence to
cease, and if he wrote to me at nv home |
| should be compelled to return the
letters.
You know it's been in fun; any
way said. ..And want you to get
my letters from him and burn them up.
Here are hi" handing her a package.
To my astonishment, she burst into
rage. She, who had taught me that it
was only fun to engage in these affairs,
all at once became indignant at my
falsehood. She was always coarse and
common in her speech, but that day no
Virago could have surpassed her in vul-
garity. She exhausted herself at last,
and then burst into passion of tears.
You needn't think to throw him
off in that way, she cried.
You've led him on, and now you're
yoing home, because you think your pas
'icher than he is, you're for casting him
g the winds. I want to say to you that
un's fun, but this matter has gone far
her than fun. Won't he give it to me,
oo!" and she had another stormy par