New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-09
saw il wa, very audacious, impudent thing for me

4
cell turning over all sorts of notions. The gueeres
| IDEAS came into my head. What did / think of
taking policeman into my confidence dest tr ing
Old Hawke TO leave the house, then knock, ask TO
see Miss Hawke give her the letter and tell her to
say he had saled 70 eo walls what did think Of
| bri6jnr the family butchers man TO smuggle the
letter into FlOrences hand under the pretence that
| that his master ha3asked him to SEQ Miss Hawke
| and nobody else what did think OF buying cap
or hat and pnnng the letter INSIDE IL as ~ TeI f
| TON Iodgo9 These samples of the schemes
which were hove up out of me by the throeS OF my
imagination But nEns or them s% b~T e family nH
| ,y0nld object that should be acting dishonesty
| in asking her to convey the letter; and that she
| would he acting undutifully i'll accepting the er-
rand But YOU sec. lads. it was bound TO go some
| how or other and there was no one to manage ITS
with gCa or S and roe fo beT and
better remember this letter than the other told
| her | was rendered desperate by the necessity OF
communicating with Florence, that had no Trend
in the world but dearest Sophie that blushed TO
ask her to do anything in opposition to her parents
wishes and that called heaven TO witness, II she
would obligc me by handing the inclOsed letter TO
| Miss Hawke would never again ask her to dlsobey
| her mamma This done, rang the bell and asked
Mrs Chump if there was an intelligent man or BOY
! knocking about anywhere, who for n couple Oh
/ shillings would Immediately deliver the letters
(which were under one cover at my unclc's house
| The words which had passed between rs made her
anxious to oblge; besides. paid her fifteen shil
ngs n week and was not to be snccrcd at. Yes, Mrs
| GallOways boy would be glad TO run if he was az
home: she'd go and seek him. He was at home, and
came back with Mrs Chump. ! gave him the adj
! dress and he instantly sped away loudly whStling
and sat down trembling aitermy great lntcllectua
passed the rest of the day in very mOping
slluiking fashion. | ordered Mrs Chump to cook
me n chop by way of dinner, and found even the
lean thing she dished up more than my l0ye-sck ap
petite could consume. | wandered about the cor
poration quays looked into the shop windows and
lodgings What fortunes of mind underwent on
account of that letter! Would Sophie send what
would Florence think if she received il would she
voSt6 must endure Experiences Of this kind sup
pose when he is in love but declare that would
rather have half a foot of my stature knocked or or
spend ten years of my life in an Atlantic cate-shp
than 60 again through the suferings of that time.
At half past ) that evening was in my sitting
room holding novel in my hand, upside down very
likely when single knock was struck upon me
house-door, and Mrs. Chump looked in and said !:
q Mr. Seymour's servant, SIR, for you.' ! went ont
and saw Cobb, who tiouriShcd his thumb upon his
forehead and said Miss Sophles love- sir, and she
sends YOU this" Ii was letter; carried il to the
candles and found two Enclosures one from Sophie,
and the other scaled in very little cnvelOpe. from
Florence. When | saw this latters handwriting,
the bold Jack Seymour, esq, with /. II. up III the
corner and tho familiar goose for seal my aglta-
ton was so great that the letter Quivered i'll my
hand like o fiat candlcStick in the grasp of a
nervous man, awakened by unusual sounds III th9
dead of night. read il through, and then read
Sophies. and then turned to the other, and might
have gone on reading them over and over again.
alternately, for an hour or two, had not been IN
terrupted by a modest cough in the passage. |
peered and found Cobb erect on the door-mat.
"Why, Cobb said l, Il quite forgot that you
ais there any answer sir r. he inquired.
No." said /. and put two half-crowns into his
hand. He was hunbly thankful, ana went away
SOphe's letter ran thus
"MY DEARJACK,-I was actually talking to Flor
ence at our gate when the boy arrived with your
note She had been visiting some poor person, ana
had been to the library for novel, and we met
oDposte our house. | asked the boy what he
wanted and he said he had brought n letter from
gentleman ; l looked at 1t and saw IT was addressed
70 mo which made me rather nervous, for, upon my
honor Jack, did not know your Handwriting;
Well inside found your letter to Florence, and |
said Now this is too bad here is my cousin want
ing me to be his pOStman against mamma = wishes;
however Florence, said l. ms You are here there can
be no harm in my handing you tins, ana ! gave her
the letter She read hers while READ mine. !
asked her what Won had written. She put the letter
in her pocket and answered oh. papa has called
upon him and am afraid there has been quarrel.
] shall hear all about " when get home. But
there was more in yOfy le.tor than that, am sure,
FOR there the pretest color IN checks aud she
could not help smiling not disdaniully on, dear
no sir quite the contrary, assure you. Then she
asked me what my letter contained; told her 10
read it, as had no secrets, , ana thGn SAD Shn
ought not to write to me- Dom leave the poor
fellow in suspense Florence said see how he
has written to me: he is clearly dying of love
don't know what he has said to you and don't ask;
but If IL deserves answer yOu ought 10 write
dear i cOuldnt send him letter by post, said
She If write a short note will you forward IT 10
him, After begging her TO write felt il would be
mean TO refuse her; said yes intending To tell
mamma when IL the letter arrived, and ask leave TO
send il YOU. Well, IL came half an hour ago, and
mamma said You cannot help il. for Florence was
with you when Mr.. Jacks letter brought, but it
mnst not happen again 50 here you have your
sweethearts letter and since she appears willing to
correspond the best thing yon can do is 10 get me 70
ask her how you may write 10 her in future with
ont trying TO make me break the fifth command
ment. r
"P. S.-When are you coming to see us and tell
Inc all about your quarrel with Mr.. liawkei What
did he say Was he radeT
Florence's letter was shorter and swcetcr.
"DRAR Mr.. SEYMOUR,-SOphie has given me your
letter am grieved that papa should have called
upon you. So many things are done IN this world
which are quite unnecessary. You need not fear
that / shall be preudiccd by anything that can be
said | hope am able to form my own opinions on
people and judge for myself. But ] must ask you
not to write 10 me again. have already incurred
my fathers serious dspleasure and am anxious TO do
nothing to offend him Hardly anything has panied
me more in all this trouble than being separated
from your cousins, whose society loved However,
| shah never allow anything TO cstrange them and
me; whenever / am alone aud pass your uncle's
house and see Sophie or Amelia, | stop and speak.
and perhaps on one Of these occasions We may
'""i'' ~ Yours truly, FLORENCE HAWKE"
How this lcttor may strike you I cannot guess.
Me il sent slap into heaven. No wonder gave Cobb
two half-crowns. Fifty times that money would
document sly did Sophie call herr oh, shipmate
is the beautiful plant sly for blossoming / admit
that there was trlhing contradiction between the
passage in which she said that she was anxious TO
do nothing to offend her father, and the sentence in
which she showed me how might sometimes meet
her; but consider the influences which were acting
upon her If You start the port wheel of paddle
boat hard ahead, and reverse the sdTbOard wheel
hard astcrn there's no helm that know which will
make the vessel hold steady course. But, Lord
love yOu am not spinning this yarn as an apology
for the darling OF my heart Love IS current that
has caused many stronger nature than my laSsc's
TO drag and cut and run. And sco here boys; if
parent don't want LlS Chlld's anchor to come
take care to furnish her with good holding ground
I'm his own character and conduct. And 80 Amen TO
that, as a piece of briny advice dedicated to the
memory OF AlphOn>O Hawke, and be hanged to him.