The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-05-21
Six OF One, Etc.
I TnIc In -Four Letters.
LETrER THE FIRST.
Harry /ioy"e N IS. H. W.


MY DEAR SAM-When you receive
this voluminous epistlo you will, with
the practiced eye OF man Of business,
glance over it to catclits Rist, and when
you do Thank my stars that half the
length Of the Erie Railroad separates us,
and ] confess that the thought Of your
written answer even makes my blood
curdle with terror.
However, ! have done nothing 10 he
ashamed Of, and am not going 10 begin
by apologizing for it, Why shouldn't
do what you and other friends Of mine
have done ! cant see, and the fact that
/ have waited until the first flush Of
youth has passed lyon remember am
thirty-two) il all tho more creditablc to
me.
Well, TO come to the point (coniound
II why don't they have printed form
like that used in the next step in the
proceedings p, ! write to announce my
engagement to tho name will not in
terest you now ayoung lady in this city.
see your scornlul look, aud hear your
ironical laughter, but, my dear fellow. /
am drcadlully in earnest this time. 1t
will, / know, seem incredible, but the
honest truth is that | am in love ior the
first time in my life. Here your hngh-
ter becomes uncomfortable, aud when
You recover your speech You ask how
about Fanny Glcnwood and Laura Baker
and--scyeral others; and, upon my word,
you will insinuatc that tins is the 4, cond
or third time that have ANNOUNCED my
engagement to you.
ALI, Sam, that IL tho thing that over
whelms lne with confusion. For the first
time in my life have known what re.
morse il. / don't know how you felt
when You asked IN innocent young girl
10 accept your hand, but confess don't
feel myself worthy OF tho one / have
chosen.
Men think they are cxcusablc for the
follies that seem TO be inherent in youth,
and don't suppose you and have been
worse than the majority Of fellows; but
what would | not give now 10 be able
30 offer to Lizzie Chat is her namcl what
l know ] shall receive IRON hcr-a heart
absolutely free from all past rccolIcctions?
For so little has she yet seen Of society
that all sho knows about our sex has
either been evolved out Of her inner con
Bciousncgs or CLEANED from the pages of
romance.
Am not wretch to impose on the
simplicity Of such an innocent heart ? |
declare sometimes thiul, | will tell her
/ am not good enough for her, and give
up the whole thing.
You will want 10 know how II all hap.
pencd. Well, here it is IN II nutshell.
Last spring, while was having u dcs-
perato Irritation with Laura Baker, which
resulted, NJ You know, IN the breaking
II my engagement TO Fanny Glcnwood,
! promised to meet Laura one morning
Mt picturc-gallcry on Madison Square.
j had some quite important explanations
to mako to her, and wanted her to see
Ruskin's drawings which were on cxh.
bition there. (You know, that after
Browning, adore luskin.) For somo |
reason Laura did not come; but found |
III tho room young girl of eighteen or
twenty. | guessed, tall, slight, and very
fair. What struck mo Mt once wa
tho child-like simplicity and innocence
OF her fncc, her big blue eyes pccrins
cut from her fluffy golden hair. Haura
you know, ~ very striking brunette.)
Sho seemed rather embarrassed by my
presence. suppose / did stare rather
too hard. I finally tore myself away,
but hung around tho neighborhood for 4
some time, and was rewarded by seeing n
her come from tho direction Of tho gal.
cry with young NAH some relative, 4
! presu me--and get into carriage that 4
drove uptown.
did not Zee her again until summer. /
Fred Parker, You know, took cottage ,
ut Sea Girt, and invited me down 10
spend Sunday, and the first person
saw on arriving at the station was my
lair unknown sitting demurely in a |
wagonette, and waiting, probably for
her father. did not dare to keep Fred
waiting. nor did l deem it prudent to
hsk about the lady, thinking We should
see her on the beach that
'vening. We did not, and Monday | {
ould control my curiosity no longer, i
nd after Fred Ind gone up TO town q 4
taking some excuse to remain over until n
'ternoon) was on the point of unbur. .,
ming my heart to his good-natured :,
lfe, when saw her driving up to the W
)use, and before / could recover my ii
ing JrOid / had been introduced TO m
1888 Lizzie Chapman. She seemed In
lily MS much embarrassed rs did /. On
by, ! wondered, did she remember nc
o meeting ut the art gallery two lie,
onths before9 1t appeared not, and A
ct she supposed it was our first meet -,
8. Oh
did not return TO New York that Sp
1ternoon, but poured out my heart TO =,
lrs. Parker, who listened with a sort If .h
lcredulous surprise. "No wonder y, M
gu i'll naturally calculate. She d;d la
OF encourage me at all, and was v mu IN
eucent about the whole matter. How. -
yer, l was taken to call. That even. nc
70 we walked on the beach; the newt Oh
~ We rode together; and "Wednesday -
ght we were engaged. NJ
Was l not a villain to take such nd. ~
ntage OF her Ignorance Of the worldp ~ y,
uppose was the first man who had =,
,r breathed word of love into her al
:, or pressed her little hand, Or W,
ng it did feel like q guilty dog. "
;, / reflected, what shall do? This II;
ocent child evidently loves me with an
first ardent affection of her fresh Nh,
IT. Shall !. break it by saying: m,
}, no; such love is not Tor me; you str
too good, too innocent; 1 can offer car
only the remnant of n onoe oener. IL,