Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-10-09

your pen. Ever yours,
HARRY PAYNE.
LETTER THE SECOND.
SEA GrRT, August -, 1SS-.
Dir DEAh KATE: / have owed you a
letter for perfect age, but / don't be-
llevc ] should write you now were it not
Tor monotonous piece Of news have
to convey.
You remember when we were at school
they made us read IN our French class
some g0ody, stupid letters Of Madame
de Sevigne. only remember one now.
and that is the very bright one in which
she informs her daughter Of the engage
ment of Mademoiselle de Montpensier to
the Due de Lauzun. / opened my book,
the margins Of which bore token of our
interest in each other, If not Of attention
to the lesson, and began:
Il am going to tell you the most aston
ishing, the most surprising, the most mar
velous, the most miraculous, the most"
Here shut the book and concluded /
could tell my own story better in my
own words. So here goes in two ques-
tions: who do you think is engaged. =
and you answer, as / knew you would,
why, yourself, you little goose!n Cor
rect, as usual, nv ar-sighted friend; but
to whom2 With your usual perspicacity
you respond: "Jim Harper" There is
where you have made grave mistake.
1t ought to be Jim, but It isn't. / de-
clare the thing is so mixed up that
don't know whether to laugh or cry,
and | am not sure shall ever be able to
give you any clear idea Of the matter.
| wrote you all about Jim last winter
$ But it's not Jim. You say. DO hush,
and let me 90 on in my own way Well,
you know | used TO 90 over to New
Jersey with Edith Patton. and spend
Sunday at her aunt's. They were strict
enough at the school, but how could
they imagine that her Aunt Ida had an
adorable husband who invited all the
nice young men he knew to come up
and see us when we went there2 What
stories that house, particularly the con
servatoTy, could tell! Well, therein
the house, ] mean first met poor Jim
Harper. He isn't bit poor, but you
know what mean. He was q very fas-
cinating fellow, as everybody confesses,
and when he first turned his big dark
eyes ON me / Thought him the most
handsome and wicked looking fellow I
ever saw. Now, wouldn't like young
man 81 bit better because he was wicked
that would be very wrong, of course
bat at the same time / shouldn't let il
Interfere with my loving man If he was
sorry for 1t. Well. Jim was, at least he
told me so, and how he was going to-
turn over new leaf, and all that. OF
course he didn't tell me all this the first
time we met, but after we got better ac~
quainted. What winter that was We
were out at x, you remember, every
MONTH Such parties and tableaux and
skating and sleigh rides? and Jim always
by. Well, long before the winter was
over We we're emgaged.
1t happened one moonlight night In
the conservatory, and Jim promised he.
would be good boy. We had dread
full time with our letters, and once or
twice / came within an ace Of being
caught.
Jim and met very seldom, as you can
imagine; but one day he sent me very
pitiable note asking. me to meet him at q.
certain art cutlery. He was going awav
for some weeks, or / have forgotten now
what he did want to see me about. I
had to. tell Miss M an awful fib; but
/ did get away, and then was in mortal
terror Lest some one should see me. i
got to the gallery safely at last Jim
was not there. q was fifteen minutes too
soon, but he ought not 10 have kept me
waiting). Il was an exhibition Of Rus
kin's drawings Now you know II there
is one thing loalhe in this world, il IS