The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-03-27
A TALE IN 4LETTERS.
Six of One and Half a Dozen OF
the Other.
LETTER TIE FIRST.
Harry Payne to S. IL. W.
NEW YORK knn,lst

NEW YORK. august =, 1ss-.
ME-DEAR SAM: When You receive this vol
luminous epistie you VIII, with the praetieod eye
OF q man oil business glance over ii 10 catch its
gist, and when you do i thank my stars
that half the length Of the Erie Railroad sep
crates us. and l confess that the thought OF your
written answer even makes my blood curdle
with terror.
However. have done nothing TO be ashamed
Of and am not geing 10 begin by apoosizing
Tor il. Why shouldn't do what you and other
friends OF mine have done / can't see, and the
fact that ] have waited until the first flush of
youth has passed you remember i am thirty
two Is ali the more creditabe 10 me.
Wei, 10 come TO the point ,confonnd it why
don't they have printed form like that used
ina the next step in the proceeding?), write
10 announce my engagement to--thc name Viii
moi interest You nova young lady OF this city.
see your sc0rnfal look. and hear your iTonIcal
laughter. but. my dear fellow. / am dreadlully
in earnest this time. IL Will, / know, seem
incredible. bit the honest truth is that am in
love for the first time in my life. Here your
laughter becomes uncomfortable, and when
You recover yolr speech you ask how about
Fanny Glunwo0d and Laura Baker and-seVeral
Others: aaa, upon Iay word, yOI wall insiunate
that this is the secoad or third time THAT have
announced my engagement 10 goa-
Az. sam, THAI is The thing that overwhelms
me with confusion. For the first time in my
lie have knowa what remorse is. ! don't
know how you .elt when You asked an innocent
voERg girl To a'Tept your hand, but / confess /
don't feel myself worthy OF TIE one 1 have
chosen.
You wiz want to know how it all happened.
Wei here 4 IS in nutshell.
Last spring while was having desperate
filtration with Laura Baker which resulted,
as sou know, ia the breaking of ny en-
gageinent 10 Fanny GlenS0od. ! promised
10 meet Laura one morning at pic
turs-Saliery Madison Square. i b2d some
quite important explanations 10 make . her,
and / wanted her 10 see RHskin's drawings,
which were on exhibition there. tHoa know
that. after Browning, ! adore Ruskinl For
some reasons Laura did not come; but J found
in TIE room a young girl OF eighteen OF twenty,
J. guessed, tall slight. and very fair. What
stTnck me al once was the child-like simplicity
and innocence Of her face, her big blue eyes
peering out from her fluffy golden hair. laura,
You know. is a very striking brunette.) she
seemed rather embarrassed by my presence. ]
suppose did stare rather too hard. i nDaily
tore myself away, but hung around the neigh
bOrhoOd for some time, and was rewarded by
seeing her come from the direction Of the gal
lery with young man-seine relative pre-
suIne-snd get into a carriage that drove OF
uptown
did not see her again until summer. Fred
Parker, you know took a cottage al Sea GlrI,
and invited me down 10 spend Sunday, and the
first person j saw on arriving at the station
my fair unknown sitting demGrely IN wagon
cite, and waiting, probably for her father
did not dare TO keep Fred waiting, noT did
deem il prudent 10 ask about the lady, think
ing We should undoubtedly see her On the
beach that evening. We did not, and Monday
i could control any curiosity no longer, and
after Fred bad gone up to town II making Some
excuse to remain over until atteTnoon) was
on the point OF unbnrdeniBg my heart 10 his
Rood-natured wife, when / saw her driving up
70 the house, and before / could recover nay
saag-JrOid had been introduced to Miss Lizzie
Chapman. She seemed fully as much embar-
Tassed did /. Why, ! wondered, did she
remember the meeting at the art gallery two
months before2 Ii appeared not, and that she
supposed it was our first meeting.
didnot retarn5o New York tist afternoon,
but poured out nay heart to Mrs. Parker, who
listened with sort o. incrcduious surprise.
. no w0nderiV you il-nasuHedly calculate.
She did not eneoUrage ne at all, and was very
reticent about the whole matter. However, l
was taken 10 call. That evening we walked
Old the beach; the next day rode together;
aDd Wednesday night We we're engaged.
Was not viilaln 10 take such advantage of
her ignorance of the Worldg i supposed was
the first man who had ever breathed word of
love into her ear, or pressed her little hand,
Or Hang it. / did feel like guilty dog
But, rejected what shall dor This innO-
cent child evidently loves me with the first
ardent affection of her fresh heart. Shall
break II by saying, " No no; such love is not
for ne: Won are too good, TOO innocent: can
oijor you ofily the remnant OF once generous
heaFtl Few men live 10 my age" lcOuld
bezT 70 tell that child my age. even p % with
cut committing fallies. Pardon me, and you
viii never regret it, 10. did nothing of the
sort, but stcutlg gw0re that had never loved
bnt her, and that until tho moment she first
cawned on my sight life had been one long,
dreary waste, and had she not appeared TO re-
E5pe my dropping spirits ] must have succun-
bed beneath the weight Of this worlds ills.
3 word about the most perfect Of her sex.
Iseaye tbs out when yea read this scrawl TO
your wife, ] have already described her APP
PearaDce; how can describe her mind She
is intellectual far beyond her years is passion
zteiy fond OF art ard music, and utterly
obiivions Of the sordid side of life. She adores
Browning and Ruskin. Am not the happiest
OF menf
Meare to be married in the holidays Liz
zie. / know, viii want the quietest possible
wedding, and my circumstances viii allow no
other. j have once or twice tried 10 break ia
her gently what she is sacrificing in marrying
poor man, bit, dear child, she is so ignorant
OF business that il would DC foolish TO alarm
and annoy her.
YOa are the first one have told Of my en-
Eagement, aud fear this will be the pleas
ATTEST letter ] shall have 10 write about it.
What wlil Laura say 10 al thisg you ask
confess don't relish telling her, but it mus;
soon be done.
Give nay kiDdest regards % your wife, whose
sympathy know ] have ia this matter, and
trust 0nr Old-time friendship will blunt foI
~nce the sharpness Of your pen. Ever yourH,
HARRY PAYNE.