The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-01-02

= atsFlEL RE&EsESIE -LfEl E-EfrN-
we'll enough to giysup, that luxury for. / like
! occasional ~visitors3 but don't like to see toe
much of the sternSr rack. ryour feelings were
more e1ftaIgled klian ! suspect they arc / nigh
beseech You MOI to hang, shoot, or drown youl.
self; but l fancy the danger is very
thrilling. Indeed, ] have seen $50 mapy
broken.heartea men recover q grow
stout that l have become skeptical about
the i'll eifectse of a rebuff. Doubtless YOU would
like me- to say how deeply my feelings wer.
touched by your offer, how it kept me awake
At night, aud all that sort of thing; but 1 am {
is no. Sometimes l think q colossal fortune
might tempt me-, Il love to be Graded in the
lap Of luxury,) but again | am sure that ever
that would DO in vain. Doubtless there are
half |. dozen maidens signing and dying for you
Yours, sincerely,
"LAyIN1A PETo.
Herbert finished, and then burst lntt
: laugh as he recalled q certain evening
Mary, Kate and he had spent together
Here. then, was the explanation. But
surely that was Mrs. Peto's handwrit.
ing. Had those mlschievous girls really
let her into the secret? How was be
to find out? How pay them back in
their W coin? He then glanced over
his business documents, and finally took
up the last letter. How had it escaped
him that it was Mary's writing? He
hesitated, and held it a moment ere
opening it.
DEAR HERBERT tbegan Mary),-eI am 80
sorry, and so afraid OF hurting your feelings.
II was ever 30 kind OF you to want me, but
butt do hate to say no, but I don't SEQ how ]
can help It Please forgive me, and let US be
as good friends as seyer-won't you? can't
bear to say no to ono / like 80 much as / dc
you. Oh, I am so sorry! Do let me be always
your TREND MARY NEAIE.
I'll never take mo- for an answer
from you sweetheart, vas his unspok-
en- thought as he laid down the letter
strange to say, q little panied, even
though he realized it was but a joke.
He hastily finished his breakfast, and
taking . pen scrubbed off q reply to the
last. The others he would settle witt
Kate, whom he felt to be the real au
thor, later.
DEAREST MARY,-It is with a feeling O.
g%rieyons disappointment undertake to repl,
to your epistle. My trembling hands Amos
mingled sense Of hope and fear, I tore til,
covering from your anxiously expected
letter. will not weary you with TIL,
tale OF the sleepless hours and thu
alternate extremes Of joy and despair that 1 ex.
perienced, II matters not. Yonshave crushed
4 faithful heart; and though oceans and con.
tlnents may lie between us, rs presently they
will, yet undyins affection for you will evei
reign in my bosom. Farewell, then, adored
one, and may you never feel q hundretll par,
of such sorrow as your cruel words have caus-
ed. HERBERTa
With some satisfaction he read over
his note, and resolved on the policy oil
silence; he would not even 90 to see
them for a while. That would be more
aggravating, he knew, than any revenge
he could devise. 1t would be, and was,
q hard thing te carry out, but he stuck
to it manfully, though never had the
days seemed SO long, or the evenings SO
hard to dispose Of. Meanwhile the con.
spirators waited, and Kate at least en-
joyed her own little joke very much.
Then came Herbert's letter to Mary.
which bothshared and laughed over.
But as day after day passed and n
Herbert appeared, Mary began to fee
seriously troubled. and even got to the
point Of shedding a few secret tears
Gould it possibly be that he wa,
really hurt ct anything she hac
said? Really taken it serious
"? And oh, dreadful possibility
if by any chance he were going away
without SAYING good-byl This last idea
was too much, and she could no longer
resist the temptation which prompted.
her to write to him:
b 'sHERBRHT,-H Won care for me one particle
come hackl I don't know what I have said o,
to hurt you, but l can't bear your silenc,
and absence. NARY"
A little stnrtled, but overwhelmed
with q sudden rush of joyful feelings,
he answered the summons in person.
He did not wait for persuasion, but
hsr in his arms, as she glided into the
room. "Thank you a thousand times,
sweetheart " suiting the action to the
word as he bent to kiss her. Leap.
year has made me the happiess of men.
"Leap-year!" she said, a little breath.
less and b%ewlldered. "Oh, I never
thought Of that! It's all o Joke"
well, it's nc joke that I've got you
now and mean to keep you, leap-yeal
and every year, Cousin Mary" he said,
with a happy laugh. We'll refuse OF
accept Kate together ncw.n-Harper's
Bazcr.