The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-02-28

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beside the hearth began to haunt his
waking moments, and after much cogita
ton and weighing of pros and cons, DR..
Sherburne wrote letter. It was work
of some time and meditation, and cost
many sheet of paper before it was
completed; then, patient unexpected
ly stepping into the office, it was hur-
riedlY addressed to Miss Penelope
Hardy" and dispatched.
During the day it was received, Pansy
took it in, and reading the superscrip-
ton, ran upstairs lightly to Miss Pencil
ope's room with it. Here, Miss Pencil
ope Hardy" she cried, gaily holding
the letters over her head "is love-let-
ter for you. Oh! you sly aunty, to be
receiving letters from unknown Ito mel
writers. Here, read it, and then con-
fess to me- or I'll never forgive You"
She ran laughingly away, and Miss
Penelope was left alone with her letter
1t was most unusual for her to receive
one, unless from Psnsy when she was
away, so she put on her spectacles and
read the address carefully before she
| opened it. 1t was certainly for her,
Miss Penelope Hardy" in bold free
hand; all Penelope's letters were ad-
/ dressed to Pansy. After looking it over
on ali sides, she cut off the end of the
envelope with her scissors, and drew out
the letter, and this is what she read
DEAR Miss Perhaps you win be
/ surprised when you read this letter. | hope
! that you have guessed long ago how dear YOU
are 10 me. and that you N be willing to give
| the guidance of your dear life 10 in nv hands
! know there is a difference IN our ages but
not 80 great | hope that love cannot bridge
1t over; and l viii try my best TO shield you
/ from every tilai and care, and TO deserve your
aft cton.
! Ihtve prospered in business during the past
! year. and can offer you very comfortable
home, aud you will still be near enough to the
/ homestead TO be able to look after them. |
! know you must have had other suitors before
/ me. and l am plain and old-fashIoned, not
! gifted With flowers of speech, bat l shall con-
| sldec myself 8 most happy and fortunate man
| II you viii consent 10 be my wife. Yours siu- |
/ cereiy,
JoEL SHERBURSE. !
P. s.-PIease let Ias hear from you as soou |
az possible.
Miss Penelope gasped aud laid down !!
the letter. Her state of mind closely |
resembled that of the little old woman |
OF our childhood's days upon whom the |
naughty peddler's trick had such a be- |!
wildering effect. She almost asked,
Am Up" Her mind was in chaotic
confusion. She walked over to the
small blurred looking glass which hung
over her chest of drawers, and stood
there looking intently at herself
"Ah, If he had come twenty years
ago. she whispered, shaking her head
sadly at the reflection before her; "then
l might have been worth the having;
now [ am an old woman. And vet he
loves me, and will consider himself for
tunate if l viii be his vile. He is so
strong and kindl It must be very
pleasant to have Oomebody to love one
and take care of one. | would keep |
all his things IL order and make him so
comfortable. What will father say
VIII he be willing to let me 60? Oh,
mother, i have kept my trust faithfully
all these years; will it be wrong if put
this man before my father? Dear Lord
what have | done to deserve this great
happlnessi' Falling on her knees by
her bedside, poor Miss Penelope sobbed
ard cried vail of sorrow for her lost
youth and more than one tear of JOY.
She knew her own heart nov, and 60
matter how things ended, il was 80 lest
1ASo NcAAACA0 w nave OSCIi lONtU ny BuCu 4
a good man." Here Penelope, Jr., APP
peared upon the scene, and hearing the
wonderful news told by Miss Penelope
with as many bushes as a girl of Is,
clapped her hands and embraced her
relative on the spot, declaring it was no
more than she had expected, which last
remark greatly surprised the older
woman.
On DIR. Sherburne's table lay two let
ters which he was quick to spy when he
came in. One was postmarked "Bos-
ton, and was from his sister; the other
was directed in small, cramped hand,
the capitals carefully elaborated, as if
by one not given to much writing.
Neither OF them seemed to be what he
expected, so he read his sisters letter
first. The end of it ran thus:
DO you know anybody in that very
far, away village Of yours by the name ,
OF PaDsy Harding? / happened to ,
know lin confidence, of COURSE that ,
she Is engaged to my particular pet
Archie Johnston. He raves over her to ,,
me, and report says her paternal rela- .
tive has no end Of money. I am dying
to know all about her. Do make her ,
OSi dAl give your CAOUl0 II
opinion of her"
Her pretty ring, "a friend" to whom
she constantly spoke of writing, and
numberless incidents unnoticed at the ,
time, rushed to his memory, and slow ,
slckening conviction grew upon the :
lonely man that youth attracts YOUTH"
and that Archie Johnston's Pansy :
would never be his wife. Slowly, aim ;
lessly, he opened the other letter, but !
after the first line or two read rapidly :
to the end. Miss Penelope wrote:
DR.. JOEL SHERBURNE: have read your let ,
Ter, and must say It was great surprise TO L
me. never imagined that you cared so much I
or at all for me. First Of all, want 10 tell Won s
some things that you may not know You '
speak or the differences in our ages as ii it :
we're great deal may look Younger than I
am, but did not think so. l am a, and I
heard You tell father you we're AZ. so Won see s
there Is very little difference. | promised :
mother when she oieo, ten years ago, that as /
long as father lived ] would take care Of him:
so If You took me you would have TO take c
father, too, and not many men would want an | |
Old maid for wife, and her old father besides. g
You are Also mistaken about nv having had suit .
ors. have never had one IN my life; yoH are the .
only man who has ever cared enough for me TO [
ask me TO marry him, so know nothing about | I
love AFFAIRS. but do know that your letter has :
made me very happy. and that If it should be =
the viii Of Providence, will try TO make you a '
good wife. But l would Ike you 10 consider I
al the obstacles, and do nothing rash or that c
You might regret one Of these davs r
PENELOPE HARDY I
Whewl" whistled the doctor, sitting
upright in his chair. Here's deuce Of
a mess! | asked Penelope Jr., and
Penelope ST., has accepted mel7
He read it again slowly, then walked s
over to the mantlepiece, took his pipe /
out of his pocket, and knocking the '
ashes out proceeded to fill it, stufine I