The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-01-29
AN UNSIGNED pOsTsCRIPT.

|
| young awyer-prosperous mainly because
he had inherited enough of a fortune to
| live upon without worrying over the small
economies of life. AS things go. the Folla-
ller property had not been so very, very
large, even at its best cstate-dividcd up,
it Noted hundred thousand or so for each
of the children, of whom Tom and his sis
ter Fanny were the only members with
whom this story has especially to do.
Tom and Fan were particularly attached
to one another for brother and sister.
| They lived together in pleasant suite of
apartments when they were both in town,
and exchanged letters once a week when
they were separated. Under the circum-
sense in getting married, and, although
Fan had, or might have had, any quantity
of offers-most of them based upon the
supposed favorable condition of her bank
account-she usually applied preventives
in time to forestall actual declarations and
offers. She had keen powers of observa-
ton, and when she saw young fellow in
danger of losing his appetite on her ae-
| count she would, in the most angelic and
self-possessed manner possible, arrange
tete-a-tete in some retired corner, where
upon dialogue something like this,
would occur after a little preliminary Skin
misling:
''Why don't you get married, Mr. Fair
child ?''
81 don't know exactly-that is, | don't
think She would have me if I asked her."
"fhere is no telling till you try. Now l
will give little dinner here next week and
ask you both, and you shall have the best
possible chance to come to an understand
ing.
"But, Miss Follaker, was-you don't
know hoped"
eyes, yes know all about it. There
is no earthly need of explanations I love
to help young folks along the rosy path of
matrimony."
If the admirer persisted in making
formal proposal after ten minutes of such
conversation as this Fan had not the
slightest pity for him. She concluded
that he deemed himself irresistible and
usually succeeded in making him feel some
what attcnuated before the interview was
over.
1t was from this sister that Tom found
letter on the morning in question among the
other mail matter on his desk. When the
summer waned, Fan had run down to
spend a few weeks with married sister in
the Virginia mountains, and the usual cor
respondcnce had been faithfully kept ND.
The present letter contained nothing be-
yond the ordinary until toward the end:
Here have | been making illusions to
Connie" Fan wrote, 'and you don't at all
know who she is. Well, found her here
when | arrived, and we became the best of
friends at once. She is fond of riding, and
You know sister Kate docs not ride any
more. So We, Connie and l. go all over
the neighborhood together on brother
Jack S horses, of which he seems to have
an endless supply, Connie is just my age
rather old for you, Tom-and is girl
comes near her Generally l hate such
girls, and she says that she does, too, but
somehow we have taken to one another
from the first. She is-but she has Just
come into the room and is very impolitey
and nconsideratcly standing with her hand
such pretty hand rs it is. Tom-on
my shoulder, and feel sure she is reading
what write. So, of course, | cannot say
what was going to about her. -
Here followed the usual aflectionate end
ing of a sistorly letter, and then came a
postscript in a different handwriting
"'Connie' begs to assure Mr. Follaler
that she dl not read word until Miss
Follascr pointedly' as they say herea-
bouts, invited her to do so. What Miss
Follakcr was about to write may well, per-
haps, he left unsaid since her written
statements are not always conspicuously
truthful when her affections are concerned. >
As general thing Tom was not particu-
larly susceptible to feminine charms. He
enjoyed his sisters dinner parties and was
esteemed u very agreeable fellow, but he
was not ladies' man in the least. But
who shall account for the freaks of the
human heart No sooner did Tom read
this little informal postscript than he be-
gan studying it and picturing to himself
how Connie looked when she possessed
herself of the pen and, leaning over the
desk, perhaps with her arm round Fans
neck, had written these Insignificant yet
suggestive lines Tom answered the letter
in due course, and managed, naturally, TO
bring in an appropriate message to Con
mic, apologizing for the unavoidable nee
cssity of using that seemingly familiar form
since he did not know her by any other
name. Other messages passed to and fro,
and, strange 10 say, instead of writing a
weekly letter the brother found excuses for
writing to his iavorite sister almost every
other day Fanny. for her part, cxulted in
keeping mp the mystery. Her letters were
an encyclopedia of information concerning
sConne" in every respect save that of her,
true name and, scheme as Tom would, he
could not find that out. He wrote sur
reptitiously to his sister Kate and to Jack,
her husband, but they were apparently CO.
-. .4e