The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-04-28
even as n cOtnet,

did he have n let down any time, dc
you thinkf' Arlington persisted
"a let down-no The women were
always too jolly eager TO have TIM at any
price. Lord, I've seen hundreds OF
women try for Amyatt- hundreds OF
EN-"
That's Just it," put in Arlington,
eagerly. They all try but they just
have TO try. It's queer, for Await a
handsome chap. and AS rich as a Jew
Can't say. I'm sure. Just now he's
70 taken up with his novel writing, end
every spare minute seems TO go to that.
But why did he take up novel writ
ing7" cried the lad.
Faith. and | can't say" Trevor
laughed. But his lovemakIng's mighty
pretty for a woman hater, don't you
Think"
Meantime the object of all this
thought was in the sitting Don OF his
comfortable quarters overlooking the
green. which occupied part OF the bar
rack square. 1t was a pretty room,
with walls Of dark olive green, relieved
ONLY by four or five pictures IN PLAIN
gilt frames, all of them originals OF The
illustrations of the story which lad made
his name famous-no, no his name, but
that by which he chose to be known TO
the world.
For Mai Amyatt did not write under
his own name. preferring ior many reg
sons TO be known az John Dawes, y the
chiefest OF which was that az a beginner
he had scarcely dared 10 contemplate the
possibility OF other than failure, and he
had no wish to appear before the req
ment in the light Of a nop-success. 80,
although for some time his intlmates had
known him az the popular author who
stood second to none as a faithful delln-
Gator of army men and manners. to the
world at large he was still John Dawes,
and but few knew that the name was not
his own.
A handsome mar was Maj Amyatt
and looking at him as he sat at the table.
one could not wonder at young Airing
toms curiosity concerning his past life. 1t
would be hard to say positively that any
trace Of a disappOintment-what Airing
ton calls a 'let down"-markcd his
pleasant fresh face, or lurkod in the
steady gray eyes that were as clear and
cool and undisturbed a. The eve Of IA lad
of is.
lie had a frank and tender smile, too.
and lie was smiling then over a letter
which lay open upon the table before
him. a letter which had been forwarded
by his publishers, through whom 1t had
been sent, a letter written ii a clear, I'M
formed child's hand, on paper which had
been ruled with pencil lines.
INV dear NIr. John Dawes il said,
Il have read all your booksan like them
very much. But, please, | do want TO
know If Laura is going TO marry Gerard
King. | do hope you won't 90 and marry
her to any one else, because ! am very,
very fond Of him. SO | am Of nearly all
the others, but | ike Gerard best.
Laura /, my name, too. ! hope you
won't mind my writing to you, though J
am still rather little, am 9, OF at least
nearly 8, and have no brothers OF sisters,
50 that / read a good deal But | have
a dog called Gyp. and my mother IS not
very old, so that she plays with me q
good lot.
with best love, | am your loving
little friend, LAURA Holt
up. s. st was quite my w idea to
write"
Like most writers who have won q
hold upon the hearts Of the people,
Amyatt was accustomed 10 receiving
many letters from all sorts and conditions
OF men and women who were utter
strangers TO him, expressing all name
OF sentiment about his work. Nor was
this the first letter he had had from a
child; but it was the first that had
touched him so deeply as this one did.
There was a quaintness about its phrases,
a brave frankness about its sentiment, q
freshness in his tone which won his
heart.
II hope you won't go and marry her to
any one else, because | am very. very
fond Of him" Laura is my name,
too" Il am ., or at least nearly
o." And 1T was quite my idea
TO write" Amyatt read the letter again
with a feeling which, if he had been a
woman, would have brought tears into
his eyes, but which, as it was, gave him
q suspicious lump in his throat and that
tender smile on his lips.
Dear little SOUL" he said, softly, 81
must write 10 her'-and forthwith he
drew some paper before him and wrote
a long and charming letter to the new
little friend who was 8, OF t%scrupulOus
little soul that she was) ''at least nearly
o."
Then he, too, added a postscript, which
was, Write 10 me again.
Amyatt's little friend did write to him
again, Il letter full Of glee caused by his.
Then Amyatt answered that, for be
couldn't leave the poor little womans
pretty words unanswered, don't YOU
know; and SO. before long, quite a brisk
correspondence passed to and fro between
them.
tie still kept up his nom de plume,
though for no particular reason other
than he wished TO avoid the trouble Of
al explanation, and it was all the same
to her, and long letters filed with ac-
counts of her child's life or with her
opinions OF his characters came to him
regularly and were as regularly answered
Sometimes he would send her a book,
and often she would send him n little