The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-07-20

gltteu WAth nOwera OF speech, DUB 4 bnail con-
slider myself q most happy and fortunate man
IL you viii consent 10 be my wife
Yours sincerely,
JoHN S~HERDuRNE.
p s.-Please let me hear stSm you a soon
as possible.
Miss Penelope gasped and laid down
the letter. Her mind wa in chaotic
confusion. She talked over to the
small blurred lookingglass which hung
over her chest Of drawers, and stood
there looking intently at herself.
"Ah, If he had come twenty years
agolp she whispered, shaking her
head sadly at the reflection before her !;
"then ! might have been worth the
having now, / am an old woman. And
yet he loves me, and will consider him
self fortunate if / will be his wife.
What have I done to deserve this great
hanpiness!n Falling on her knees by
her bedside, poor Miss Penelope sobbed
and cried a wall of sorrow for her lost
youth and more than n tear Of joy.
Here Penelope, Jr., appeared upon the
scene, and hearing the wonderful news
told by Miss Penelope with as many
bushes as a girl Of sixteen, clapped her
hands, and embraced her relative on the
spot, declaring il was no more than she
had expected.
On DIR. Sherburne's table lay two
letters, which he was quick TO spy when
he came in. One was postmarked
Boston" and was from his sister: the
other was directed in a 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 any body in that very
far away village OF yours by the name
Of Pansy Harding2 I happened to
know Tin confidence, Of %course) that
she is engaged to my particular pet,
Archie Johnston. He raves over her o
me, and report says her paternal rela-
tive has no end Of monsy. / am dy-
ing to know all about her. Do make
her acquaintance, and give me you can
did 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, aud a slow
sickening conviction grew upon the
lonely man that youth attracts youth,
and that Archie Johnston's Pansy
would never be his wife. Slowly,
aimlessly, he opened tho other letter,
but, after the first line or two, read
rapidly to the end. Miss Penelope
wrote:
/ have read yeur letter, and must say II was
q great surprise to me. Inever imagined that
VIM aqrnd eA much mr. at QllH fOr mig Hfraf az
all ] want TO tell you some things that youmay
not know. You speak OF the difference in our
ages as II 1t were a great deal | may look
younger than ] am, but l did not think 50. ]
am forty-four, and ] heard you tell father you
were forty-nine, so you see there ia very little
difference. promised mother when she died,
ten years ago, that as long as father lived1
would take care OF him, soft you took me you
WouldhaYe totake father too, and not many men
would want an old maid fora wife, and her old ia
Their besides. You are also mistaken about ny
having had Slitors, I haSS:eyerk=a one ia my
life; you are the only man who has eyer cared
enough for me TO ask me to marry him, so ]
know nothing about love Affairs, but l do know
that your letter has made me very happy, and
that IL 1t should be the viii Of Providence, lwill
try 10 make YOU a good wife. But ! would like
you 10 consider ell the obstacles, aud do moth
ing that you might regret one Of these days
PENELOPE HARDY.
"Whewl" whistlea the doctor, sit
ting upright in his chair. Here's q
duce of q ness I asked Penelope, Jr.,
AMI Penelope, ST., has accepted mel"
/ would not like to say how many
pipes the doctor smoked that night, or
how many times That letter was read.
Enough that quite early next morning o
small boy brought q note to Hiss Pene
lope containing these words:
- aN y
shall call to see you this afternoon. J. y
This note threw Miss Penelope into d
state of nervousness very trying to Pene-
lope, Jr., though it must be confessed
that energetic young person did q great
deal In a short time-certainly Pene-
lope Hardy, with her hair rolled
loosely at the nape Of her neck, instead
of in a tight knot on the top Of
her head, with q soft bow Of pretty
blue fastening the simple linen collar,
and relieving the severely made black
dress, with q pink flush, (Dorn Of in
tense exeitement) on her cheeks, and a
new light in her timid eyes, was a much
p~leasanter person to look at than tho
Penelope who had sat BY the hearth
and darned.
Penelope, Jr., opened the door for
him. II am very glad" she Whisper
ed, heartily pressing his hand in her
eager, girlish fashion, II always thought
you would suit each other. And before
be could find words to respond chat last
remark being rather hard mon him,
considering the circumstances led him
quickly to the barlor, and shutting the
door S~Oftiv@wAnf away
Behold your Ulysseaw he said, with
q forced gayety, very foreign tohis usual
self-possessed manner. But as he saw
the small shrinking figure, the thin
face flushed. the hands r~onghened and
stained with many years Of willing
labor for others, twisting each other
n~ervously, AMI Thought 81 the constant
self sacrifice and repression she had en-
dur9d SO long and 50 patiently, 3 great
wave Of pity, very nigh akin to love,
swept over his heart, and he put out
both hands with q protecting gesture to
meet hers, saying earnestly: @Let as
cast our lots together, Penelope, and
try to be good TO one another.
This all happened some time ago, and
a would scarcely recognize the staid,
pfim, Miss Penelope in the sweetrfaced,
placid little lady who rules DR.. Sher.