Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-04-27
"No more he does! He never did

dance, even as cornet."
"Was he the same Them
81 fancy he was--certainly he never
hung about the women much, Trevor
admitted.
"Did he have a let down any time, do
you think9" Arlington persisted.
"A let down-no The women were
always too jolly eager to have him at any
price. Lord, I've seen hundreds of
women try for Amyatt-hundreds Of
'eml"
"That's just it," put in Arlington,
eagerly. They all try-but they just
have to try. It's queer, for Amyatt's a
handsome chap, and as rich as Jew"
Cant say, I'm sure. Just now he's
30 taken up with his novel writing, and
every spare minute seems to go to that"
but why did he take up novel writ
ing2" cried the lad.
Faith. and cant say" Trevor
laughed. but his lovemaking 8 mighty
pretty for a woman hater, don't you
think2"
Meantime the object of all this
thought was in the sitting room 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 had made
his name famous-no not his name, but
that by which he chose to be known to
the world.
For Maj. Amyatt did not write under
his own name. preferring for many rea-
sons to be known as John Dawes" the
chiefest of which was that as a beginner
he had scarcely dared to contemplate the
possibility of other than failure, and he
had no wish to appear before the regi-
ment in the light of non-success. So,
although for some time his intimates had
known him as the popular author who
stood second to none as a faithful delin-
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 man was Maj. Amyatt,
and looking at him as he sat at the table,
one could not wonder at young Airing
tons curiosity concerning his past life. 1t
would be hard to say positively that any
noSO VI a lldI
ton calls a ''let down"-marked his
pleasant fresh face, or lurked in the
steady gray eyes that were as clear and
cool and undisturbed as the eyes of a lad
of 16.
He had frank and tender smile, too,
and he was smiling then over letter
which lay open upon the table before
him, letter which had been forwarded
by his publishers, through whom it had
been sent, letter written in clear, I'M
formed child's hand, on paper which had
been ruled with pencil lines.
my dear Mr.. John Dawes" it said,
II have read all your books and like them
very much. But, please, do want to
know if Laura is going to marry Gerard
King. do hope you won't go and marry
her to any one else, because l am very,
very fond of him. So am of nearly all
the others, but like Gerard best.
Laura is my name, too. hope you
won't mind my writing to you. though
am still rather little. am 8, or at least
nearly 0, and have no brothers or sisters,
so that read good deal. But | have
dog called Gyp, and my mother is not
very old. so that she plays with me
good lot.
with best love, am your loving
little friend, LAURA HOLT
up. S. 1t was quite my own idea to
write.
Like most writers who have won a
hold upon the hearts of the people.
Amyatt was accustomed to receiving
many letters from all sorts and conditions
of men and women who were utter
strangers to him, expressing all manner
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 quaintness about its phrases,
brave frankness about its sentiment, a
freshness in his tone which won his
heart.
81 hope you won't go and marry her to
any one else, because | am very, very
fond of him" Laura is my name,
too" II am 8, or at least nearly
o." And ut was quite my own idea
to write. Amyatt read the letter again
with a feeling which, if he had been
woman, would. have brought tears into
his eyes, but which, as it was, gave him
suspicious lump in his throat and that
tender smile on his lips.
Dear little SOUL" he said, softly, Il
must write to her" forthwith he
drew some paper before him and wrote
long and charming letter to the new
little friend who was 8, or (scrupulous
little soul that she was) ''at least nearly
o."
Then he, too, added a postscript, which
was HWrite to me apnln
Amyatt's little friend did write to him
again. letter full of glee caused by his.
Then Amyatt answered that, for he
couldn't leave the poor little woman's
pretty words unanswered, don't you
know; and SO, before long, quite brisk
correspondence passed to and fro between
them.
lie still kept up his nom de plume,
though for no particular reason other
than he wished TO avoid the trouble of
an 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
reolllarlv and were as repularly answered