Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-03-08

dollar prize offered by the Titusfeld
LITERARY Clarion"
"Child, childr' cried Alice. "What
do you know about love2"
GAS much as other girls, fancy,
said giddy Alice. give read about
Ophelia and Desdemona, and Lucia de
Lammermoor, and all those classic hero
ines, and of coarse one depends good
deal on ones Imagination. 1t wasn't
bad story, / know. Well, that's one
road. And | read the statement of the
Woman's Barter establishment, in New
York-how they'll pay you for good
cake or preserves, or anything of that
sort, less trifiing commissioner 1sent
box of plum Jam to them, box that
ought to net me ten dollars at least
"That's Number Two" smiled Alice.
"Excuse me for saying that l have more
faith in Number Two than in Number
One"
''We shall see," nodded Libby. "And
the third"
yes" encouraged Alice, ''the
II answered an advertisement for
wife," whispered Libby, hanging down
her pretty head. ''Yes, Alice, [ did.
You needn't start back in that tragical
manner. Other girls do it. Why
shouldn't II Such a beautifully-worded
advertisement! A widower, all alone in
the world, siphing for sympathy and
love-a widower of means, Alice!"
"L1bby, you have done wrong" said
Alice, with gravity that impressed her
young companion more than she would
have been willing to confess.
GEWal I've 6Ona II and there's an
end Of the matter!" said libby, with q
rebellious shake of the head. $50
no use in lecturing me. Uncle Tom
shall find out that Pm not entirely with
out resources! A hundred dollars for
the story besides all the fame it will
bring me, ALICE, ten dollars from the
plum jam-and there, you see, is enough
to buy quite a neat little trousseau for
marrying the widower. People don't
launch out with silk dresses and dozens
of underclothes as much as they did;
and"
"Libby," urged Miss Markham, care
you really in earnest"
Libbie broke out into little hysteri-
cal laugh.
"Alice," said she, "I've thought of
nothing else and dreamed of nothing
else for week And it's strange-so
strange that l never have received an
answer to any of the three communica-
tionsw
Just then little Tommy, the youngest
hope of the house of Morse, came trot-
ting across the sere meadow.
'Oh, look here, Lib" said he. "The
storekeeper he's found lot O. letters as
got hid away under the meal bags, where
49, 4loo Thrrc9ou
They calculate as Pete, the puppy, done
it-he's chuck full of mischief and
tricks; and the storekeeper he give me
lemon ball If I'd take these to you. [
was lickin' the inside of the molasses
key, with Johnny Piper and Sam Stokes,
under the counter"
Libby grasped the letters, and even
by that imperfect light, Alice could see
the snow and crimson chasing each other
across her face
They were already inside the little
gate, and Libby caught at her COM
panion's arm with nervous haste.
''Let US go up stairs to your room,
Alice" she whispered. ''There is al
ways such swarm of children in the
keeping room, and one never can have
moment to oneself. Besides, there is
only that lamp in the house, and [ can't
read by candIe-l'ght."
Side by side, in the school-teacher's
apartment, by the light of the flicker
ing, strong scented kerosene lamp, Libby
and Alice opened the letters.
The first, whose envelope bore the
stamp of the Titusfeld Literary
CIarjo0, was brief enough. The editor
regretted that Miss Morse's manuscript
had proved unsuited to his columns, but
would return it to her address on the re-
ceipt of sufficient postage stamps to de-
fray the cost of transportation by mail.
"There's an end of thatp' cried
Libby, passionately, tearing the letter
in two and fiinging its fragments on the
ground.
The second was an elegantly written
note, on scented and monogrammed
paper, from the Secretary of the
W oman's Barter Establishment, stating
that Miss Morse's kind favor per the
Rackdwaxen Railroad Express, had
been sampled, and had unfortunately
proved to be below the standard which
the establishment had set up. The box
awaited her orders, and Mrs. Geraldus
Geoffreys remained "hers truly" etc.,
etc.
''It's all nonsense!" cried breathless
Libby. STANDARD of excellence, in
deed! It's all favoritism. There's a
know there isl The whole thing
ought to be exposed through the news
papers"
The third letter was brief enough. It
was from a we'll known lawyer in New
York, stating to Miss Elizabeth Morse
that her communication, together with
numerous others, had been found among