Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-12-06
THE LOST LETTER.

hali. DO hear five dolas9 Is il nos.
slDie that no one present has taste enough
10 Did live dollars for this supcrb old
mirrors Four dollars and a half. Five
dollarsl Thank you, sir. &c; the ren.
tlcman's name, jim"
n young man with flushed face and
ms ,''t on the back of his closely cropped
heau' instantly stood before me with n
notebook in his hand. | became aware
tnat while supposed myself to be nod
oihS across the room to Il friend, | had
oeen bidding for the mirror. did not
intend to do so; did not need or de
sire the glass; but appreciated its value,
knew 1t was bargain, aud dreaded tho
general notice that would he attracted to
me IL denied the intention; so | gave
MN my name, and that evening found
'hc mirror my exclusive property.
Like most old bachelors, | was fond of
auorhing my Furnished; apartment with
,nihSs oi my own. A curious clock Ind
pecn the object of my visit TO the auction
rooms; and now that had the mirror. 7
wondered that had not really otrrrcI ,
oii ,or III. IL was mantcl mirror, long
anu low, with frame about which Loves
anu Traces were apparently playing at
tag Inc glass was line, and the gliding
was good, but I noticed that its back
WASH little loose in the frame, and taking
,hc precautlon of putting in Il few brads
Da'crc l hung it, disodgcd an article
'hat had slipped down between the glass
ana the frame. IL was a letter. in II deli.
cate envelope, directed, STAMPED and still
seaieu with drop of green wax slammed
with a lotus flower. Evidently il had
never been opened The writing, in that
pale INK which ladies affect, had become
almost unreadablc; but finally discoy-
ered that 1t was addressed TO MIR. Dudley
Whitmorc.
IL was easy to imagine how il Ind rot
into the place whence | had tnkcn Il
VINO ever knew a servant who did not
use II mirror as II letter rack the moment
IL was loose enough in its framc2 But
whelher 1t was IN important letter, which
snould be delivered to its owner if posi-
pie, or merely some note of invitation
that had had its day, it WAS quite impos.
siblc TO guess.
III the course of the next morning
called on the auctionecr, who referred me
!" Inc person who had placed the things
!" hia hahds for sale. lie could only tell
me mat they came from an old hotel
wiiich was about to be torn down, the site
having been disposed of for certain car
stables, and that he never heard of Dudley
"hi'morc, who had probably been Il
transient guest at the hotel. looked in
inc directory; there was no such name 60
De found there. and the letter was. by
l.s postoiiice stamp, five years old. I
uld not ieel that that gave me any right
TO open it; but it was possible that I
might meet or hear of Mr.. Dudley Whit
more, and put it away, in order that, if
this ever happened, might produce it.
Two years passed however, and | had
neSer heard the name; and yet, when
went upon my trip to Europc-my first,
ana naturally most interesting onc-i
took MIR. Whitmorcs letter with me.
who knew but that l might meet him
abroad?
1t was in the little village of Villc-lc.
Bel, near Paris, that one day found my
self among the worshipcrs in the church
OF Saint Didicr, upon some day deemed
especially holy.
great many English visitors were
present, and among them beautiful
young lady, attended by little brown
servant-maid in "A tall white cap and car
rings, listened intcntly to the music S.c
was very graceful, very elegantly
dressed, and very charming, but she was
also very pale, and as the crowd in
creased and the air grew heavier, she
grew still paler, until finally heard the
maid utter little cry, and found that
the lady had tainted She was very
near me, and, with the assistance of the
maid, managed to carry her through
the crowd to the fresh air Thc,e sherc-
covered, and, though still very weak,
was able to walk. 1 inquired how best
| could render assistance, and finding
that she lived only little distance from
the church, offered my arm and recon-
panied her to the door of her home.
An old gentleman, sitting under the
trees in his little garden, with volume
OF Racine in his hand, arose and came
forward to meet us. He sympathized
with the young lady, admonished the
maid to take her at once to her mamma.
and thanked me with many bows and
fiourishcs. We exchanged cards. The
next day 1 called to inquire for made
moiselle, and was greeted as though I
were an old friend in fact, became an
intimate of the cottage, and soon learned
the history of the inmates The old gen
tleman was NJ. Vcrnet, the second hus
band of the young lady's mother. Both
ladies were country women. The
younger bore the name of Lefty Lnnct.
l should have thought it some ones
rather affected nom de plume, had not
known its owner. But she. though rath-
or romantic, very delicate, and not by
any means what I had hitherto believed
to be my feminine ideal, was SO pare and
lovely, so mystcrioilsly charming, that
admired even hcr name.
| was attracted TO her rs I never yc.
had been 10 any girl, and il was not long
before knew that | must let her know
it, Many happy hour did | spend in
the little arbor under the trees, or in the
garden rich with roses, or the parlor,