Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-18
WILLIE sPRAGUE TO HIS FATHER
The Strange Letter That Was Left I'm
finished When He Killed Himself.

From the Seattle Post-1ntelligencer.
On the stand, with a discrdered collection Of
books and papers, were two letters, both written
in pencil IN a steady running hand, on small
biue-ruled, unglazed notebook paper. One OF
them was addressed to his father. 1t bore no
date line and ran as follows:
DEAR FATHER: This time I will not plead
poverty as an excuse for inficting this pencil
written affair upon you / have merely
neglected to provide myself with ink. Another
reason il, notice my ideas seem to fow more
connectedy while using pencil. The time
consumed in dipping my pen seems to break
the connection, as 1t were. To be sure, there
may be nothing in this, but We all have our
little fads and foibles.
Il sent you a postal upon the eve of nv de-
parture as an Item Of news, as / imagine that
news Is pretty scarce down there-not that you
have not your little diversions and slight sensa-
tions in the matrimonial line, for instance, but
then one always likes to hear from former
friends as acquaintance. Not that you have
given me any encouragement to spring my
bright scIntIllat1ons Of wit and humor upon
you On. no-quite the contrary. The reason
that have not written moro is that my life has
been so commonplace aud uneventful that even
my brain % stagnated. and could not have
evolved idea for brain and sentiment.
Il suppose you are little curious to know
about my movements for the three or four
moons past. Well, as i said, took the first
thing that offered i'll the way of a Job, SO per
Is,
and feet, too, for that matter. But it let up
alter time and WAS able to make it, what in
the parlance OF a slanguist. is called q snap.
That Is. all but the pay. that remained at 50 q
week-meant just IS Tor board land pretty fair
board II was, " cents for washing, so cents
for a bath, leaving balance OF IS that was at
liberty to invest or not, Just as L saw fit, but
though the figures say So for some reason
cannot explain in practice the So never ap-
peared
..Your Is.ter xaa mn ~ tbosa coId en5 ,b;,I
ing communications that pass between men
when one gets a bill Of goods charged for more
than Is shown in the invoice. Talk to me about
the bowling blizzard Of the frozen regions Of
the north pole, the awful absence of heat when
friend wont lend you VI Lord, Massey!
these take seats away back in the rear and hide
their faces IN very shame in the face Of that
letter! With my very sensitive and highly con-
nGeraie nature l cannot conceive how q man
can so ruthlessly knock "a man down, gouge his
eye and otherwise figUra.ively abuse him with
30 little, or. IN fact. no cause. But Il really
matters little, except 20 my feelings, and they
are practically Of no Use except to Ilyself This
Is great country and I'm in it. No one has
apparently caught on to the latter fact ~ yet,
but I'm here.
Although what I'm going 70 say will meet
with no credence, still works OF fiction are Al
ways read and demanded. was very loath to
leave chicago. holmes, a Pittsburg friend Of
mine, is about the only fellow ever met who
possessed the faculty OF making me see life in
anything but dark and gloomy aspect He
absolutely made me enjoy myself. At times il
WAS very irritating and CALLING to have to en-
Joy yourself. especially when had made up
MY miad TO be miserable, but on the whole I
think IL was best. He has been what dear
and beloved wife would have been to another
man. To be sure, he neither sewed on my but
tons nor called me 'sweety nor 'tootsy wOotsy
but tie moral effect was there.
'Oat here I'm thrown among strangers
AGAIN, cast upon desert isle far as soul COM
niunication Is concerned i cannot tell how
l long for love and affection, that l have never
experienced and cannot describe. yet long for
In me, fear my dream will never be realized
lat tins sentimental biz viii never do. had
lot u II slowed up and had to work il off
We'll. / went through some queer old
experiences, but i detail too much.
We'll. to curtaIl a lengthy narrative, jus.
before coming out here i struck q job
that PANIED out sl2 q week, and she
WIS q cCrker. i want to tell you what il was.
more than that 1t was respectable. IL you call
L@rt, bsck-breasing toll respectable. But
$h~h che has made up his mind TO devote the
I. iA.' aIug years Of youth and health to the ae-
eIhUIaiiOn OF a sufficient sum to enable him
70 Psss ihe waning portion Of his life in at
lecsi comfort and care. one must not expect to
nnd = grs ased tobOsgan slide around tie cor
ner- lGt the dGes, at this rate / will never
get 10 Seattle have d booty recollection OF
having written you q letter containing an ont
line q q prorosl made me by these people,
and there"
Tho letter here ended abruptly In tho center
of the page and was not signed