The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-10-30
a DEAR, DEAR MAN.
And How a Beautiful but Artful Grille
Worked Him.

| the stamp division of the post office.
"The pens out here in tina corridor are
ali bad"
The clerk smiled politely and handes
her his pet pen from behind his ca
She carefully spat upon it and rubbed
the point up and down in a crack in the
woodwork, perhaps to sharpen it, while
he grabbed the desk for support.
Then she looked around vaguely. 80,
is there blotter | might use?" she
asked, with the air of timid fawn,
that at once disarme.l the previous
hostility of the clerk over his insultcf
pen.
"Yes'm-here's a brand new one,"
and broad white sheet passed out.
80, how nice!' What 4 lovely blot
teri 1t is just too nice for anything
for the government to give such nice
supplies isn't it," she smiled timidly
This is SO good-you won't mind if
take part of it for my escritoire?" and
as he looked into those big, soft eyes
he managed to gasp that he-he-why,
of course not.
Now that's just too provoking. l
haven't cent of change. Could you
lend me sheet of writing paper? Any
thing will do"
Her pouting lips trembled and the
great eyes filled up And the clerk
plunged down into his private drawer
and hunted sheet of the prettiest gilt
edged paper he owned for letters to his
girl
IAN envelope -could-would you be
so llind?" she half whispered, blushing.
He felt u little dazed but he would
be, could be, and was kind enough to
produce dainty little envelope with
silver-embossed monogram upon it.
She wrote short note with piquant
little ejacu$ tions and cooling little muir
murs as her pen slid across the sheet,
but paused at sealing.
''Too bad that they make these en-
velope CLUES of such nasty. h0rrid stu z
I'm really afraid to touch them with
my tongue This envelope want to
close it-wOuld ! presume to ask
She held up the flap so suggestivcly and
close that, before he knew what he was
after, the dazzled attache had licked
the gummcd strip and the packet was
sealed. As he turned once more to his
interrupted column of figures he heard
the pleading voice whisper as if solely
to itself:
- know ! shall blot and spoil this
dear little envelope: l am so nervous
and my hand trembles sol | wonder if
there is any one"
OF course, he offered to address it for
her.
80, do you use that old fashioned
long s in writing Miss? / never do
it's such bad style, y'know-oh, no; it
don't make the least bit of difference
you needn't change the envelope"
He hadn't intended to before, but
after that he didn't dare do less.
so, dear, I've forgotten whether Blk
vile is in Lake or Oneida county"
1t took him ten minutes in the postal
guide to find ont.
II do think government officials are
so obliging. Don'tyou?" she murmured,
confidently, as the tips of her pink little
fingers just touched his hand in taking
| the envelope. II haven't Il stamp with
me, and shall have to take this letter
all the way back with me, unless you
would-would lend"
y
caught his breath hard.
Now, I'll have to take this all the
way around and drop it in, wont I?'
He patiently took it and mailed it for
| her
"Why, really" she said sweetly, ''it
l had known how nice and obliging
everyone is 1 should have come down
here every day and written my letters,
but the post office is 50 far down town.
He offered to have it moved up street
eight or ten blocks.
o, really, now, would you do that?
Woul mt it be too much trouble? 1t
would be SO nice and accommodating OF
you. | can come down every morning
then. How soon can you do it?'
He said he would try to have it all
moved up town by o'clock that after.
noon, and she could come in and write
another letter before supper.
80, you dear, dear mani" she chirped
ecstatically. 30, you are just too cute
for words-you're just heavenly lovely.
And I'll tell all the other girls, and We'll
all come down. That will be just toe
sweet for anything. Good-by!' She
tremblcd, looking tenderly up into his
face and passing out, while he kicked
himself vigorously, and hurried over tc
the ventilator hole to swear.
There she exclaimed, as she tripped
out into Fifth street, that is five cents
saved for paper and envelope, five cents
saved for blotter and two cents for
stampS-Lulie and NELL rush the growl.
er while the boss is gone to chuck"-
Cincinnati Commercial-Ga
| The Stranger.
The stranger away from home has the
proud consciousness of being vastly
superior to the natives of the place
where he is sojourning; but at home he
can not help plying the poor strangers
who have the misfortune to live in other
and less desirable cities; and it is diff
cult to say which feels his Importance
the more, the native who pities the
strangers. or the stranger who looks
down on the natives. Boston Trans
cript
| Theatrical Note.
A fashionably-dr lady appeared
at the box office of the Star The tier