The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-02-18
HER LITTLE JOKE.

II is dranching day, and there is nothing
TO be seen but the garden, with It's heavy
headed roses dropping under the downpour,
and The village street beyond, now fast be-
coming q rapid intercourse
81 call this the dulest place in existence,
saws Miss Joce,yn, half aloud" the very
dullesl"
She does not finish her sentence, but turns
20 the massive pier-glaSs TO look at the re-
Election Of herself-a handsome girl in a
smart frocIz After one glance she turns
back to the window with q Ugh.
WHATS the use? Ole might as well wear
sackcl0th trimmed with ashes 10 this place.
for all the people there are TO see ones
gowns. Il was much more fun at school,
after all.
"Whv"-suddenly Crauing foTward-"n
that isn't that frumpy little Miss Blake
wlth MI Stanford; and he is holding his
umbrellas over herl She has got his arm.
too! wonder how lie likes i'll Poor man!
I wonder if he ever notices whe her
woman is old and plsIn or young and
- Now he's gone splash into puddle; and
she ia actually looking up al MN, ana
blushing and laughing. Oh, what joke.
Fancy her blushingl Why, she must be 80
if she's a day-Qpjte 4)t And those little
curls bobbiHg abou. as she goes
d" / wonder if Der sister makes her wear
her hair like that. / wonder II she Is IN
love with him. Poor old soul.
Mt. Stanford is cuTate, but he Is man
first and efterward a cleric. Strong, manly,
gentle, be plays cricket win tile village
bows Is ready 10 gossip Tor lew moments
with the old CATERS, and IS a member OF
the debating society as well as the rowing
club.
But Miss Jocelyn is young, and is not vet
able 20 grasp more than the fact that she Is
better looking and beuer dressed than % 81
of the girls whom she knows.
So t. her Ruth Blake is q ridiculous sight,
and MT. Staufori's quiet courtesy, which
he would extend just as readily ana pleas
aully 10 his washer"oman, is good
She watches them part at the Misses
B.akes' little green gate, and thinks she can
see Miss RutA's upward glance aud smile al
the f.e face above her before Nr stanford
turns and comes stTiIlng ana sp-asl.ns BACK
through the pudlle-.
JoceIvu plans pretty little piece OF mis-
chief. which she promptly sets about carry
InK our. Size las enc EItI, ms handsome
MISS JUre.yu; she . very ssu!Iul VIII htI
pru. and after a litle practice eau Initiate
almost any Handwriting.
study letter of Mr.. Sanford 10 her IA
.her. am Der eyes sparkle wiki delight.
"What fun 20 send poor I'D Miss Blake
love Ie.rert Perhaps she has never had one,
Il viii De q kindness, positively. How she
Viii bush and s5mper-siIy ORD thing!
Well. serve her right. When there are so
few young men lu place What business
have old maids stUo-Ing about with them
under UmUrelasf
.Anss Corneua's a-lyinR down. Miss
Ruth. She Lad one Of her bad headaches.
aid she SAYS as how no one is 20 disturb
her Aud your tea IS ready and waiting,
miss"
Ruth Blake turns into the prim little din
iuE-FOCm, seats herself upon one or the
straignt-b8c66d chairs and begins TO draw
of der brown cotton gloves.
Shs is an Udj little figure small and SLIM
ara dressed IN a lideOus Anticipated plaid,
with shades Of gariug blue and green: YET
her fair aat-Whicl The Wind aud rain have
rufiai and made 70 look like halo about
her meek. small faCe--Le patient curve Of
npr lips, and her slightly flushed cheeks,
render leI appearance not altogether M
pleasing,
She eats Ter simple tea quickly. slaucjng
from time TO time NJ @ book which she has
rrruued up against tile milk }u--a book
Mr.. Stanford mentioned incidentally one day
and which she has obtained from the village
library
lie next morning Miss Ruth gets letter
She knows tie handwriting upon the en-
vel0Ue before sls opens Il,
Parish matters, Of course" she says %
herself. Perhaps lis about the school
treat"
she opens the envelope, unfolds the-note
within, and is reading It slowly. when sud
denly she Utters low cry, her breath comes
fast, and the familiar world about her grows
I'm q moupUt strange and unreal
For 10 is l0Yt-let,er, She Is %, and this
Is her very first.
And from such a mantle man whom
she has looked up to and TeveTenCed aud
followed 50 humbly and mUdestlY ever
since she first saw him! She goes down to
breakfast with a flushed face, quiYeTing lips
aud radiant eyes,
Miss CorneIia's just on the ramp this
morning, mis-" says the little maid, warn
iugly, as size meets Ruth IN the narrow pass
age that does duty for a hall.
Miss Ruth mods and smiles as IL this were
the pieasantest Intelligence possible. Cor
nflia's dlatrlOes this morning fall upon
needless ears.
Ruth answers at intervals, Yes, dear"
and No dear" and " l viii see to t. sis
ter, as 10 duty bound; but her heart and
soul are filed with one thOught-that Won
deTful letter.
After breakfast Miss CoTnelia goes out to
visit her district. Then Miss Ruth takes up
her pen and writes tremb.inEly out of the
fuluess OF her heart.
Dear Mr. stanford: Your letter has sur
prl.ed NE very much. ! scarcely know what TO
say, except luat am most grateful TO you. 1t Is
so good OF you 70 love Inc as you say you DO, and
love- has always seemed such beautiful thing 10
me-. though never thought that 10 was likely 10
come 10 either my sister or me But I am very.
very glad 10 have b5d your letter AID shall
always be so, even u sou change your mind, for
indeed, ! am nor worthy OF all the kind things
you say OF me. Sill, whatever happens, / shall
always Ieei happy 10 KNOW that you once thought
as you have written. Ana / beg YOU VIII think
the matter over well though IL seems imperli-
nent u me 10 advise you, yet / think only OF
your good. And ! AN always your faithful
friend. RUTH BLAKE.
She reads the letter over several times, !
and then shakes her head.
"How poorly / have said It'll" she thinks
''But he is so kind; he viii understand that
/ mean well"
The Curate, when he receives the gentle,
humble epistle, Is filed with dismay. He
PAGES wildly up aud down his small sitting
room.
Somebody has played q cruel, heartless
trek upon that poor little woman, aud |
have to face her and tell her so. ! would
rather be shot u
He drinks his scalding tea In great gui3s,
and Is glad Of the pain it causes him.
but what am ! 70 do? Go and tell a
woman kind, gentle, little lady-cOarsely
and brutalIy to her face that she has been
PLAYED with and iusulted; that l never
dreamed Of loving her; that it Is impossible
for me TO do so? On, cruel and cowardly!
How can l strike a gentlewoman, or in
deed, any woman, such blow as that!"
He rests his head upon his hands and
gFOans.
After while he reads the letter over
again slowly. lie reads between the lines
and seems to see a soul laid bare before
him. She loves him, and he realizes how
much that means TO her. What a new food
Of light has been turned suddenly upon that
sad, uuseifsh lile2
And there is no help for either Of them.
He must do it! Well, then. let it be done at
once.
Mechanically he takes his hat down from
its peg and goes out into the street, walking
with lis head bent down, seeing nothing,
hearing nothing, until lie is close to the little
green gate; then a child's clear high voice
reaches his ear.
My g'annie made it," she says. Amt
it pity ?"
It's beautiful DOLL" gentle voice an