The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1894-10-18

hattery with smile of complacency.
Hell not swear at his cattle for a
week after that" he observed. Then
he consigned the letter to his pocket.
Quemadura Flat was isolated from
railroads. end ten days elapsed before
an answer was received. A brief note
from Miss Observation-Disclosures by the
way, to "Miss" Dorothy Weldon--ac-
quainted Fred of its arrival, and with
in the snug precincts of her dwelling
he found that young lady considerably
amused Mr.. Witham's reply was
certainly in keeping with the adver-
tisement by which it had been pre-.
ceded.
"My Dear Miss Weldon" it began.
Thanks for your letter. Thanks,
too, for your picture. / also thank
God that have been permitted to re-
oeive them. Perhaps that sounds like
n stampede of fervency, but I'm more
accustomed to stampedes than TO writ
ing letters. Therefore, when tell
you that l like your points you can
back my words"
And thus launched upon the sea of
correspondence - involved in four
pages Of very "unfashionale" paper
he continued. He reiterated all he
had previously published, and added
considerably unimportant details, of
which reference to certain bankers in
Los Angeles comprised no small part.
Nor was Fred's allusion to cowboy
chivalry without its effect, for in con-
clusion he went on:
Gas to your own right TO your
brand, no further remarks are neces-
sary. / have seen your face ION paper),
and have heard you talk-I know
the yelping of II sneaking coyote, and
| never yet failed to recognize the
jeweled hide of n rattlesnake. That's
ALL"
With this, however, Miss Halsted
appeared less agreeably diverted.
''There's n rough, Quixotic credence
about it that approaches pathos," was
her amusing comment.
Fred laughed.
"He does put it rather neatly" he
vouchsafed, "but he's only cowboy,
Dolly; and, besides, this is only his
first; who knows what mind of low
ing tenderness he may yet develop9"
The young girl shook her head.
"You, perhaps; not me-" she re-
turned. 'l shall write no more"
"But, Dolly, think of the"
al know-the fun," Miss Halsted
interposed. But it's not fun for
him, and | refuse to continue"
Nevertheless another letter was writ
ten, and in Dolly's delicate chiro-
graphy. Nor did Fred's subsequent
expression of satisfaction arise wholly
from the epistle itself, rather from the
young girls subservience to his wishes
As before, lapse of ten days
brought the reply. So, also, did each
such succeeding interval for several
months thereafter. And they GER
tainly yielded no small fund of en-
tertainment. The writer, albeit he
invariably answered by return mail,
IA, itrayed into anecdote,
to humor, and with results in
a lie way, infinitely amusing.
FREQ, too, it has since been asserted,
soon Viewed the correspondence from
another standpoint; and, indeed. it
did permit him 70 visit Dolly with
frequency prohibited by convention
ality. amen
But it m It bScurnfessed that Mr..
Witham -peedily logan to chafo un-
der the restraint c. combining words to
II mailbag. Each etter contained its
appeal that he be permitted to visit
the city. Nor we're his plants with
out certain element Of the pathetic.
His ranch was sixty miles from civil.
i2ation and refinement; that sixty
miles he now traversed to receive
only letter.
"And he's scarcely 90 be blamed,
Dolly" Fred once observed. "rhink
of what his longing would be had he
seen your own features, instead of
Mile. Clio'sl" Then he contem.
plated the girls fair face with smile,
and turning away, hummed n bar OF
something about "letter that never
came"
Meantime, however, there arrived n
day when the newspapers again had
occasion to publish Jake Witham's
name. 1t was only brief notice,
telegraphic, and recounting the de.
struction by fire of Quemadura Flat,
the settlement wherein that gentle.
man received his man. He had been
present at the time-presumably
awaiting the customary letter-and
had generously donated $500 to those
rendered homeless
AS the item met Freds eye n change
came over his face, and, clipping it
from the paper, he conveyed it to
Miss Halstead
"l'm rather sorry, after all, Dolly,
that we selected such a man for fool"
he said, with II seriousness, to him,
unusual. "He certainly appears to
have a heart, and "A big one"
Dolly smiled, albeit somewhat sa-
trically.
"lt's the dollar, not the sentiment.