Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-01-19

she walked dejectedly home, while the
tears she could no longer restrain fell thick
and fast behind her protecting veil. THAT
Is only the preliminary to permanent sep
aration from that Office, for cannot-no,
cannot -remain there and know that!
What foolish creature am to suppose
that he would give thought to me. This
is the end Of those happy hours that have
made work so delightful-of the kind
friendship that has lightened every burden,
think of it any more"-as the tears flowed
faster. 1T has been foolish, idle fancy,
and have been justly punished for allow
ing myself to mistake a natural kindly
courtesy and friendly interest for that deep
er sentiment to which I would SO gladly
have responded.
''The disparity in years would have been
20 impediment to me, and If that lady
knows his goodness of heart half as we'll as
I do she may count herself happy and
favored being for having won it. Well,
will devote my holiday tomorrow in doing
some of my back sewing. AS to enjoying
myself, would as soon expect to do that
at a funeral-the funeral indeed Of all the
hopes have been so foolishly harboring"
If Miss Wilson could have seen the look
on her employers face few minutes after
she left the Office, her thoughts would have
taken different turn, but it is just as well
perhaps that we are not able to anticipate
even our good fortune.
''Eureka Eurekal' he exclaimed. II
am answered! Bless her dear little in
genious soul, she could not keep the tell
faIa or pf how
betrayed her with every sentence of the
letter. John Raeburn, you are the luckiest
man alive! She little imagines the holiday
she will enjoy tomorrow If she answers me
as have now reason to believe she will.
That certainly was heaven born inspira-
ton. There's nowhere won't take her,
nothing that won't buy her, and if don't
make tomorrow day in paradise it won't
be because don't try!'
Then, picking up the finished letter, he
first pressed it rapturously to his lips, added
hasty scrawl at the bottom, addressed and
enveloped it and took it to the postoffice
himself, then went on home whistling like
a boy.
Meanwhile Bertha Wilson had reached
her home, put her things away with scrll-
pulous care, spread her little table and sat
down for the first timer her healthy young
life without morsel of appetite.
As she sat toying with her spoon there
came ring at the door, and in another
moment a letter with a special delivery
stamp was placed in her hands,
She opened it, glanced at the first few
lines, then fell back with low cry, while
an expression of mingled incredulity and
Ia., a.
came to the last few lines written in hand
which between natural imperfections and
agitation was reduced to series of hero
glyphics that nothing short of the inspira-
ton of love could have enabled her to de
cipher, she just cried for pure joy.
DEAR, DARLING BERTHA-Will you forgive
the little ruse by which sought TO learn il
what had ventured to hope for was really true
that you did care fer me? wanted to read in
your dear face whether such sentiments from
me would be acceptable 10 you, and what
saw there has cmboldened ME to send this let
ter-tenfold dearer to me because your dear
hands traced ito assure you that You and
you only were the one for whom 1t was intend.
cd and the one object of my hearts sincere af-
| lection. May come tomorrow? Just say ono
little "yes" We can say the rest when we
meet. Your devoted, JOHN RAEBURN.
1.-THE dear, darling, wicked, deceitful fel
low!' exclaimed Bertha in one tremen
dous rapture of joy and surprise. $40 take
such mean advantage of me and make me
write my own love letter. Never mind
had the double pleasure of reading it and
hearing it and knowing that it came right
warm from his heart. And wasn't so fal
out of the way in applying SO many of those
expressions to myself and fancying how
would regard them. Say yes indeed
shalln' ....
And springing up she went over to he1
desk, selected her very prettiest sheet Of
note paper, wrote on it simply the words
DEAR JOHN-Yes. BERTHA,
sealed it, kissed the envelope and had it II
the postbox at the corner, with the special
delivery stamp which John had thought
fully inclosed to facilitate its journey, and
went back to eat her supper to the last
mouthful and then to enjoy good, com
Portable, grateful cry before she fell ASLEEP
with a smile on her pretty lips.
What John said when he came next morn
ing, what II delightful day they passed and
what a lovely ring adorned Bertha's finger
when he released her hand at parting arr
not matters that need to be dilated upon
London Tit-Bits.