Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-04-04

~ III N''I'ilS WITH the huNtfIlSC
mont by which it had been pre-
codCd
My dear Miss Weldon, 1T began.
Thanks for your letter. Thanks,
too, for your picture. l also thank
God that havo been permitted TO
rccriv" them. Perhaps that sounds
like II stampede of fcrvcnCy, but I'm
moro accustomed to StampcdCs than
to writing letters Therefore when
| tel y"u That | like your points you
can back my words.
And thus launched upon tho sea
of punl"ncC-involvcd in four
pages of very 'unfaShionablc" paper
he continued He reiterated all no
had previously published and added
considerable III uuimportant detail,
of which reference to certain bank
erS in Los Angeles comprised no
small part. Nor was Frcd's allusion
to cowboy Chivalry without it's Of
feet, for, in conclusion, he went on:
AS to your own right to your
brand, no further remarks arc nec-
eSSary have seen your face Con
| papCr), and | have heard you talk
| know the yclp of a sncaking coy
otc, and never yet failed to rccog-
nizc the jcwclcd hide of n rattle
snake. That's all "
With this, however, Miss Halsted
appeared less agrccably diverted
"Thcro's n rough, Quixotic Ca
| 1pnpa 81
thos, was her amusing commont
Fred laughed
He does put 1t rather neatly, "
he vOuChSufCd, but hos only a
cowboy, Dolly, and besides this is
only his first Who knows what a
minc of loving tenderness we may
yet Develop"
Tie young girl shook her head.
you, perhaps; not me, she re-
turned II shall write no more"
But, Dolly, think of the
Il knOw-tho fun, Miss Halsted
intorposcd But it's not fun for
him, and refuse to continue"
Nevertheless another letter was
written, and in Dolly'S delicate Chi.
Biography Nor did Frcd's subse,
quCnt expression of satisfaction
arise wholly from the opistle itself,
rather from the young girls sub.
sorvicnCc TO his wishes.
As before n lapse of ten days
brought the reply. So also did each
succeeding interval for several
months thereafter. md they Ger
tainly yielded no small fund of en-.
tertainmcnt Tho writer, albeit he
invariably answered by return mail,
was by no means of lovclorn dis.
position He straycd into anccdote,
thence to humor and with results,
i'll n Crudo way, infinitely amusing.
FrCd, too, II has since been asserted,
E. soon viewed the correspondents
from another standpoint, and . Iced
it did permit him to visit Dolly with
n frequency prohibited by conven.
tiOnmlity
But it must be confessed that Mr.
Whitman speedily began to chafo un.
der the restraint of confirming words
to mailbag. Each letter contained
its appeal that he be permitted to
visit the city Nor wcrc his plants
without u certain element of the IN
thctic His ranch was 60 miles from,
civilization and refinement. That &C
miles he now traversed to receive
only letter
And he's scarcely to be blamed
Dolly, Fred once observed. "Thinb
of what his longing would bc had he
seen your own features instead OF
Mile. Cio'sN Then he contemplated
the girls fair face with a smile, and
turning away hummcd bar OF
something about letter that new
cr came.
Meantime, however, there arrived
n day when the newspapers had 90
caSion to publish Jake Witham's
name 1t was only brief notice =
tclcgraphic-and rccounting the de-
struction by fire of Quemadura Flat,
the settlement wherein that gentle
man received his mail. He had been
present at tho time, presumably
awaiting tho customary letter, and
had generously donated $500 to those
rendered homeless.
AS the item met Fred's eye q
change came over his face, and clip
ping it from tho paper he conveyed
it to Miss Halsted
I'm rather sorry, after all, Dol
ly, that we selected such a man for
a fool, he said with q seriousness,
to him, Unusual. He certainly ap-
pears to have heart, and a big
one
Dolly smiled, albeit somewhat sa-
tirically.
It's the dollar, not tho sentiment,
with you, Fred" sho astutely re-
turned
Fred made no reply. Possibly his
respect for gold was II characteristic
admitting of no denial
But the young girl was again pc
ruSing the report, and in the last
line she encountered four words
previously unnoticcd, Mr. With.
am badly injured"
Her face WAS slightly paler as she
looked up
Hes given moro than his dol
lars, Fred, " she said in n low tone.
Fred looked grave. AT the Same
tim" there was depicted in his ex-
preston vague sense of relief.