Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-02-15
A CORRESPONDENCE.

"The managers of st. Jacobs hospital
solicit old newspapers and magazines for
the entertainment of their sick and con-
valescent
In response to this advertisement in one
of the most widely read newspapers in b.
there came daily to the above named in
sttution a great variety of publications.
One day there appeared among the rest
a newspaper with these words written up
on the margin: Il wish you a very good
morning and a right speedy recoveryW
then the full address of the writer Miss
Louisa Lobstedt, 3 North street. This
greeting elected few days later the fol-
lowing answer:
So there is really in the bright, happy world
outside one kind soul who has thought to
spare for us sick onesl | am the unfortunate
one who has received your greeting and hope
that your kind wish will soon be gratified and
that a time not very distant l shall leave ills
place entirely restored to health. If you
have ever been seriously i'll or have ever en-
dured such pain as ! am now suffering, You
will certainly heed the request Of n poor invG-
lid and not rest satisfied with the few words
| of kindness which have made me so happy. II
there were only some cOngenial soul here to
! whom ! could speak freely or with whom l
| might chat a little now and then But just
now there is no one here who can help to pass
away the long, weary hours, and so beg You
again not to let me hope in vain for an answer.
In the meantime, with liindest regards, l am,
| yours gratefully, BERTHA WILLMERS.
In this way correspondence was begun
which very soon developed into a most in
tercsting one for both young ladies' 1t
brought out lively interchange of
thought. Letters flew back and forth, in
which the TWO impaired to one another
unresorvCdly their respective circum.
stances and expectations.
Louisa Lobstedt wrote her new friend
that she was quite alone in the world; that
she had a position, at small pay, in largo
confcctioncrs shop, where, working from
early morning until late at night, with
only a short rest at noon, she was quite
tired out; that her employer made such
unreasonable demands upon his help that
he was much Gisliked. She wrote that she
had few acquaintance of her own age and
no real friend, and she congratulated her
self that she had conceived the idea of
sending that greeting through the news
paper and putting her name to it, al
though that last was rather risky. What
if her address had fallen into wrong handsl
She hoped also, she wrote in one of her
later letters, some day to find time to visit
Miss Bertha at the hospital and so to be-
come personally acquainted with her.
Bertha Willmcrs in the meantime re-
piled to these letters in the same frank,
| hearty way. She wrote that her homo was
in H., and that three months before she
had come to b. for the purpose of earning
her living as a teacher of music and the
languages. In tho course of a few weeks
she had fallen i'll, and, at her earnest re-
quest, the people with whom she boarded
had brought her here to the hospital.
"How happy it makes me to think l am
soon to sec yOu l do not doubt that we
shall become the dearest friends, and yet
l am going 10 ask you to defer your visit
for a little while And why? You will
think me foolish vain. Well, call it a
feminine weakness, and yet before my i'll
ness | was always being complimCnted
upon my pretty, fresh, healthy looks, and
you can readily understand how five weeks
of severe illness would change one. Who
knows hut you would be utterly disguised
with mo when want so much to mako as
favorable an impression as possible upon
my new found friend. Just as soon as l
am somewhat better and little moro like
my old self l will write you to come"
week later she impaired to Louisa the
delightful news that she hoped very short
ly to leave the hospital, entirely recovered.
Her first visit would be to her dear new
friend, but before she could do this s.
would have to make a very very serious
confession. Amid protestations Of the
deepest esteem and love on her own part
kho begged Miss Louisa to promise her one
Tthing in advance-viZ, that, whatever the
confession might be, she would allow it to
make no difference in their relations.
Never was Bertha more surprised in her
life than at the answer which followed
Immediately upon this Thus it ran:
My DEAR, DEAR Miss BERTHA-With hand
trcmulous from anxiety and excitement write
these lines, for either they begin for us both
new and happy life or else all is over between
us, and how can bear that God alone knows
For, oh, let me confess it, / love you'll Yes, ]
love you with all the fire, all the passion of ny
being. Following the impulse Of Il wantCn lu
NOR, / appended to my name upon the news
| paper which n happy fate threw into your
hands the little word ''Miss." l continued the
joke in my first letter, and by that time T. J
interest in you had already become too great
to allow me to confess the truth which would
not only put an end perhaps to the correspond
ence which had become necessary to me, but
would also dcbar me from ever meeting You
face to face. All, my dear Miss Bertha, do not
DC angry WIN me, 10 nOb CtlSU ScOIHlullN 1lbll
you the deep, fcrvent love which fills my heart
Eternally yours, LOUIS LoBSTEDT.
In fever of anxiety he awaited an an
swer from the woman whom he had de-
ceived. 1t came on the following day and
ran thus:
DEAR SIR-Unfortunately cannot spare you
the disappointment which these lines will
cause you, as they will show you that, not
withstanding the deep affection you feel for
me, can never be yours. Like you, out Of
tender regard for the weaker sex, also took
refuge in n little subtcrfuge. Hoping for n
personal acquaintance in the near future am
most cordially yours,
BERTHoLD WILLMERs.
From the German For Romance.
Walter Pater's Pleasant Ways.
Those who think of him as solemn
Iundit of aesthetics may be amazed to