Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-11-06
HER LAST SUITOR.

Belinda Warren was disappointed
woman. Her sole aim In life had been
marriage, and she had not attained to it.
And so it was she had reached the age of
45 with wintry looking curls and lined
forehead and was still maiden lady.
There was one man of her acquaintance,
Sir Daniel Warrington, who was her par
ticular ideal, and she did not yet despair
of enthralling him. True, he was 20 years
her junior, but that was nothing nova
days.
i So she twisted her hair into wonderful
frisure and went to receive "dear Sir Dan
lei, whose interesting conversations were
such delight to her. He must stop to q
cozy cup of tea.
And he pressed her hand and talked
about her NIECE Miss Blanche Warren,
and asked how long she would be away
surely they would not stop after April, and
they were we'll into March now-and what
sort of place was Cannes?
And when he got home and was turning
over the papers in his pocketbook he re-
membered the photograph Belinda had
given him, and he stuck it absently upside
down on his mantelpieoe and drew back
the little silk curtains that covered por-
celain portrait on an easel and gazed Into
the smiling face with rapturous admira-
ton.
She was such merry little coquette
She had put him off when he would have
spoken, gone away to the south without
even telling him she was going. And yet
who but himself could call the lovely blush
to her cheeks and the light to her eyesp
So he hoped, and SO he longed and went
again and again to see Belinda for any
scraps of news she would give him. And
when she started for Cannes he went to see
her off, trying to make up his mind to send
Blanche message and ending only in
pressing Belinda's hand and asking for her
address.
But when she arrived at their hotel she
found to her CONSERVATION they had left
for Nice. She arranged to stay a few nights
at Cannes to get over the fatigues Of her
journey.
And it was well she did, for the morn
ing she was leaving the post brought her
letter that made her hands tremble to
open. 1t was addressed to Miss B. War
rem, and she thought 1t was SO affecting
of him to have remembered the initial of
her Christian name.
Yes, sure enough, it was an offer of
marriage from Sir Daniel Warrington, and
she smiled over the exaggeration, "You
seem to have been away lifetimel''
"You dear old thing! What's his manner
And what shall wear at the wedding?"
exclaimed Blanche.
"But, Blanche, IL haven't accepted
him yet. Would you help me write the
letter."
That was delicious. And the merry girl
penned passionate answer, not delight
ing solely in the fun Of it, for sudden
wistful feeling came over her that she
that to-
"Now, then, dear, for his name9''
But, with an old maids love of mys-
terry, Belinda caught up Blanche's letter
and went away to copy 1t.
Sir Daniel Warrington wondered at the
cramped, curious old fashioned writing of
his beloved, but he kissed the living words
and began daily, hourly letter to her.
These epistles were read aloud to Blanche,
and she always penned the answers.
When Warrington reached the hotel at
Nice, he found the Warrens had gone for
an expedition, but Miss Blanche Warren
was in.
He sent up his card and waited in nerv-
GUS anxiety. But she did not keep him
long in suspense. The door opened, and
she came dancing toward him with bloom
ing cheeks and sunny eyes and a glad well
come in her voice.
"How glorious Of you to comeP' she
said at last. II can't believe it Is true,
but / knew you loved me, only wanted
to prove it, and that's why wouldn't let
you speak that night, but have wishe'
and wished and wished you had done so.
"But, love, we have had our letters"
Letters! What letters?'
"There, he said, with equal astonish
ment, taking little bundle from his
breast pocket and putting them in her
hands.
She gazed stupidity at her Aunt Belin-
das writing, recognizing her own SEN
fences, and then she burst into q mad
laugh.
"She never would tell me his name.
You-you have been making love to Aunt
Belinda. Oh, what shall we do!'
How they ever got over the embarrass-
ment history does not relate. But poor
Belinda was said to have asked one favor
of Blanche-that she might keep Sir Daniel
Warrington's love letters until after the
marriage.
"It has been the one romance of my
life, she said. "Never mind If 1t was all
stupid mistake on my part. had the
enjoyment while the delusion lasted. -
Topdny, Noxus