Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-01-18
AN AGREEABLE CORRESPONDENCE.

AN AGREEABLE CORRESPONDENCE.
THE managers of st. Jacobs hospital solicit
old newspapers and magazines for the entertain
ment of their sick and convaescent"
In response to this advertisement in one
of the most widely read newspapers in b.,
there came daily to the above-named insti-
tuition a great variety of publications.
One day there appeared among the rest
a newspaper with these words written upon
the margin: 81 wish you a very good
morning and a right speedy recovery ~
then the full address of the writer, Miss
Louisa Lobstedt, No. 3 North street.
This greeting elected a few days later
the following answer:
"S) there is, really, in the bright, happy world
outside. one kind soul who has thought to spare
for us poor sick ones! am the fortunate one
who received your greeting, and hope that your
kind wish will be gratiied, and that at a
time not very far distant shall leave this place
entirely restored to health If you have ever
been seriously i'll, have ever endured such pain
as am now suffering, you will certainly heed the
request of poor invalid and not rest satisfied
with the few words of kindness which have made
me so happy. If there were only some congenial
soul here to whom could speak freely, or with
whom might chat little now and then But
just now there is no one here who can help to
pass away the long, weary hours, and so l beg
you again not to let me hope in vain for an an.
swer.
I'm the meanwhile with kindest regards, l am
Yours gratefully,
BERTHA WILLMERS."
In this way a correspondence was begun
which very soon developed into a most in
teresting 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 unreservedy
their respective circumstances and expecta-
tions.
Louisa Lobsteidt wrote her new friend
that she was quite alone in the world
that she had position, at small pay, in
large confectioner's shop, where, working
from early morning until late at night,
with only short rest at noon, she was
quite tired Out-that her employer made
such unreasonable demands upon his help
that he was much disliked. She wrote
that she had few acquaintance of her own
age, and no real friend; and she congratu-
lated herself that she had conceived the
idea of sending that greeting through the
newspaper and putting her name to it (al-
though that last was rather risky-what if
her address had fallen into wrong handsD
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 Willmers, in the meantime, re-
piled to these letters in the same frank,
hearty way. She wrote that her home was
in H., and that three months before she
had come to B. for the purpose of earning
her living as teacher of music and the
languages. In the course of 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 am soon to
see you do not doubt that soon we shall be-
come the dearest friends; and yet am going to
ask you to defer your visit for a little while And
why? You will think me foolish-valn. Well,
call it feminine weakness and yet-before my
illness was always being cOmplimented upon
my pretty, fresh, healthy looks and you can read.
lily understand how five weeks of severe illness
would change one. Who knows but you would
be utterly disguised with me- when l want so
much to make as favorable impression as posi-.
BILE upon my new found friend! Just as soon as
l am somewhat better and little like my old
self, will write you to come"
week later she impaired to Louisa
the delightful news that she hoped very
covered. Her first visit would be to her
her dear new friend-but before she could
do this, she would have to make a very.
very serious confession. Amid protesta-
tions of the deepest esteem and love on
her own part, she begged Miss Louisa to
promise her one thing 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 that followed i'm |
mediately upon this. Thus it ran
MY Dear, Dear Miss Bertha:-
"With hand trenulous from anxiety an ex- |
citement, write these lines; for either thew be.
gin for us both new and happy life, or else all |
is over between us, and how l can bear that God |
alone knows! For OH let me confess til love |
you. Yes! l love you with all the fire. ali |
the passion of my being. Following the i'm
pulse OF wanton humor appended to my
name upon the newspaper which a happy fate
threw into your hands, the little word Miss l |
continued the jJke in my first letter, and by that
time my interest i'm you had already become too
great to allow tn confess the truth which would
not only put an end pt rhaps, to a correspondence
whcb mad become necessary to me-but would
also debar me from meeting you face to face
"Ah! my dear Miss Bertha, do not be angry
with me-do not cast scornfully from YOU the
deep, fervent love which fills my heart Write
not immedately-onlY when you have recovered
from the fright which you must feel at the rev.
elatio of my secret-that it is girl who is low
ing you to distraction, but a man man who
Will submit to your sentence. whatever it may be
but the light of whose life is forever gone out
Il you turn angrily from him
Externally yours,
LOUIS LOBSTEIDT"
In fever of anxiety he awaited an an
swer from the woman whom he had de-
ceived, 1t came the following day, and ran
thus:
- Dear SIR
"Unf rtunately cannot spare you the disap-
pontment which these lines will cause you. as
they will show you thar, Notwithstanding the
deep affection you feel for me, l can never be
yours
Like you out of tender regard for the weaker
sex, | also took refuge ia a little subterfuge.
But although no priest may unite us vet we
may be good friends-don't you think SOY | shall
be delighted TO receive a visit from YOU for
then, with hearty handshake, we VIII seal
treaty of friendship which shall owe indeed
to delusOn, but which will teach us in future 10
eschew everything candestine
Hoping for a personal acquaintance in the
near future, am
Most cordially yours,
"BERrHOLD WILLMERS."
Romance.
Indiana's natural gas supply will he