The San Francisco call., 1896-09-13

| A.
K.," Berlin Postoifice; discretion guaranteed.
Picture to yourself bud of girl just Is;
sweet face-innocent fair and fresh as
the rose, when out of its BATH of dew it
smiles to greet the morning sun big,
melting eyes, gray-blue, like midday
skies; hair, captive sunshine, happy to be
prisoner on such beautiful domain (for
poets and sculptors rave over just such
heads), and cherub mouth that seemed
to breathe tale of kisses all unkissed. To
all this add form that completes poem
and you have portrait of Blanche
Douglas.
Heiress to fortune and endowed with
rare graces Blanche was nevertheless the
EN- bodiment of unhappiness. An orphan,
! kept like a bird in a cage by watchful
guardian aunt, Blanche knew no friend
save Mrs. Mellan, the nurse; and youth
ful com panions she found only in dreams.
The aunt, Mrs. Percy Douglas, fed her
with literature on the homeopathic plan
and the girls constant longing for books
worth the reading was never appeased.
Illness on the part of Mrs. Douglas de-
| termined that lady on a European voy-
| age. Blanche and the nurse were to &C
company her. The plans were successful,
and fortnight's travel landed the little
party safely at the most pretentious hotel
in Herruable. Europe, TO Blanche, had
meant liberation in degree from what
had seemed almost tyrannical restr aint;
it had meant pleasurable sights and
scenes, walks on classic ways, and new
and brilliant associations. Disappoint-
ment was hers. The health resort proved
dull, and her splendid antieipations came
| to naught. The bird from over the sea
was still vainly beating her wings against
the bars of her prison cage.
But Herruable agreed with the aunt,
who rapidly regained strength, only to in
crease her well-intended watchfuluess over
her disconnected niece. To come right out
| with the plain truth. Mrs. Douglas had
| already mortgaged Blanche's future to
the scion of a rich Gotham family-a Mr..
! George Burnette. A financial marriage it
was to be. The maiden's love was con-
sideration entirely foreign to the premises.
And so II came about that when Blanche
one morning in the midst of a shower of
tears murmured: my life is plague. 1
see nothing, and have nothing to read.
Ttere is never young friend to while
away moment with. Moray of sunshine
at all. Oh! would that had never been
bornp' the good nurse. Nellie, sought to
comfort her, and, defying one of the
aunts solemn injunctions, placed in the
girls hands newspaper of the day fresh
from Berlin. 1t was better than a choice
repast to her. She read everything in it
editorials news, advertisements, and
under this last caption ran upon the
peculiar paragraph which serves as a pre-
lude to the story.
Now, at least 1 shall find diversio n, F."
she said to herself, as her eyes twinkled
and her face frightened up. Even such
folly as this will be relief after these
weeks OF dismal existence. Mrs. Douglas
would take fit if she guessed nv inten-
tion." And Blanche wrote like this:
D1ar Sir: In venturing to reply to your ad.
vertsement in this mornings Berlin News /
wish to remark that while your acquaintance
ship will no doubt afford me pleasure would
be panied TO have you become the victim of
disappointment with reference to me- Let me
describe myself: am of medium height have
light brown hair and horrible gray-blue eyes.
One more week and my stay here will be at an
end Berlin is the next city on the list, and If
you Wonlo see me there kindly write to the
ADDRESS OF B. D., Herruable P. o,
The answer was three days in coming.
Char
| acteristic of good education and breeding.
The girl forgot about the humor that was
in her thoughts when she penned the silIy
answer.
The letter ran:
Addemo'setle: Among many answers re-
celved yours is the only one TO which sboll
| reply. For permission so graciouslv accordod
me 20 call upon you while you are VISITING
Berlin thank you. Strange it may seem that
should have advertised in q public nrint b,,t
destiny, l think impelled me to that action
| Alter perusing your letter seem To hava
known you for years Assuring Won Of NV
| yours,
Blanche for the first time began to real.
'ze that she had dived into deep water
writing to man she had never seen and
whom she knew only through single let
ter and by his initials, and more than
that, almost promising to marry him
Well, she would meet him Just once. anv.
noW-only that and nothing more.
"Blanehe u the aunt called to her. "Yor
may prepare for the journey to Berlin.
we start In the morning early. MeIIan
will help you- Our address there viii ha
Hotel Savoy W. 10
Inc nurses assistance was not reouirad
Inc traps We're packed in surprisingly
snort time, and hasty message to Ber-
I'm advised "a. K" of the new arrange-
ments. Se-
- Blanche had become positively giddv
me very first thing she did at Hotel ss-
way was TO speed note to the hero of her
Joke informing him that he might find her
IN the reading-room of the carayansarv
at certain hour OF the following after
noon. "i'el-
Il shall wear red pink" wrote the ro-
| manuc maiden. "a red pink you, too,