Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1896-10-24
TWO LETTERS.

had one solitary sovereign left, and IL
would be quite three weeks before could
expect the next remittance from my father,
who was SO good as to exc out my own
narrow income. A nice position was in
for making an offer Of marriage! Never
mind. Let the world collapse, Emily Sim
mons must be mine!
began to write my proposal to Miss
Simmons, but could not please myself, and
several sheets of note paper were spoiled
before l had written the first page. At
length I got thus far, but the pen was
broad one, there was no blotting paper
and no fire, and the ink took q long time
to dry.
had no time to spare if wished to
| save the post, and while I was waiting 1T
| struck me that l might as well write
note to my father, begging him to antici-
pate my quarterly allowance. So l put
the half written letter to Miss Simmons
on one side for the time and commenced
the other This thought 7 was going to
dash off in moment, but did not get ON
with the facility had expected.
Words require to be we'll chosen in MAX
ing such applications, especially to such
man as my father, SO it was some time be-
fore the first page of this letter was ready
for the drying process. Then I took up
the other again, but here the choice of
words was still more difficult, and soon
spoiled it and had to commence it afresh.
Then got nervous and spoiled the other
also, and, in fact, had consumed large
quantity Of paper and several glasses of
brandy and water before had completed
the two letters at all to my satisfaction.
At length they were finished, and hur-
ried off and posted them exactly in time
Just two OF three seconds before the stroke
Of the clock.
BY next days post got replies to both
nv letters at once, the address of one being
in my mothers writing, the other in an
elegant ladylike hand, which was no doubt
the autograph of Miss Simmons. How my
heart beat as opened the letter! But fancy
my CONSERVATION when saw that my own
letter was returned, accompanied by the
following short note:
, "Miss Simmons returns the inclosed
letter with the contempt it merits and re
grets that she should ever have made the
. acquaintance of a person at once SO mer
i cenary and SO stupid.
Here was q settler to my hopes. Wha1
could it mean9 $50 mercenary." mer
cenaryp I, who had positively regretted
that Miss Simmons had any money at all
y Good gracious Was it possible that hat
f put the letters into the wrong envelopes
l. Such things had been heard of. l brok
open the inclosure. No, it was all right
1t was my letter to herself, commencing
y with Adorable Miss Simmons. In
state of utter bewilderment opened IN.
70 mother letter. 1t inclosed q 910 note ant
J. ran us follows:
ia MYDEAR ALFRED-What could be the mean
:. ing of that dreadful incoherent letter yo
~ wrote to your father? We could make out fror
p the commencement of it that you are In wan
Of money but never read anything so strang
- and incomprehensible as the latter part. OF
Q. my dear Alfred, how could you call your Il
q ther a charmer? He is naturally most deepl
= mortified at such term being applied to hin
He says you must have been tipsy when 20
~ wrote it, but know that my dearest Alfre
could never be guilty Of that dreadful vic'
Your father protested that he would not sen
in you farthing, but left you fl0 note ON h
DESK and I inclose it to you, fully believin
u that he intended me to do so. Take care
It Yourself my dearest Alfred, and never ca
: your father charmer again. Your lovin
:, mother, JENNA PIPP1NGToN.
VI What could my mother mean? ha
never called my father a charmer or an.
thing of the kind. He was q little, shor
quiet, high dried, matter Of fact, snu
On taking country attorney, an excellent II
rd ther in his undemonstrative way, but tt
last one in the world one would think
an calling a charmer Quite unable to III
Ter derstand the affair, took up my rejectt
les offer and mechanically read it through
ay Yes, it was all right. I recollected eve
word as went on. What was there in tn
to make Miss Simmons think me me
~ cenary or stupid2 Nothing. Stay, thoue
my what was this? There was some mi
'eu take. This was not what intended
m write to the young lady. recollect eve
'qr word of that letter at the present momer
Ii I shall never forget it. 1t ran thus:
- ADORABLE Miss S1MMoNs-I can no long
W delay the request which have to make to yo
ihe Again and again you must have seen 1T ire
w. bling on my lips, when either some aWkWa
!Or interruption or some futterlng OF my oN
heart has prevented its being spoken. I
Miss Simmonsl Oh, Emily Do not refuse n
lgo Oh, mistress OF my soul. give me py reouIn n
on post, II possible, five and twenty pounds, TO
ed, | have had some heavy expenses of late, and,
word, as know that you like people to COZ
al; at once to the point, am regularly hard I
Your very obediently,
ne: ALFRED PIPPINGToN
I'M Now / saw through it. In the haste a
lna confusion of writing the letters, and esl
IN cially through having changed from 9
to the other while waiting for the ink
INK dry, had made the amazing blunder
un- commencing one letter to the lady
,asy continuing it to my father, and OF beg
,h;s ming another to that respected parent
finishing it with what was intended
ana the eye of Miss Simmons. Was ever al
the thing SO absurdP rushed at once to
I in lady's house, but was denied admittan
wrote to her letter Of explanation,
uou 1t was returned unopened. never saw
rug again. Soon after this her father took
away, and before very long heard Il
she was Miss Simmons no longer, but
;obt married q rich man called POTTS.
change.
Hsu The Food of Whales.