The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-12-28

| uhloiy away vi uok wo0uAuk VuAl nuoi
be delirionsly busy. It's too bad. Per.
haps next month I shall be In Chicago,
and you may be sure ] will be prepared
to feign proper surprise and embarrass-
ment when Kate presents you. / would
not for worlds let her know had writ
ten this letter."
"Say, she's all right" This is what
Joe Barnet told himself as he read her
letter and grinned like a vealy boy over
his first love note.
Joe studied the letter again and con-
oluded that the young woman had not
been seriously offended. So he wrote
another letter, setting forth some of the
June attractions in Chicago and hoping,
rather more fervently than in the first
letter, that she would accept the Lester
invitation. He received an answer ex-
pressing regret that no absolute promise
could be made and incidentally sug-
costing that the writer would be pleased
ID learn some Of the particulars in re-
gard to the little dinner in honor Of Mr..
and Mrs. Lester. Joe construed this as
an open consent to keep up the CORE
spondence, and in one short month
thereafter his letters began, my Dear
Miss Rhodes," and she addressed him
as "My Dear MI. Barnet" this being
the set and accepted form, although not
commonly used between young people
who have never met.
In the meantime Mrs. Lester oontin-
ued to show the photograph to Joe and
lecture on the speculative merits of her
classmate. Iu her letters to Louise she
eulogized Joe.
All this was preliminary to her sub
tie plans for matchmaking.
In July the correspondence had be-
come so cordial in its exchanges that
Joe felt at perfect liberty to slip away
to night train and 60 to Flavius, Ind.
He told the Testers an elaborate lie
about going to Indianapolis to settle
tax claim against some property left tc
him by his uncle. Miss Louise Rhodes,
having been advised Of his coming, told
her parents an unblushing falsehood to
the effect that she had become we'll &C.
quainted with Mr.. Barnet while she
was attending the seminary in Ohio.
That day at Flavius settled it. They
strolled under the NAPLES and went driv-
ing along winding creek road, an ar
dent Flavius couple in the front seat and
the overhanging boughs sweeping the
canopy top of the Rhodes family car
riage.
They sat side by side in the big din.
ing room while State Senator Rhodes,
at the head of the table, ordered the
timid hired girl to deliver immense por-
lions of spring chicken to the young
man from Chicago.
From that time on the developments
came with the rush Of closing chapters
in novel. Joe wrote almost daily, and
after an interval of two weeks he was
called to indianapolis to settle another
tax claim. On the occasion of his second
visit to Flavius he proposed, but he was
not definitely accepted, with the full
consent of the state senate, until he had
paid third visit.
All this time he was pretending to be
carelessly indifferent to the photograph
in the Lester flat, and Louise Rhodes,
in her letters to Mrs. Lester, sometimes
mentioned that she would be glad to
meet Mr.. Barnet, having read so much
about him.
Last week the Flavius girl came to
Chicago for the long delayed visit.
Joe had been advised that the photo
graph girl was coming He appeared at
the flat promptly OF s O'Clock. Mrs Les
ter, futtering with Importance, met
him at the door.
Joe did not wait to bo welcomed. He
slammed his hat and coat on the rack,
rushed into the parlor and then and
there threw his arms around Louise
Rhodes and kissed her.
Mrs. Lester shrieked and then tottered
over against an armchair, actually faint
with terror. She thought that Joe had
gone stark, staring mad.
There had to be an immediate expla-
nation, but it did not satisfy Mrs. Les
ter. She said the two Of them were no
better than the people who go to matri-
monial agencies Or put sloshy 'peTson-
ais" into obscure weekly papers. She
was shocked beyond expression and did
not fully forgive them until they had
pleaded for at least five minutes CHI
cage Record.