, 1896-12-19

ding here tmy cousin), and ur'l she II
safely away on her wedding III { sna)i
be deliriously busy. It's 30 w." Hcr-
haps next month ! shall bel 20,
and you may be SURE ! will be y. led
to feign proper surprise and cmbarrass-
ment when Kate presents you I 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 q vealy boy over
his first love note.
Joe studied the letter again and con-
cluded 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. BE received an answer ex.
pressing regret hat no absolute promise
could be made and incidentally sug-
costing that the writer would be pleased
to 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 m short month
thereafter his letters began, my Dear
Miss Rhodes" and she addressed him
az my Dear Mr.. Barnet" this being
the set and accepted form, although not
commonly used between young people
who have never met.
In the meantime Mrs. Lester contin-
ued to show the photograph to Joe and
lecture on the speculative merits of her
classmate. In her letters to Louise she
eulogized Joe.
All this was preliminary to her sub
tie plans for q matchmaking.
In July the correspondence had
come so cordial in its exchanges that
Joe felt at perfect liberty to slip away
to a night train and go to Flavius, Ind.
He told the Testers an elaborate lie
aboat going to indianapolis to settle a
tax claim against some property left to
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 ac-
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 q winding creek road, an ar
dent Flavius couple in the front seat and
the overhanging boughs sweeping the
canopy top Of the Rhodes family cor.
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-
tions Of spring chicken to the young
man from Chicago.
From TINT time on the developments
came with the rush Of closing chapters
in q 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
paid a third visit.
All this time he was pretending to be
carelessly indifferent to the photograph
in the Lester fiat, and Louise Rhodes,
in her letters to Mrs. Lester, sometimes
mentioned that she would be glad to
meet MI. Barnet, having read 20 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 ut
the fat promptly at 8 O'Clock. Mrs. Les
ter. huttering with Importance, met
him ut the door.
joe did not wait to be welcomed. He
slammed his hat and coat ON the rack,
rushed into tho parlor and then and
there threw his arms around Louise
Rhodes and kissed Ecr.
Mrs. Lester shricked and then tottercd
over against IN armchair. actually faint
with terror. She thought that Joe had
gone stark, staring mad.
There had to Le ;n immediate expla-
nation, but 1t did rot satisfy Mrs. Les-
ter. She said tie two CT item were no
better than the people who go 10 matri-
monial agencies or put sloshy 'person-
ais into obscure weekly papers. She
was shocked beyond expression and did
not fully forgive them until they had
pleaded for ut least five minutes. Obi
oago Record.