The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1897-03-27
S.4TURDAY,........ MARCH 81, 1897
A BLANK LETTER.

After the announcement of Flossie Lam
bert,s engagements to Jack Prescott she
was, of course, delugeG with oongratula-
lions, many of which took the material
form of dinners, opera parties, theater par
tics or suppers, nearly oil given by reign-
Ing grandees.
ANY other girl, Flossie," said her
mother, would behave as II she enjoyed
it. Sometimes l really think you don't"
"Marriage, u said klossie musingly, sis
full of such awful solemnity." Then she
quoted:
''1imo turns the old ways to derision.
Our loves into corpses or wives,
And marriage and death and division
Make barren our lives"
"How scandalous!" moaned her mother.
'tAnd just engaged to dear, lovable
jack, who's given you that hazelnut of o
diamond md made you the envy Of hun.
drods! hope you don't talk like thnt be-
foro him"
"Jack, - said Flossie, "has already flash
ed his sunshine, like q searohlight, into
the moldy ind noisome caverns OF NY
sodl. He knows exactly the kind of crea-
ture he Is getting-in actual age 21; In
worldliness and experience a shriyeled
hag."
At which poor Mrs. Lambert lamented,
"Oh, Elossier' just as she had done count
less times before, and In what her daughter
impudently called her hen that has matched
IA duck voice.
Among Flossie's' girl friends and &C.
quaintances there was one whom she felt
to be seething with hate and rage and
malice at her engagement to the vastly
eligible Jack. This girls name was Leah
Seymour. Jack ut certain times had paid
her marked attention. She had sat on the
box seal 18th him In the coaching parade
of the previous spring, and later some one
had started u rumor of their engagement.
In a hard white, black and red way, she was
q handsome girl, somewhat too tall, some
what too bony, somewhat too siEuuus OF
movement, but withal exceedingly grace
full. She had q kind Of sway over mon, and
for three seasons had held her own as q
belle of the first rank. Flossie now and
then detested her, aud now and then forgot
TO do so because Of tho amusement that her
petty deceits and falsehoods and makeshifts
afforded. In many a paltry white lie the
girl had caught her, and In one or Two of O
darker shade as well.
Leah, as recorded, had been secretly fu-
rious ut the engagement, and she had sui.
fered the noutest Jealous disappointment on
learning OF It. She was not In the least In
love with Jack, but she bad immensely
wanted to marry him. And now that Flos-
sic. as she herself would have phrased 1t,
had caught" him. the chief matrimonial
chance OF her life seemed to have 0ed.
But she could not bear her chagrin with
either wisdom or generosity. A rancorous
desire tn deal Flossie some vengeful stroke
had seized upon her. For days she went
nowhere into society, and even refused two
dinners at which she knew that Jack and
his belrCthed would be the guests of honor.
A certain near relative CHANGED to Do rather
dangerously Ill. and this she made her ex-
cuse for not appearing abroad, though the
relative. attended by careful nurses, knew
little Of her alleged solicitude.
Jack PRESCOTT, during their %acquaint-
anceship, had not written Leah more than
three or four ~unimportant notes, but 1t
Glanced that she had retained an envelope
almost intact-one ON which deficiency In
the cumming had caused 1t to open with
out any tear whatever-and which bore her
name In Mr.. Trescott's very characteristic,
breakneck, topsy turvy calligraphy. This
envelope gave to Ter male, olenee a mean
uLu itIlDo luCtutiNb.
She took "a large sheet of perfectly blank
white paper and folded 1t SO that hen
placed within the envelope 1t had u very
sizaLle and noteworthy look. Then she
sealed skilliully with mucilage the enNel-
ope in which she lad lodged this rather
weighty little packet. Afterward she cure
fully studied the defaced postage stamp
n concluded that the '%'letter'' needed an
otter. This she, secured from q second cid
envelope, using hot water in the process ui
u~eI.CAn.ent. 1Aen size made certain care
tLl ,Lanees by ILeans OF an eraser and Il
piece oI Turned hatch. Finally, having
sNt,tatd Atr MCrn, sic uecit.eu that 1t
Was n-cst aoroltly G.t.puNe. "Mhtn l
leave it, as il by unaLte, in tIossie's
house. Leah neulttted, ''sAe Will lecog-
nl4o TIC handwriting. Lat SIZE VIII lie ioo
hoAuraLle aLu all tnot W ule.,iA OI tpon-
ing it. ALu DeiDie Lo can STE 1t / VIII
have eOt IL uaCa again. AltElwaid l can
geuJ, Al / lie.so, tI..J II Is las nandN riting
at ali, anu ~ ~, AID so IN. M.aLwLiie
TIE little stoL MID Lane been ue..lt, the
trouble Mi L.No been l1eweu. simpler
things tLal, las Lac evtn lruhcn eli en-
"SSLtLG,. L,,t We Lu suCn e&tStUitlUl