The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-02


er West Broad and Liberty streets.
sea only noticed as she re-read it the third
time. Fannys natural feminlnity had pre-
vailed even against the round and clear
traditions of the Training College: she
was one of those she-creatures born to
make all her ms and MS and us and RS
and e's alike, and to leave her o. and as
open and her is indicted. So that 1t was
only after an elaborate comparison of
word with word that Miss Winchelsea
felt assured; Mr.. Shocks was not really
Mr.. Shocks" at all! In Fanny's first
letter of gush he was Mr. "Snooks, - in her
second the spelling was changed to MIR,
'Senoks." Miss Winchessea's hand posi-
lively trembled as she turned the sheet
over-it meant so much to her. For it
had already begun to seem to her that
even the name of Mrs Shocks might be
avoided at too great price, and sudden
ly-this possibility! She turned over the
six sheets, all dappled with that critical
name, and everywhere the first letter had
the form of an e! For a time she walked
the room with hand pressed upon her
heart.
She spent a whole day bordering this
change, weighing a letter of inquiry that
should at once be discreet and effectual.
weighing, too. what action she should take
after the answer came. She was resolved
that if this altered spelling was anything
more than a quaint fancy of F'anny's she
would write forthwith to Mr.. Shocks She
had now reached stage when the minor
refinements of behavior disappear Her
excuse remained uninvented but she had
the subject of her letter clear in her mind.
even to the hint that circumstances IN
my life have changed very greatly since
we talked together" But she never gave
that hint. There came third letter from
that ftful correspondent Fanny.-The first
la irnp bar
alive"
Miss Winchelsea crushed the letter in
her hand-the rest unread-and sat with
her face suddenly very still She had re-
ceived it just before morning school and
had opened 1t when the junior mathemati-
clans were well under way. Presently she
resumed reading, with an appearance of
great calm But after the first sheet she
went on reading the third without discov-
ering the error
Told him frankly I did not like his
name" the third sheet began. HE told
me he did not like 1t himself-you know
that sort of sudden frank way he has
Miss Winchelsea did know. 80 1 said.
Couldn't you change it2' He didn't see il
at first Well, you know, dear, he had
told me what 1t really meant; it meant
Sevenoaks only 1t has got down to Shocks
both Shocks and Noaks, dreadfully vul-
gar surnames though they be- are really
worn forms of Sevenoaks. So 1 said-even
] have my bright ideas at tmes-if il got
down from Sevenoaks to Shocks, why not
get it back from Shocks to Sevenoaks9 .
And the long and short of 1t is, dear. he
couldn't refuse me. and the changed his
spelling there and then to Senoks for the
bills of the new lecture. And afterwards
when we are married, we shall put in the
apostrophe and make 1t Se'noaks. Wasn't
it kind of him to mind that fancy of mine
when many men would have taken offense?
But it as just like him all over he is sc;
kind as he is clever. Because he knew
as well as did that l would have him in
spite of it, had he been ten times Shocks
But he did it all the same"
The class was startled by the sound of
paper being viciously torn, and looked up
to see Miss Winchelsea white in the face
and with some very small pieces of paper
clenched In one hand. For a few seconds
they stared at her stare, and then her
expression changed back to more famil-
lar one. Has any one finished number
three?' she asked, in an even tone She
remained calm after that. But imposi-
lions ruled high that day. And she spent
two laborius evenings writing letters of va
rious sorts to Fanny, before she found A
decent congratulatory vein. Her reason
struggled hopelessly against the persua-
sion that Fanny had behaved in an exceed
ingly treacherous manner.
One may be over-refined and rather
priggish and still be capable of a very
sore heart. Certainly Miss Winchelsea's
heart was very sore. She had moods of
sexual hostility in which she generalIzed
uncharitably about mankind. He forgot
himself with me-" she said. "But Fanny
is pink and pretty, and soft, and a fool
a very excellent match for a man." And
by way of a wedding present she sent
Fanny gracefully bound volume of poe
try by George Meredith, and Fanny wrote
back a grossly happy letter to say that
il was call beautiful" Miss Winchelsea
hoped that some day Mr. Se'noaks might
take up that slim book and think for a
moment of the donor. Fanny wrote sew
eral times before and about her marriage,
pursuing that fond legend of their AN
cient friendship" and giving her hap
piness in the fullest detail And Miss
Winchelsea wrote to Helen for the first
time after the Roman journey, saying
nothing about the marriage, but express
ing very cordial feelings
They had been in Rome at Easter, and
Fanny was married in the August Vaca-
ton. She wrote a garrulous letter to Miss
Winchelsea describing her homecoming
and the astonishing arrangements of their
"teeny weeny' little house. Mr.. Se'noaks
was now beginning to assume a refine
ment in Miss Winchelsea's memory out
of ali proportion to the facts of the case,
and she tried in vain to imagine his Gull
tured greatness in a "teeny weeny'' little
house Am busy enamelling a cosy cor
ner" said Fanny, sprawling 20 the end of
her third sheet, so excuse more" Miss
Winchelsea answered In her best style.
gently polSing fun at Fanny's arrange
ments and hoping intensely that Mr..
Se'noaks might see the letter. Only this
hope enabled her TO write at all. answering
not only that letter. but one in November
and one at Christmas.