The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-06
A Letters Experience.

4
born this morning on the red velvet lid o
an ebony writing desk. a woman wrote
me into existence and as l grew under
a fine gold pen first perceived the tip!
of slender white fingers whose regular
sway back and forth gave me a de-
| hcious sensation. Then I distinguished
the face bent above me, pretty face
pale and sad, with great. gray eyes, un-
der which were black circles. rosy, wei
! eyelids, but white lips Her hair fell il
disorder over her forehead, curling behind
! her ears down 10 her shoulders. My first
| lines, IN a slanting English handwriting.
| were 10 this effect:
Had passed a miserable night. impossi-
bic to sleep. strange dream, and awoke
| trembling, pity and mercy asked in the
| same line. Then the bah OF the night be-
1 fore was spoken of, she had been very
unhappy and had left full of present
| iment, although he was there. why was
| this?"
! She leaned on the desk. her head on
! her hand, and fell into a reveris. Her
sleeve fell back and 1 felt the perfume
! OF her warm, soft arm penetrate me.
| She remained thus some time. her beauti-
| full, large eyes full Of sad thought Sud
| denly two tears gathered, and I began
to understand the sense of the words,
why was this?" The tears trembed on
her eyelids. then ran down her cheek.
| The poor little woman sighed and return
ed to me.
He had been very neglectful at the ball
and she had caught his eye only once
OF twice. The pen began 70
write rapidly, the words were scratched
off. sentences followed each other with
out punctuation, passionate love filed
m In, retracopa+fy-e EsThe
transport Of the first days" doubts, I'll
nudity, the avowal, first kisses! Then the
day when jealousy was awakened, so ter
rible, yet so charming, terror, agony, if
ten minutes late, the promise of eternal
fidelity, renewed vows-ali this as the eyes
rained tears and the pen went on inpetu-
ously, tightly held in the thin fingers.
My four pages were full, when some one
entered the room. / disappeared quickly
inside the desk. fell among pile of
letters, faded flowers and debris of all
sorts. In one corner lay a white cravat,
twisted around a little dried-up bouquet.
1t was of corded muslin and made me
suddenly think of a certain date of which
! speak later.
When 1 was taken out of hiding the
young woman was dressed ready to go out
with a thick veil covering her red-lidded
eyes. She added two words, Come to-
night" and then I waited impatiently for
a name that / expected to see, when I
felt two fresh, warm lips pressed so pas
sionately against me that the paper crack
led. Then q flower was slipped between
my leaves. and ] was shut up in an en-
velope and addressed, and the-ah, I can
not say for sure what happened. My
impressions are vague. ] was put in a
pocket later, where 1 found little hand
kerchief damp with the tears l had seen
wiped away We were together until once
more I was brought forth but to fall into
a vile box, where l remained all alone.
1t had an opening on top from which L
could see people passing to and fro. was
kept here a long time, and thought Il
should never get out again, when thump,
heavy mass fell on me, then another,
and still another. A hideous yellow envel-
ope fell on my hide, as If to crush me
out Of existence. Perhaps it contained
some villainous news, some hypocritical
lie, some message of evil, and /, yet pail |
plating from the fine English handwrit- !
Ing on my pages, had to be mixed up with |
all this.
A key clicked IN the lock, crick, crack, |
and an enormous red hand plunged into |
the box, and taking the packet, disap- !
peared and came again. Twice l slipped |
between his big hngers-I was too deli |
cate for such handling-but L was seized |
at last and crumpled up in a bundle tied |
with a string. Then 1 was carried along |
till We were surrounded by voices, |
of pens, and 1 was Seized anew |
by hand that pressed something dread
full upon me. l received two dire strokes
right over the poor little flower between
my pages.
When I came TO myself again found
myself on a chimney-piece, the room filed
with shadows of the dying day. At length
after long wait. my envelope was torn
open and I was glanced over rapidly by
two superb but icy cold blue eyes, so dry
and hard that they gave me a shock
Only my first lines were read-he seem
ed TO divine the rest-and then he threw !
me roughly on the chimney-piece again, !
the flower fell unheeded TO the floor-I saw
i % more. The one who rejected me !
so unkindly was a very handsome man,
tall and well made. with curiy, blonde
hair and long, carefully trimmed beard.
He was elegantly dressed, and his hands
were white and delicate.
As l lay in an uncomfortable position,
lose to q chandelier, the man, evidently
-orgetful Of my existence. devoted his at
ention TO tying a white cravat (the mate
d
his very moment my dear friend who sent
ne forth this morning was wondering how
was being received. Oh, If 1 could only
face all that she had confided in mel
lie fe-read me. however. after q time,
md little by little memory awakened in
Urn over the history contained therein.
'ut his expression remained hard and
old. Reproaches, tears, heart-throbs. all
we're unavailing. l heard him murnur,
IS he paced up and down the room: IF
go there viii be more tears, and what
5 TO be done? It Is not my fault that I
10 not love her any longer I am de-
ided. cannot go tonight. I will write
nj tel her SO. ] will say" and he
wrote:
What a difference over this morning. |
vhen l saw a sweet womaR's face bend
ng over me, feverish with emotion caused
y thoughts of him. and this man seated ]
efore table searching his brain for ,
hrases to fl. but the words would not
ONE any more easily than the ideas. He
ore up six pages before finishing three
mes.
tell you all this from the bottom Of
drawer where / am now lying There ,
re letters and faded flowers and nib
ous all around me. and I recognize the
e inc of my teart-stained pages Where '
IAN ! be tomorrow? What will become 6
: me? This IS my thought as I dream
I the black eyes fun Of tears and the :
old blue eyes that have ceased 10 re- ,
oond--Translated for the Argonaut from :
he French of Jules Case BY A.
-.------ .
How lie Married Them :
\ newly-appointed Justice OF the peace s
q western town was greatly embar- s
Used thu firE- tfr-A ba ( ?