The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-12-28

est. If I might only hope I should work
so hard to make myself worthy of you
you are a perfect treasure. You may al
ways believe me to be, Your own,
JACK"
With deepening flush on her cheeks
and tender light shining in her eyes
she opened a second letter with fingers
that trembled slightly-such sea of
memories was surging over her.
1t began without date, but that she
could easily supply:
My Darling:
To-day you have made me the happiest
of mortals, for you promised to become
my wife, Who would not be happy under
the circumstances-for the man who gets
you gets a prize, indeed. 1 shall not say
what l shall try to do for you except that
if love and devotion can make you happy,
sorrow and sadness shall never know you.
Tonight you looked so pretty-your
eyes were brighter than ever l have seen
them. You looked happy. Oh, that you
may always look as you did tonight!
Sweetheart, I love you so much more
than / can tell-more than 1 ever thought
myself capable of loving anyone, and
when l think it over, l wonder how it all
came about. You did not try to make me
love you, neither did l try to make you
love me, until l found myself loving you
found that l must be with you to be happy.
Now l am going to answer the precious
letter my own sweetheart wrote me to-day.
How lovely it is! 1t is just like her from
beginning to end.
IF, as you say, my love makes you
happy, it must be because you love me.
If it were only love that you love, then you
would be happy in the love of any one Of
your many admirers.
Nothing that you say can hurt me,
dearest, for 1 know that you speak for the
best interests of us both.
Yes, my darling, l want you to be sure
of yourself for 1 would not blight your
life ever so little.
Should 1 lose you. life would be little
worth the living, yet I would rather lose
you than ever see you unhappy.
You are unjust to yourself in many
ways and rate yourself too low. You say
that you don't understand yourself. Did
you ever know any one who could say:
I know MYSELF Dearest, others know
us best-others see our faults and virtues
in a clearer light than we can see them.
l shall not pretend that l understand you,
for it has long been conceded'th that the mind
feminine is incomprehenSible to man, but,
oh, my sweetheart, all the fGults you con-
fess to are dearer to me than other wom-
ems virtues. You are you, my darling, and
l love you as you are. That is clumsy
but at best 1 can i'll express how dear you
are to me.
Your heart pleads for me, but your
head does not. That shows good sound
sense, and l can only hope that the heart
will get away with the head.
And now, my sweet, as a guard against
fickleness l want you to give up to a GER
tain extent your male admirers. I don't
mind their calls, rather like them, for 1
am proud to have my sweetheart a favor
lite, but you must let them know that you
belong to me and that l am monopolist.
l can love you enough alone, they may
like you. l can love you as much as you
love to be loved-so remember, no trifling.
Il know, dearest, that you might have
chosen many men handsomer, nobler,
richer than l. but you will never find one
who will love you more than does
Your own devoted
JACK"
The third letter ran:
my Own Darling:
Il believe the happiest day of my life