Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1900-03-08

over his glasses as if at some person
and said:
II snum!"
He sank into a reverie, out of which
he reused himself with start to study
the envelope with renewed interest.
''Mrs. Luther Wilkins" he said, Mrs.
Luther wilkins. And / an old bach
elor who never so much as hardly
thought of getting married! Mrs. Luz
Their Wilkins, why, where is she? And
who Is sheT'
well, l guess I'll see what's in it."
He inserted the point of his knife under
the corner of the envelope flap, then he
hesitated.
"What business have l opening Of
her letters?" he asked himself. II never
did open other folks letters, and
guess / won't begin now" He rose to
his feet and carrying it to the mantel-
piece leaned it up against the clock.
He settled himself to his papers, but
thoughts of Mrs. Luther wilkins kept
intruding on what he was reading
about patent nest-boxes, and, under
draining and the news Of the village.
Thereafter during all his waking
hours, Mrs. Luther wilkins was often
in his thoughts. She even haunted his
dreams at times. He wondered what
she was like, and he thought of the
kind of woman he would wish her to
be, and enjoyed himself very much in
imagining how it would seem to have
her meet him at the door when he camc
in from the fields, and how nice it
would be not to have to get his own
meals.
At first he was a little cynical and
told himself that the imagining was
much more satisfactory than the real
ity would be, but after awhile he
changed his mind, and would sigh
heavily when he came into his lone
some house.
The letter by the clock, too, began TO
trouble him. He had devouring curl.
osity to see what was in it, and be-
sides it did not seem just right to keen
it so long before delivering it.
One evening in June Luther put on
his DeSI tlOlutS anu W luTce UllleS
to see an old schoolmate who had an
unmarried cousin living with him. II
seemed to him that Eliza Elliott fitted
in exactly with his idea Of Mrs. Luther
wilkins.
He came home quite early very much
disappointed. Eliza wouldn't do at all
He worked doggedly for month
trying hard not to think of the dis
quieting subject. 1t was no use, and
toward the end Of July 1t was observed
that Luther was becoming very neigh
borly. He spent his evenings at differ
ent neighbors' houses, he accepted in
tations to tea, he went to church regu
larly and to all Sunday school picnics
And still he could not find q suitable
owner for the letter.
81 must me terribly fussy," he sighed
'I've got acquainted with about all tn,
women in town; they're nice women
every one Of them, but somehow they
don't suit me. I guess I'll have to Civ,
up beat"
1t was one cold, raw day in early No
vember that Luther sat at a window
making clumsy attempts at mending
pair Of very ragged socks. Happening
to glance across the road he saw :
woman out in Hammond's yard. Sh
was busy raking up the feilen autumn
leaves.
"Letitia Hammond" Luther com
mented, "Bill Hammond's sister. w,
don't see much Of her lately. She dom
even go to church, there's so many o
Bilrs children to look after, and Bill
wife Is so took up with her clubs ant
things. It's hard on Letltia. but sh
never finds a word Of fault"
The sock he was mepdIng fell to tn
floor. and the wooden egg inside
struck with such loud bang that tn
cat started In his sleep. Lutner did no