The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-11-15

these displays, so she continued to
look at her work and merely said,
| ''Well?" IS.
s'What do you think has happened?"
| 81 don't know, I'm sure. Almost
anything is liable to happen nova
days"
81 never was so surprised in my life.
Why, it simply took my breath away.
The very idea! / never met him until
month ago."
"What in the world are you talk
ing about?" asked Mrs. Caldwell, al
lowing her work to sink into her lap.
81 suppose it's something very seri-
GUS"
"Well, you know, I've been telling
you about the prince. have letter
from him this morning, and it's the
funniest thing you ever dreamed Of"
'What is there so funny about it?''
"Why-it's love letter.
"From that japanese boy?"
"He's not a boy, mamma! He must
be more than 20. He has a mustache."
'sWhat does he say in this letter."
swell, what doesn't he say? He
says he's head over heels in love with
me and-you can see it for yourself.
There it isl
Mrs. Caldwell took the letter and
carefully adjusted her glasses. At the
first glance she gave little start and
said, "Humph!" Then she read
aloud, slowly and carefully: T
M
Maiden of Ten Thousand Charms: My
heart tells me to write of the love which
in my heart is agitating. You come into
my darkened existence like the bursting
plum blossom of the first moment OF
spring. I try to tell Of my affection, but
I look upon your gracious beauty and
am silent in the ecstasy Of my great adj
miration. Your voice is sweeter than the
mating song of the nightingale and your
eyessare like the two stars shining above
a temple For you my heart perfects
itself in melody.
"Okecho Tamura'
"Well, what do you think of that?"
asked Flora.
'It sounds very much like love let
ter said Mrs. Caldwell, with half
repressed smile. cit certainly is more
of love letter than you father ever
wrote to me-"
cts nothing to laugh about, man.
ma" said Flora, gazing sentimentally
out of the window. 81 feel awfully
sorry for him. He really is perfect
gentleman and awfully swell, and just
as nice as he can be"
"And prince, too," suggested Mrs.
Caldwell. ''That is supposed to mean
a great deal to an American girl"
GAS I say, he is nice fellow, but
don't think it's natural for an Ameri-
can girl to be in love with any one not
the same color, do your
what is the princes color?" asked
Mrs. Caldwell.
''Do you know, he isn't bit darker
than some of the other boys in school,
but suppose he would be called
don't know whether he's yellow or
brown I know there are only five
colors, because that is what it used
to say in the geography, and if he
isn't white or black or red, he must
be yellow or brown, but he doesn't
look very yellow, or very brown,
either one"
"At least he is not white. Are you
going to draw the color line in your
love affairs?"
'sIt is not a love affair. I never
spoke to the man more than dozen
times in my life. The idea! How
could I think of accepting man who
lives away off in some heather coun-
try where they wear those funny
clothes and worship idols and all
that?"
ST don't think that his letter
amounts to a proposal" said her
mother.
ST know he doesn't say so in that
many words, but you can tell what
he MEANS" said Flora, once more un-
folding the letter and scanning it. cts
about as strong as love letter could
be-"
"Are you sure that you have not
given the young man any encourage
ment?''
"Why, mammal We were nice to
him, and that was all. never was
alone with him in my life. The other
girls were there all the time and the
prince was so quiet and backward all
the time never had the slightest idea
that " whereupon she smiled, for
she was once more reading that line
about the bursting plum-blossom.
cts a very simple matter" said
Mrs. Caldwell. eff you don't want to
marry the prince and go to Japan to
live all you have to do is tell him So"
A few minutes later, Flora Cald
well, hatless, was on her way to car
nv the news to Miss Lucy Dyer in the
second street east. Lucy was at her
writing desk, biting at pen.
'sLucy! You'll die when you hear
this
'Oh, Flo! You wouldn't guess in a
thousand years!"
"Guess what?"
'What the prince wrote to me-"
"Did he tell you about it?"
''About what?"
"About his being in love with me-"
''With you? Bless. you, the poor
fellow has proposed to me. You new
err saw such letter in your born