The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-05-31
Mrs. Luther Wilkins.
There Was No Such Person, but Letter
Thus Addressed Put Ideas In the
Head of an Old Bachelor.
BY SUSAN BROWN ROBBINS.

dressed to Mrs. Luther Wilkins
Mrs. Luther Wilkins" he said.
"NIrs. Luther Wilkins. And 1 am an
old bachelor who never so much as
hardly thought of getting married!
Mrs. Luther lkins! Why, where is
she? And who is she?
"Well, ! 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
l guess l won't begin now" He rose
to his feet and carrying it to the man.
telpiece 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
came in from the fields, and how nice
/ T., TO hi
] meals.
/ At first he was 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
i heavily when he came into his lone
some house.
!, The letter by the clock. too, began
to trouble him. He had devouring
curiosity to see what was in it. and.
besides. it did not seem just right to
keep it so long before delivering it.
One evening in June Luther put on
his best clothes and walked three miles
to see an old schoolmate who had an
unmarried cousin living with him. 1t
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 a month, try
ing hard not to think of the disquiet-
! ing subject. 1t was no use, and to-
ward the end of July it was observed
that Luther was becoming very neigh
borly. He spent his evenings at diff
ferent neighbors houses, he accepted
invitations to tea, he went to church
regularly and to all Sunday school pic
MICS, and still he could not find suit
able owner for the letter.
II must be terrible fussy," he sighed
1--WE got acquainted with about all the
women in town. They're nice women
every one of them, but somehow they
don't suit me. guess I'll have to give
up beat"
1t was one cold raw day in early No
vember that Luther sat at window
making clumsy attempts at mending
pair of very ragged socks Happeain,
to glance across the road. he saw ,
woman out in the HammondS' yard
She was busy raking up the fallen au
tumn leaves.
"Letitia Hammond" Luther com
mented "Bill Hammonds sister, w
. don't see much of her lately. She don
!, even go to church, there's so many o
. Bills children to look after, and Bill
wife is so took up with her clubs an
!. things. It's hard on Letitia, but sh
never finds word Of fault"
The sock he was mending fell to til
, floor and the wooden egg inside
, struck with such loud bang that til
cat started in his sleep. Luther did nc
notice He was standing at the wiz
dow. staring out.
q THAT is best which lieth nearest
he said solemnly What q fool Nv
, been!"
He found his hat and left the hous,
almost running across the road. Fl
took the iron rake away from Letiti
gently. That's too hard work for
little thing like you" he said.
i No one had been thoughtful of he
: before for a long time and Letiti
:, couldn't understand it. When Luthe
:. IeluIuet luG sue uShGu I'LL " IL
:. her do something for him.
>. He carried her his best pair {
socks She was Mortified at their col
: dition and mended them in a yer
artistic manner.
:, Luther looked at them in wond,
u and reverence. I'll never wear 'em
he said. when he was at home agai
IL wouldn't have let her do it only
p knew it would make her feel bette
:, and it gave me chance to see h.
~ TOO"
He found that it was an easy matte
. to invent excuses for seeing her, an
W finally. some time in the winter,
~ asked her in fear and trembling if 81
Ee would be Mrs. Luther Wilkins.
So it happened that in little le
or than year the letter to Mrs. Luth
e, Wilkins was given to its rightf
" owner. circumstances over which
as hod no CONTROL have DraVpnted yO,