The suburban citizen., 1902-12-27

tiny never written such letters to her
Why was he not eloquent like Roger
there! She had begun to call hin
Roger" she became a bit scare
then. for she was a true and dutifu
wife. She and Bleecker had exchange
very few letters in their courting days
Perhaps he would have written jus
as well as Fortescue il he'd had til
opportunity, she thought. And then
in a sudden realization of her folly ant
perhaps of some subtle and Eatefu
sense OF dlsloyalty, she went 10 An
nie's house and wrote n long letter Il
Fortescue in which she begged hh
pardon for Turing him into n CORE
spondence that must appear dcceltfl1
frutless and even humlliating whr.
she, Beatrice Landon," admitted, a.
she now must, that she was a married
woman, whose husband was the hes
man on earth" She expected that tn
long and self-deprecating letter WON'T
put final stop to his letters. but aftc
week, during which she did not in
qulre for any letters at the window
she asked Annie TO 'see If there wa
anything" There were five,
Il, too" wrote Roger Fortcscuc. "an
married. My wife is the embodlmen'
Of all virtue, beauty and intelligence
but" And then he launched into |;
subtle and gracefully worded dis
course TO the effect that Mrs. Fortes
cue was not wholly satisfied w!rt
him" That she didn't understan;
him, that he could not blame her bu
that in seeking a correspondence with
Mrs. Landon,' he had only tried aftc'
that impersonal and. he thought. I'M
selfish, qualification which comes o..
the spiritual and mental commerce 0i
two kindred souls. 1t was very fine
said Annie and Chloe. and the latter
almost shed tears as she declared posi-
lively that she would make no answer
And so the affair stopped.
1t was about two weeks later thai
Mrs. Bleecker began to perceive {
mighty change in the behavior Of hel
husband. He had become so COnsid
crate. so confidential. so tender, SC
assiduous in bis attentions to her tina.
she felt like a girl again in the wooins
days. But after tea one night he said
with sudden embarrassment:
"Chloc l know you'll laugh, but
did very queer thing this summer.
answered an 'ad' of some woman who
wanted to correspond with n moral
and intelligent man of sympathy"
What was her uamey' gaspcd Mrs
Bleccker, getting white and really to
faint.
Don't get angry. Chloe" lie said
quickly, mistaking her fright for rage
Il never signed my name; but honest
now. for awhile l thought my cOrrc'
spondent must be-YOU. l.
"Yes, yes, Curtis! You thought
she was almost choked with terror.
Il thought it might be you. and ]
was almost sure when she-her name
was Beatrice Landon'-admitted that
she was a married woman. told her
that 1, too. was married. and-vell
Chloe. l thought that would put end to
it, but what do you think?"
"What, CurtisY
"Why. she came right back; said she
didn't believe me. Insisted thar nc
married man ever praised his wife as
/ had done and-inclosed her picturew
"Her picture"
Eyes. Lookw He pulled out a pho.
tograph and showed the fair face Of
Annie Cuthbert.
And now Mrs. Bleecker doesn't
know what to think of her friend Miss
Cuthbert, but they've kept the secret
the three secrets. Curtis never LET
Annie know that he knows. Annie
never '1et on" that she took up the
Fortescue correspondence where Chloe
let it drop, and Chloe has never told
her husband that she was Beatrice
Landon." But she is fonder of him
than ever, because he did praise her,
oh, so eloquently, in those letters
John H. Raftery, in the Chicago Rec.