The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-03
and we hope he will find a home COM
panion from among our Kansas ladies'"
Proposal Ends Correspondence.

Early last year Mr.. Clark began to
urge the question Of marriage. He
wrote long and stilted love letters,
which Miss Holmes ignored. She wrote
TO him Of the weather and the crops
and local doings-there was mention
Of pe1ther love nor everlasting friend
ship In her letters. The correspondence
came to an end as suddenly as it had
begun, but by Miss Holmes initiative.
ProteStationS Of love were numerous
and it became evident to her that she
had gone too far. CIark's first pro-
posal, which was mailed from Flor
ence, Kan, remained unanswered. 1t
| was written in the same formal style
that characterized his former over
lures. There were remarks about the
weather first, followed by an inquiry
after the health of Mrs. Holmes, who
had been frequently mentioned in the
correspondence.
The proposal proper was confined to
this paragraph II will tarry in Kan
sas until the 18th of this month (May)
If l have to wait that long to learn
whether 1 am to be the happlest or
| most miserable man on earth. Now
allow me to ask of you, give me your
heart and hand and promise to be-
come my bride, the greatest wish Of
my heart. Now, dearest 1t is within
your power to make me happy or most
miserable while life shall last This
| mas been upon my mind for some time,
but have hesitated to make it known
to you, fearing your answer"
The Threatened Visit Is Made.
| When there came no answer Clark
wrote again, repeating his declarations.
From early in May of last year until
| October Clark urged his suit Then
he wrote that he should visit her home
and see her father. He wrote that she
| must certainly find him more interest
| ing than she seemed to find The young
men of the neighborhood.
1t was about o'clock in the even
| ing of Oct when the promised visit
| was made. Clark drove into the yard,
| tied his horses and asked where some
neighbors lived. Miss Maud Holmes,
| who had answered his knock at the
| door directed him. When Clark asked
for Mr.. Holmes the girl invited him in
| to the house. It was to her father that
| Clark told his name and his purpose
But you can't marry my daughter
| unless she is willing" Mr.. Holmes pro-
| tested.
''She is willing; it's the young bows
| harglng around that make her think
| she amt" Clark smiled a hopelessly
| sen1le smile and turned to the girl
where she had retreated into one corner
| Of the room.
Clark was not prepossessing as she
l sow 1l1lIl IA1SIl ne Was Srdy-nalr0d and
| heavily bearded, although the beard
did not hide an almost toothIess mouth.
| There was a decided Iameness to one
| side OF his body and his breath came in
| snort gasps, as though breathing were
| dlfhcuIt. Above all, he was dirty with
a DIRT that reeked of the farm.
| i don't want to see him. Oh. please
| drive him away!" Maud Holmes fully
| realized then the folly of writing let
| terS to strangers. She realized it fur
| ther when Clark began in a foolish
| voice to repeat some of the things she
| mad written. He went on to answer
| questions she had asked him months
| pefore. Her father, who had known
hothlng OF the correspondence, stood in
| establishment.
| 1t was a long two hours for Maud
| homes. Clark stayed that time talk
ing constantly of his matrimonial am
pltlons. He explained that he had rid
| den past his station on the railroad
| ana that the trainmen had awakened
him at Mcpherson. The desire of his
| heart was so strong then that he had
determined to take one more chance.
He had caught another train for GaIva
and had driven three miles from GaIya
to the Holmes farm.
Mr. Holmes discovered later that
there was no such train from McPher-
son to Galva and that the team had
Deen h1red from a barn at Mcpherson
by man who gave the name Of Good.
| Ihe stable men recognized the man as
Doc Ryno.
Lover Threatens Suicide.
The day following this visit Clark
wrote from Hutchinson, some fifteen
miles away, threatening Miss Holmes
with the burden of his death if she did
not consent. He said he would wait
to hear from her before committing
suicide Soon after this the Holmeses
| discovered that man was proWling
around their premises. Almost every
nlght the dog parked and ran after
someone. When members of the fam
ny were out IN the evening they heard
| suspicious cracking in the bushes
about the house. More than once they
saw mans form Scurrying away
through the underbrush.
| After much contriving the daughters
nXed burglar alarm. They suspended
| three bells near window in the par
Tor and connected them with a. string
which ran out to a small cnerry tree
near the house. 1t was their scheme
| that the bells should ring whenever
the tree or the string was disturbed.
| Inc contrlVance failed to work the
evening after it was put up and Maud
Holmes went out into the yard and to
| the tree to make some cnange in the
string. AS she was at work she heard
a rustling of the lilac bushes near at
hand. Instantly she screamed and her.
father ran out with a gun.
There he goes! There he goesi"
she shouted, and sure enough a man
could be seen running across the ad-
| joining field
A few days later this anonymous let
ter came, addressed to Mrs Holmes:
Dear Madam: | was at your place Sun
day night after | was at Canton. Carl
| wrote me to see where you lived. It was
| L In the trees. Carl said I could see Won
all and no dog to bother me. / called to
your daughter. She screamed ghost and
II frightened me. 1 ran into the hedge
| WIN never come again by night. Please
forgive me.
Some days before this the Holmes
dog had been poisoned with strychnine
and as Mr.. Holmes later learned, doc"
Ryno had bought strychnine two DAYS
previous from neighbor1ng druggist.
Inc RynoS say the strychnine was
bought to poison crows and that the
boys Killed seVenty-nine crows with it.
| Carl, who is mentioned in the letter.
is q boy whose family lives in the neigh
borhood and who has worked for
Mr.. Holmes off and on for year. The
letter writer had long been Jealous he
cause of his friendly CONFERENCE.-The
with the Holmes girls. Carl Saida Oft
en- appears in the Clark letters. AL
though it was not until this time that
the writer tried to prove him guilty of
the annoyance the Holmeses were suf-
fering.
Anonymous Letters Arrive.
The Jealous correspondent, having
once written an anonymous letter,
seemed to find them of rare interest.
from this time on the Holmeses were
constantly annoyed by the receipt Of
letters addressed to any member Of the
family and bringing absurd chorCac