The new enterprise., 1904-12-08


death, accidents and prying land
ladies'
III suppose" said Polly, that the
safest thing for a girl to do is to write
with the idea that she is going to be
famous and that her letters are to be
published after death by a mercenary
progeny. Then she will say a lot OF
clever, interesting things which will
charm the man in question and yet
would make good general reading, IL
the public should ever take a notion
to investigate"
THAT, Polly" said I, would be an
excellent idea for a great many rea-
sons; firstly, because a man never ap-
preclates n mushy, gushy letter that
seems TO be stopping over at the cor
ners with sentiment like q Jelly roll.
You know, yourself. how, when your
plate is too full, the sight OF 1t takes
away your appetite. Now, a single
sip OF something really good and spicy
creates a desire for more"
"And a woman's Arst duty" said
Polly, solemnly, waving n packet OF
letters, rs to create a desire for more"
Besides" / went on, ignoring the
cyniclsm, III the average girl who In
dulges in sentimental notes would pro-
iect herself into the future a few years
and draw a mental picture Of the wives
Of her correspondents IN the attitude
OF reading these notes"
Ugh" cried Polly, with a charming
little shudder, shed never write any
thing but the 'do-come-to-see-me-
mother-sends- regards. Agnes wants-to-
meet-you- hope. you -nre-well-with-love-
always kind, would she? Shed never
attempt TO make herself plain or un-
derstood or anything OF that Sort
NO." | replied, filnglng my cigarette
stump into the CRATE and gazing
thoughtfully at the fire. "Why is 1t
woman always longs to make her
self understood, anyway? It's an aw-
full mistake. Because TO the average
man every girl is just like geometrl-
cal problem, quite uninteresting, after
she has been solved"
Polly was arranging the little packets
Of white letters carefully into different
sized piles.
"Wby do you tie them with colored
ribbons?" 1 asked, curiously.
"The ribbons" said Polly, represent
the men. can tell whose letters they
are without even glancing at the en-
velope. White, for instance, is for
Arthur Drake, the man with the whit
est soul ever knew, and black is for
Jimmy Darlington, who died; red is
for Bobby McRae; he was an actor,
you know, and blue" Polly
stopped. "You see" she went on in a
moment, "every man who comes into a
girls life leaves r distinct impression,
For every man she has ever fancied
she always has e soft spot somewhere
down in her heart. Now, it's different
with a man. Nothing is so dead to him
as dead love. The girls he has flrted
with and tired Of are Just like your
bundles Of letters, forgotten trophies
tied with an old string"
"Ob, not at ALL" l protested, thrust
ing my hand into my waistcoat pocket
and extracting a small leather case.
Here, for instance, is package OF
letters that l keep quite separate.
was going to take-I mean to ask-the
privilege Of keeping these" l stam-
mered.
But" said Polly, "if love letters are
like pudding, or burned cigarettes, or
roses, they won't keep
"These will" 1 said Gssurlngly, "be-
cause they are quite unusual. The girl
who wrote them knew how to write;
Just how far to go to be interesting,
and where TO stop before becoming
gushy. They aren't like roses, sac
charine and ephemeraL They are more
like immortelles, cool, crisp and ever
lasting"
Polly leaned over the table and began
sorting out q little package Of en-
vclopes from her own heap.
"What are those Pollyf" I asked
curiously. "rhey look like kilograms"
"They are" said Polly, coolly. "some
men carry on correspondence mainly
by telegram. When n man is really in
love, you know, it is the hardest thing
in the world for him to compose let
ter Hence he resorts to the telegraph
office. Some OF the most beaHtiful
love letters ever written have been
just kilograms"
picked up the bundle absent-mind-
edly, then let 1t fall suddenly.
"Polly," 1 called, softly. But Polly
was kneeling beside the CRATE, watch
ing the flames that burst over the heap
Of papers.
Polly" I repeated. But Polly was
engrossed in showing little pink and
blue ends down into the eoals with the