Evening journal., 1905-03-04
The Missing Letter
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managing children.
one morning the postman brought |
Jennie a note addressed in Frank Free
mans hand. She was at the time pre-
pairing luncheon for the children TO
take with them to school, so she placed
the letter unopened on the sideboard
10 the dining room till more conven-
lent season. When the children had
been started Mrs. Peverly was sudden
ly taken ill. and Jennie must go for
the doctor and for the rest OF the day
was in constant attendance upon her
mother. The consequence was that
she did not think OF her letter again
TIL she had gone to bed dead tired. So
she went TO sleep intending to read It
the next morning She would doubt
less have done so had she seen the let
ter on the sideboard, but It had dlsap-
peared, and there was nothing 20 re-
mind her Of it; consequently, having
not only the children and sick moth
er to take care Of, she forgot all about
the letter not only for that day, but
for weeks.
At last Mrs. Peverly got better, and
one Saturday morning when the chill
dren were amusing ti;Smselves in their
own different ways Jeknle went out TO
do some shopping. Coming suddenly
upon Frank Freeman, he passed her
] I., ka fr
his hat in most formal manner. For
a moment Jennie was at loss TO ac-
count for this sudden change OF man
ner; then the remembrance OF her let
ter rushed upon her.
"Oh. Mr.. Freeman" she cried, II am
so sorry. l forgot
Freeman stopped. turned and waited.
Il forgot-to-to-read your letter.
she blurted.
"Then.r he said coldly. II must ask
you not to read It, or II you do to con-
slider all that said in it unsaid."
With this he turned on his heel and
walked on.
Jennie went directly home and look
ed for the letter in the last place she
remembered to have seen It, the side
board. 1t was not there She looked
behind and under and in the sldeboard'
but found no letter. BY this time her
curiosity was excited, and she devoted
all her spare time TO thinking about It.
She was soundly lectured by her moth
er for what Mrs. Poverty termed her
carelessness, especially since that lady
knew that Frank Freeman's father was
a rich man and Frank his only child
whereas the Poverty family hadn't q
cent in the world Z The poor woman
did not know II there was anything
Of Importance I'm the missing note. She
only desired that her daughter should
not repel any attention the young mar
might offer.
"You have doubtless missed an IN
vitation to some delightful amuse
ment." said Mrs. Poverty. ITS to-
bad. considering that you never get (
chance TO go any where"
"Never mind, mother" replied Jennie
. IF Frank wants my company YER
badly he'll ask me again."
But Franks manner whenever h
met Jennie became more and NOR
. constrained, more naughty, till at las
his recognition Of her on the street wa
scarcely perceptible. Jennie did al
she could do: she wrote him the circum
stances about the loss Of his note, I
/. which he replied that the matter wa
Of no consequence. There the anal
rested.
Then several things happened In th
J Freeman and Peverly families. In tn
! first place Mr.. Freeman failed In busi
!. ness, and Mr. Peverly, who was a pre-
= moter, a title given one who spends hi
time organizing impracticable corpora
tions while their families are starving
organized q company to manufactur
q patent churn, which Unexpected
made him rich. A third thing that haI
pened was that when the Peverly
moved into a mansion more I'm keepin
with their altered circumstances th
sideboard. being shaken up, droppe
: FrankS letter. 1t contained an avowi
= Of love and a proposition Of marriage
Jennie read the letter, their position
= being reversed from what they ha
been when It was written. She was
;. sensitive girl, and Franks treatmeI
:. Of her had cost her many a bitter hou
Ostensibly he was justified, for she ha
certainly been unintentionally rude
: him. The finding OF the letter did n'
OF itself mend matters. for Frank ha
recalled anything he might have sal
, in It. Besides, even If he felt as he d
- when he wrote il, now that their pos
s tions were reversed be- would not r
4 new the offer.
a Now, any girl who is level head'
n enough to assume the care Of her brot
:, ers and sisters should be able to tai
o care Of an oversensitive lover, and no
=. that Jennie knew that Frank had be-
q. her lover she did not, as many cir
n would do assume that he had change
2 She took IL for granted that his mil
n. was the same, but she had the pr
n dence and modesty to give him an o
at portunity to avow It. She returned
~ letter to him with note explainil
N how It had been found and saying tn
as he had recalled it it needed no I
ply. She knew that Frank was boul
ce to acknowledge its receipt and count
ne upon his betraying his present feeling
She was right. He replied that I
= notes loss had been a great misfortu
to him, since at the time it was WRIT
he had every prospect Of wealth. No
he was poor and could not Offer hims'
- AHa Tnrtu1afar ~ n rich man