The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-14
How Dan Kent Missed
His Thanksgiving Banquet

order TO stimulate her TO a still more
generous effusion, he wound up his
eestalc billet with a superbly servile
petition for her picture. He said
counterfeit presentment'' first but for
fear she'd regard that as a mercenary
ailusion, he scratched the words away
and substituted fair image The
photograph. that arrived in the next
letter was worthy Of the foolish girls
correspondence. a simperiRg, weak
smile, evidently calculated TO display
two pretty dimples and q row of the
white teeth; a mass of fluffy blonde
hair falling almost to the eyebrows;
white lawn dress OF a style that
had been considered -~smart" a few
years ago; bangle rings on the dainty
ingersl
She looks the part" laughed Dan,
and If 1 don't send her my picture
now this sport will come to a sudden
end
The letter suggested an exchange, and
Dan, in the exuberance of what seemed
such q capital joke. determined to send
her the picture OF his barber, a dash
ing young gallant with melancholy
black eyes and a tightly waxed VIII
helm mustache.
1t was Kent's irrepressible love of
fun that led him into this thoughtless
and, for him, unkind correspondence.
But the letters had passed so rapidly
and with such increasing and almost
outiandish expressions Of romantic
emotion that he had not taken time
to look at any but the funny side of
the affair. He had shown the letters
TO nobody, destroying them as soon as
they were read. When he had mailed
the BARRIERS photograph to Kate with
his autograph on its back he resolved
TO make an end of an escapade which
was Just beginning TO cloy.
As he grew serious, he reflected upon
foil NHANN
mean OF me-" he thought; and this last
idea held him so that he went home
and wrote an honest manly letter to
the girl. in which he strove to exoner-
ate himself. He knew she would for
give him for returning her photograph.
ne said, and for asking her to forget
the whole episode, which, he hoped, had
given her as much harmless Tnerriment
as 1t had given him. The tone Of this
letter was so modest so sensible, so
self-deprecating, and so completely dis
lllusioning that Dan thought as he
dropped II in the mail box:
Dad would have liked that letter
l would never have written the others
if he had been with me-"
That was Monday. Thursday was
Thanksgiving day and as Dan Kent
was TO be the guest ar a banquet that
evening, he resolved TO get a substan-
tial meal in his favorite cafe The place
was crowded with diners, and he looked
IN vain for a familiar face. The head
waiter found a place for him at a table
at which sat woman alone. She was
modestly. but quite fashionably, attired,
young-perhaps tWenty-at ease, with
an odd mixture of confidence and shy
ness. Her black eyes shone With the
Light of a brave and quick intelligence.
Her swart hair dropped about her small
ears in smooth glistening tresses. Her
REQ mouth
RnVa h~.I Al,
scious catalogulng OF the beautiful wo-
man opposite him when she darted one
angry glance at him in which there
was al unanswerable reproof. for his
fascinated stare. L vanished as quick
" as 1t came. She drew from her
ping, and then unfofded his letter 70
Kate colvin with the same photograph
of the Odsburg school teacher that he
had mailed on Mondoy, He started,
looked again, stood up, and betrayed
his curiosity by leaning forward.
She glsred at him. looked frightened
for an instant, and then flushed with
anger.
How dare your was all she said,
but the emphasis Of her low voice
helDed him.
II beg your pardon. madam" he an
swered. sitting down. st wrote that
letter myself 10 the girl whose picture
you have there, and it startled me
to see it in your hand. am the Dan
of that letter, Daniel Kent"
He stopped short. Her faces wa
wreathed Ia smiles.
why, Dan" she commenced, in that
same S<veetly singing voice. NO, Are
you Daniel Kent? The picture? Any
how, if you're Daniel Kent, or just a
friend of his who helped him try to
make fool Of a country girl, you're
both mistaken. I'm Kate Colvfn."
She began the sentence with a coo
and ended ii with a rasp.
Dan was dumfounded. but he got out
his card and gave ii to her.
We'll. you might have known l
wasn't the kind TO borrow money from
a man I had never SEEN" she said,
smiling, and her bruno cheeks red:
'sYou might have known L wasn't fool
enough 20 write drivel to an utter
stranger. AS for you, I thought you
were a downright idiot until got that
last letter. That rang true came
down to Chicago to pay you the 81
I owe you, and 10 :.
but Kate" asked the delighted Dan
lei. what prompted you to start the
ooh, I didn't like your sending that
money, and-weil. / didn't want TO be
pitied, either. imagined you were one
of those Chicago smarties, and-well. it
was DUH in Odsburg; it's always dull
there"
And now we've met and found each
other out. Kate?"
They laughed like children, looking
frankly into one anothor's happy faces.
It's Thanksgiving, Dan" she said
'I'l give thanks that this (holding
ont the picture of the pudgy blond) isn't
yoSr2 he laughed.
'And T. give thanks that you couldn't
look like thisi" And she held out the
picture of the dashing barber.
And they. dined so merrily togethe-
that Dan forgot everything but Kate,