Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-02-02

A Letter md ITS RESULT.



a o that's the way the land lies, is
- it?' asked Ivy Lyle.
The sensitive face under the big
rosc-,incd sunhat was very white. Her
lips quivered little. The hands that
held the vagrant sheet trembled.
Il thought" said the girl to herself,
II hadn't begun to care--in that way.
l was only Observation-Disclosures But
the shock-the disillusion--"
When she had started out an hour
ago for her usual brisk morning walk
along the crisp, shelving sands, she
had been one Of the most Indifferent,
light-hearted Of girls. She was done
with college and the two years Of for
eign travel that had succeeded school
as a sort of polishing process She
had perfect health, and misty dreams
Of all the yelled future held in its
keeping. She had esthctic tastes, and
her skill in athletic sports was the ad-
miration of her less vigorous girl
friends. She had been having beau
tiful time down at this gay, uncOn-
ventional resort on the Michigan coast.
And now-well, temporarily it seemed
that her pleasure was spoiled.
And in her heart she knew that she
must have been beginning to think too
much Of the man whose attentions to
her had been so marked, or else this
discovery would not so affect her. Sit.
ting to rest and watch the white-crest-
ed waves come curling up to break on
the border Of the lake like threads Of
rarest lace. her attention had been
caught by small, white, whirling OBJ
ject that at first sight she had taken
for bird. 1t had whisked lower and
could put out her hand and grasp it.,
and she found it was sheet Of note
paper covered with diminutive CHR
oSraphy. 1t was written on the sta
tionery Of the fashionable hotel loom
Ing up on the dunes behind her. AT
first she had been about to crumple it
up and cast it aside. But in the very
act of doing so name-her own name
met her eye.
Even then she hesitated. But the
three words were so significant she
must know their writer's full meaning.
The page was the continuation of a
letter. And the first three words at
the top of the page were love Ivy
Lyle" Impulsively, giving herself no
chance to weigh the niceties Of honor
In the balance, she scanned the page
love Ivy Lyle. I've fought against
it-for l can't afford to marry her, as
you know. But she has rather swept
me of my feet, old chap! At first ]
was taken with her innocent beauty.
There was no one at this big hostelry
to compare with her for good looks.
SO l let myself drift. l thought she
was just dear little country girl, and
that it would be easy to say senti.
mental farewell when the summer was
over. You know what these warm.
weather firtatons amount to. SO I've
been going to see her steadily and tax
Ing her everywhere. We've gone
dancing and swimming and boating
and all the rest Of it. And-by Jove.
for all she's mighty quiet, I've come to
find out she's not the typical little
country girl at all. She's we'll read
and Travelled, though she seemed rath-
er aghast when she let that fact out.
And she looks at fellow in cool,
apprising sort of way that makes him
feel pretty cheap--if his spoken
thoughts are not quite up to her white
standard. But she's not really In the
social swim. She's a native, l take it.
It's been hard to pin her down to any
confidence about herself. She lives
with a very dragon Of an aunt at a
farmhouse on the edge Of town. She
wears her cotton dresses and shade
hats in a way that takes the shine ont
of women up at the hotel. but I've
never seen her sport any of the swell
clothes they wear to the hops here.
Oh, confound it! What's the use of
my incoming away to you at this rate :?
I've got to go away and try to forget
her before it's too late.
"Damaris Chase and her father are
to be here this week, they tell me- And
she's the girl the heads of both our
houses expect me to marry. She may
have the good taste to refuse me-and
I almost hope she will. She's a great
heiress. and the consolidation of the
business interests would be a capital
thing; but, oh, hang me if thought
it would be so hard to get that little
girls sweet face out of my heart.
must do the sensible thing, and go in
for the twenty thousand year. Lord!
but I'm sorry for those poor devils Of
kings who have to wed for reasons of
state. feel disgustingly like one Of
them. I'm sleepy. Good night--I'll
finish this in the morning. Ten to one
dream Of Ivy Lyle"
1t needed no signature. The writer
was easily recognized. She crumpled
tho panor %iohtlv In bor hopd md