The leader., 1905-01-14
A LETTER AND
ITS RESULT D .
BY KATE NJ. cLEARY
IaC o that's the way the land lies. is itY'
Z asked Ivy Lyle.

asked Ivy Lyle.
The sensitive face under the big,
rose-lined sunhat was very white. Her
lips quivered a little. The hands that
held the vagrant sheet trembled.
"T thought" said the girl to herself.
81 hadn't begun to lin that way. /
was only becoming attracted. 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 foreign
travel that, had succeeded school as a
sort Of polishing process. She had per-
feet health, and misty dreams of all the
veiled future held in its keeping. She
had aesthetic tastes, and her skill in ath-
letic sports was the admiration of her
less vigorous girl friends. She had been
having beautiful time down at this gay,
unconventional 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 dis
covery would not so affect her. Sitting
to rest and watch the white-crested
waves come curling up to break on the
border of the lake like threads Of rarest
lace, her attention had been caught by q
small, white, whirling object that at
first sight she had taken for bird. 1t
had whisked lower and nearer. Then it
floated so close she could put out her
hand and grasp it, and she found it was
sheet of note paper covered with di-
minutive chirography. 1t was written
on the stationery of the fashionable
hotel looming up on the dunes behind
her. At first she had been about to crum-
pie it up and cast it aside But in the
very act of doing SO a 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!" Impul-
sively, 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 | can't afford to marry her, 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 let myself
Lrift. thought she was just dear lit
tie country girl, and that it would be
easy to say sentimental farewell when
the summer was over. You know what
these warm-weather fiirtations amount
to. So I've been going to see her stead
lily and taking her everywhere. We've
gone dancing and swimming and boat
ing and all the rest of it. And-by Jove!
for all she's mighty quiet, I've come tc
find out she's not the typical little coun-
try girl at all. She's well read and tray
eled, though she seemed rather aghast
when she let that fact out And she
looks at fellow in a cool, aspiring sort
of way that makes him feel pretty cheaL
If his spoken thoughts are not quite
up to her white standard. Eut she's NOT
really in the social swim. She native
take it. It's been hard to pin her down
to any confidence about herself. She
lives with 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 out Of
women up at the hotel, but I've never
seen her sport any 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
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 il
would be so hard to get that little girls
sweet face out of my heart. must dc
the sensible thing, and go in for the