The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1905-04-21
The Missing Letter

Jennie Poverty, barely eighteen, had
the care of five brothers and sisters.
And lucky it was that Jennie was SO
capable, for her mother was delicate
woman, with no faculty whatever for
managing children
One morning the postInan 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
in the dining room till more cOnven-
lent season When the children had
been started Mrs. Poverty 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
till she had gone to bed dead tired. So
she went to sleep intending to read 1t
the next morning She would doubt
less have done so had she seen the let
ter on the sideboard, but it had disap-
peared, and there was nothing to 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. Poverty got better, and
ope Saturday morning when the chill
dren were amusing themselves In their
own different ways Jennie went out to
do some shopping. Coming suddenly
upon Frank Freeman, he passed her
with his nose In the air, only lifting
his hat in a most formal manner For
a moment Jennie was at loss to &C.
count for this sudden change of man
ner; then the remembrance of her let
ter rushed upon her.
"Oh, Mr.. Freeman" she cried, Il am
so sorry. I forgot
Freeman stopped, turned and waited.
II forgot--to-to-read your letter"
she blurted.
"Then," he said coldly, II must ask
you not to read 1t, or if you do to con.
slider all that said in 1t 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 1t, 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 1t.
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
rich man and Frank his only child.
whereas the Poverty family hadn't a
cent in the world. The poor woman
did not know If there was anything
Of Importance In the missing note She
only desired that her daughter should
not repeI any attention the young man
might offer.
''You have doubtless missed an In
vitation to some delightful amuse-
ment," said Mrs. Poverty. "It's too
bad, considering that you never get a
chance to go any where"
Never mind, mother" replied Jennie.
"If Frank wants my company very
badly he'll ask me again."
But Franks manner whenever he
met Jennie became more and more
constrained, more naughty, till at last
his recognition of her ON the street was
scarcely perceptible. Jennie did all
she could do; she wrote him the circum-
stances about the loss of his note, to
which he replied that the matter was
of no consequence. There the affair
rested.
Then several things happened in the
Freeman and Poverty families. In the
first place Mr. Freeman failed In bust
ness, and Mr.. Poverty, who was pro
moter, a title given one who spends bis
time organizing impracticable corpora
lions while their families are starving,
organized company to manufacture
a patent churn, which Unexpectedly
made him rich. A third thing that hap
pened was that when the Peverlys
moved into a mansion more In keeping
with their altered circumstances the
sideboard, being shaken up. dropped
Franks letter. 1t contained an avowal
Of love and a proposition Of marriage.
Jennie read the letter. their positions
being reversed from what they bad
been when It was written. She was a
sensitive girl. and Franks treatment
Of her had cost her many a bitter hour.