Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-03-04

The MISSING Letter
IOriginal. I

uldudSlllS ClAAUFeu.
One morning the postman brought
Jennie 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 i'll, 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 ali about
the letter not only for that day, but
for weeks.
At last Mrs. Poverty got better, and
one 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
O 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.
II forgot -to-read your letter."
she blurted.
Then he said coldly, Il must ask
you not to read it, or if 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 sideboard,
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
,hof Trcs " form
carelessness, especially since that lady
knew that Frank Freemans father was
o 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 repel any attention the young man
might offer.
"You have doubtless missed an in
vitation to some delightful amuse
ment," said Mrs Poverty. Its 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 his
time organizing impracticable corpora
tons 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 mansion more in keeping
with their altered circumstances the
sideboard, being shaken up, dropped
Franks letter. 1t contained an avowal
of love and proposition of marriage.
Jennie read the letter, their positions
being reversed from what they had
been when it was written. She was a
sensitive girl, and Franks treatment
Of her had cost her many bitter hour.
Ostensibly he was justified, for she had
certainly been Internationally rude to
him. The finding of the letter did not
of itself mend matters, for Frank had
recalled anything he might have said
in it, Besides, even if he felt as he did
when he wrote it, now that their posi-
lions were reversed he would not re-
new the offer.
Now, any girl who is level headed
enough to assume the care of her broth
ers and sisters should be able to take
care of an oversensitive lover, and now
that Jennie knew that Frank had been
her lover she did not, as many girls
would do, assume that he had changed.
She took it for granted that his mind
was the same, but she had the pru-
dence and modesty to give him an op-